Whale And Dolphin Watching Solar Power Energy Generation Guide
Whale And Dolphin Watching On A Boat Along The Shoreline
By Genevieve Thomson
In his book The Cosmic Connection (1973), astronomer
Carl Sagan remarked that whales have larger brains than
humans with very convoluted cerebral cortexes and have
as much social interaction as humans.
"Here we find a class of animals where the three
conditions leading to human intelligence may be exceeded,
and in some cases, greatly exceeded," he wrote.
"The Cetacea hold an important lesson for us.
The lesson is not about whales and dolphins, but about
ourselves. There is at least moderately convincing evidence
that there is another class of intelligent beings on
Earth beside ourselves. They have behaved benignly and
in many cases affectionately towards us. We have systematically
slaughtered them. Little reverence for life is evident
in the whaling industry - underscoring a deep human
failing."
The Humpback Is The Common Whale Spotted
Perhaps it’s this awe that inspires millions
of Americans to review their travel plans and participate
in whale and dolphin watching, whether from shore or
from a whale watching boat or ship.
The humpback whale is one of the most common creatures
spotted when whale watching. There are about 30,000
to 40,000 humpbacks in the wild today, which makes up
about 30 to 35% of the overall population.
Forty Males Courting One Female
In the summer, they frequent New England, Nova Scotia,
Newfoundland, Iceland, California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington,
British Columbia and Antarctica. In the winter, they
migrate to warmer climes like the Dominican Republic’s
Samana Province, France’s Bay of Biscay, Hawaii, Mexico’s
Puerto Vallarta, Australia and New Zealand, Cape Town,
Costa Rica and the Tongan Islands.
Humpback whales are especially exciting to see during
their breeding season, when up to forty males may gather
to court one female with tail-lobbing, breaching several
feet in the air, tail-slapping, spy-hopping, peduncle
throwing and charging.
Blue Whales Are The Largest Creatures On The Planet
Blue whales are another group you might encounter on
your whale and dolphin watching trip. Measuring up to
100 feet long and weighing in at 200 tons, the blues
are the largest creature to have ever lived on Earth.
Just the water spout from these magnificent mammals
can shoot thirty feet in the air. The average life span
of a blue is 80 to 90 years, although aggressive hunting
drove them to the brink of extinction and back again.
Early whalers never bothered with the blues, however,
because they were so powerful and fast compared to other
types.
Love Watching The Blues
Today there are about 8,000 to 14,000 remaining. Blue
whale watching is most common in California, the Gulf
of Saint Lawrence and the Gulf of Maine. Blues can also
be found along the northern tip of Japan and off the
coasts of Greenland, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Iceland,
Antarctica, the northern Indian Ocean, Peru, Chile and
western Australia.
Killer whales are great for whale and dolphin watching
because they typically live in large pods of up to 50
mammals. The best locations for watching killers are
the coastal waters of British Columbia and the state
of Washington.
Killer Whales Hunting In Packs
These whales hunt in packs to capture seals, minkes
and Antarctic cod. In some cases, even grays, blue and
sperm whales, as well as bottle-nosed dolphins, penguins,
deer and moose have been hunted by the killers. Iceland,
Northern Norway and Alaska are other popular places
to spot the black and white cetaceans.
As the stars of Sea World, killers are beloved for
their above-water antics, including acrobatic leaps,
breaching, tail-slapping and spy-hopping (holding their
heads above water to look around).
About the Author:
Genevieve Thomson has written a number of articles on
Our Living Planet, Solar Power and Renewable Energy including
Endangered Animals,
Save The Earth,
Water Conservation,
Whale Watching Trips,
Solar Power System,
Solar Thermal Systems,
Alternative Power Systems,
Hybrid Car,
Recycling Programs.
Look out for new articles as they become available on this site.
Little Known Whale Watching Cruise Facts.....
What cruise lines offer a whale watching cruise?
There are numerous cruise lines
dedicated specifically to whale watching. You can try
the Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises located in Cape Cod.
If you want a shorter cruise and happen to be in California
you can check out Sanctuary Cruises.
They sail out of Monterey Bay
national Marine Sanctuary and offer cruises that are
around four hours long. If you are interested in visiting
Mexico you may want to check out whale watching cruises
from Aztec Adventures.
If cold weather is more your
style and you want to check out the whales around Alaska
you should sail on the yacht Discovery from www.alaskacharters.com.
As you can see there are plenty of cruises to choose
from and they all differ in prices and length of time.
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