Humpback Whale and EXTRA: Humpback Whale Experience! - Animal of the Week (Week #3)
It's that time again! For this week's "Animal of the Week" post, I decided to write about the huge, heroic humpback whale! And stay tuned until the end, as there is an extra on my Humpback Whale Experience going whale watching!
The humpback whale is truly amazing. Its size and communication impresses many scientists. To learn about these cetaceans (a group of animals that consists of whales, dolphins and porpoises) just keep on reading!
1) Their communication is classified in three different groups! Whales can click, whistle, or release pulsed sounds to talk to the other whales. This might be, "There's some food!" or "Time to sleep!". Scientists have found out that when they make the clicking sound, they are usually navigating their way through the ocean. As sound waves bounce off, they return to the whale, so the whale can determine where and how big the object is. Regularly though, clicks, whistles, and pulses are used during social activities. (Source)
2) Humpback whales eat 1.5 tons of krill! Their diet is basically krill, krill, and krill! (They actually don't only eat krill, but people have noticed they eat a lot of krill). Krill are small animals, but they are very commonly eaten by marine life! (Source 1. Source 2.)
3) Females are longer than males. An average female has a height of 49-52 feet, while the average male only has 43-46 feet. Talk about girl power.
4) Humpback Whale Breaching- Breaching is the famous thing the humpback whale does when it jumps up into the air and flips himself upside down. Scientists currently believe the reason for this is because they need air. Some marine animals come up, and the humpback whale jumps. Believe it or not, while breaching the humpback can actually lift him/her-self fully out of the water. That's breathing in style.
5) Humpback Whales Can Sing! These whales are known to sing in their environment, and they sing pretty good! According to this site, humpbacks sing to explore the world around them. In fact, males are believed to have a different song in their environment! Now that's one amazing singing voice.
I hope you had fun learning about Humpback Whales! Please, work to save these wonderful creatures. They have constantly been being hit by cruise ships and other large boats, with no effort to save them. Some pregnant mothers, and other children have been spotted dead after being severely injured by them.
Then, we headed outside. We met our driver, and said our salutations to the rest of our fellow travelers. Then, we drove to the harbor. I got more nervous now and as we talked to our marine biologist, she told us a few simple rules:
She pointed to more whales as I slid down in my seat. I closed my eyes, and the waves kept shaking me awake. Five people in the boat began begging for the marine biologist to bring us back.
This is just a seperator kind of line so that the words are seperated and everything is good so I really hope it works. TOday we are going to Sanjana and Rohan's house jk that's tomorrow b
 |
| A beautiful humpback whale, and one with a clear image of the eye. Imagine having an eye the size of a baseball! |
The humpback whale is truly amazing. Its size and communication impresses many scientists. To learn about these cetaceans (a group of animals that consists of whales, dolphins and porpoises) just keep on reading!
1) Their communication is classified in three different groups! Whales can click, whistle, or release pulsed sounds to talk to the other whales. This might be, "There's some food!" or "Time to sleep!". Scientists have found out that when they make the clicking sound, they are usually navigating their way through the ocean. As sound waves bounce off, they return to the whale, so the whale can determine where and how big the object is. Regularly though, clicks, whistles, and pulses are used during social activities. (Source)
2) Humpback whales eat 1.5 tons of krill! Their diet is basically krill, krill, and krill! (They actually don't only eat krill, but people have noticed they eat a lot of krill). Krill are small animals, but they are very commonly eaten by marine life! (Source 1. Source 2.)
 |
| Though penguins and humpback whales don't live in the same location, penguins are also one of the popular krill eaters. |
 |
| Humpback whale jumping through the air. |
 |
| A humpback with his body fully out of the water. |
 |
| The tail |
And recently, I just visited two humpback whales, when traveling to Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico! Here is my experience being up close with these awesome creatures. Enjoy!
VISITING HUMPBACK WHALES
The morning I was going to meet humpback whales, I woke up angry and tired. The alarm rang in my ears even after I turned it off, and I groaned as I got out of bed. After freshening up, I packed a quick bag of supplies. A few things you should pack, along with your stuff, if you plan on going are:
- Chewing Gum (or any other mint candy)
- A water bottle/soda bottle
- Saltine Crackers
- Some plastic bags
- A few jackets
- A camera
- Motion sickness bands
I opened the door of my hotel room feeling excited and nervous. With my friends, we went for breakfast. I recommend having a light breakfast the day you go, but remember to never eat too light. Five hours on the sea with an empty stomach can seriously do something to your body.
| Eat some light granola and yogurt |
- Never stand up in the boat
- Never scream or shout
- Don't scare the whales in any way
- Don't force the sailor to get us closer. Any closer, and the whale can flip over the whole ship.
The boat was really rocky when we got there, and we all sat down. I sat down next to my friends and family, and we drove off! We went far into the vast sea, and after a while I couldn't see our resort anymore. Our marine biologist began explaining humpback whale facts and their environment, and I listened closely. She told us to use clock symbols to guide us. For instance, if we saw a whale at one o'clock, we would tell everyone, "One!" Right after a few directions, we heard a splashing behind us. We all turned around, and saw a whale in mid-air.
I felt so connected to nature and excitement swelled inside me.
"3!" I screamed. We all watched in awe as the humpback jumped, and slowly waved one fin up at us. It's like he was saying hi!
We continued watching whales and I was so excited. The boat stopped and we stood in the water. The waves begin pushing our boat in a rising and falling motion. After an hour, I didn't feel so good. Instead of excitement in me, I felt sickness. Over 75% of the boat agreed with me.
Except the marine biologist.
"Come on, you guys! You have to enjoy with nature. You can't ruin it for the rest of us!"
She pointed to more whales as I slid down in my seat. I closed my eyes, and the waves kept shaking me awake. Five people in the boat began begging for the marine biologist to bring us back.
"I don't feel well. I really don't feel well." I told her.
"Fine, twenty more minutes out here at sea and we will head home."
After twenty exhausting minutes, the engine bursted the bubble of sickness on the travelers shoulders. We were going home.
On land, I was happy to be home. The whales were an awesome experience, but motion sickness got the best of us. We got off and we ate some saltine crackers, soda, and gum. Just what the doctor ordered after a long day out in sea.
Hope you enjoyed reading this long post! I didn't mean to make this post so long, but I wanted to explain the true experience of meeting these whales. If you ever go humpback whale watching, be sure to follow my tips! And keep staying curious about animals! Stay tuned!
-The Bookish Elephant
This is just a seperator kind of line so that the words are seperated and everything is good so I really hope it works. TOday we are going to Sanjana and Rohan's house jk that's tomorrow b
- Meet The Author
Hi there! I'm TheBookishElephant- a writer, reader, and a HUGE fan of all things animal! This blog is an inspiration of the animals I have seen growing up, and animals I hope to see as I continue on in my life! Animal Awareness is one of the things that can get out the word and help create change. Want to support my mission? Go ahead and click the follow button! Followers really inspire me to push the blog more and hopefully get word out the whole world! Well, what are you waiting for? There's fun awaiting!
This is just a seperator kind of line so that the words are seperated and everything is good so I really hope it works. TOday we are going to Sanjana and Rohan's house jk that's tomorrow b
- Follow TheBookishElephant Directly
Becoming a loyal follower on the blog is possibly the best way for you to contribute to this cause. There's no gimmicks, tricks, or even money behind clicking the button- rather, you help writer to reader make this website up and running as hard as it most possibly can.
This is just a seperator kind of line so that the words are seperated and everything is good so I really hope it works. TOday we are going to Sanjana and Rohan's house jk that's tomorrow b
Comments
Post a Comment
Liked it? Loved it? Share Your Reactions.