Your web browser (Safari 7) is out of date. For more security, comfort and the best experience on this site: Update your browser Ignore W HALE TALES Research biologist reveals blue whales' striking characteristics For the complete article with media resources, visit: http://www.nationalgeographic.org/news/whale-tales/ By Stuart Thornton Sunday, January 16, 2011 The largest animal that has ever lived, blue whales can grow to 100 feet (30 meters) long, which is longer than the length of a basketball court. They can weigh as much as 200 tons (181 metric tons), about the weight of 15 school buses. So when a blue whale does an ordinary act that is necessary for its own survival even just breathing or gliding through the ocean it can be an awe-inspiring event. I think it s humbling, says John Calambokidis, a marine mammal research biologist who studies blue whales. Often, we are working in boats 18 feet long, and these animals we are approaching can be five times larger. Calambokidis is co-founder of Cascadia Research, a nonprofit organization based in the U.S. state of Washington that studies marine mammals in an attempt to help protect them. Calambokidis has traveled all over the Pacific Ocean from off the coast of Costa Rica, where he was funded by expedition grants from the National Geographic Society, to the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, Canada. He travels to research blue whales. Having observed about 5,000 blue whales in the wild, Calambokidis has witnessed the behaviors of the enormous creatures up close and personal. 1 of 6
The scientist can easily recall the first time he heard the geyser-like explosion of air from a blue whale breathing nearby. Here s this massive animal exhaling virtually all of the air in its lungs in a fraction of a second, he says. It comes out with an explosive force. It literally made me jump in the boat. Calambokidis says a blue whale s call, which the animal uses to communicate with other members of its pod and possibly to sonar-navigate the oceans, is a far cry from the sounds emitted by other marine organisms. The calls they make underwater are some of the loudest sounds any animal makes, he says. But the low-frequency sound is normally below a human s hearing range. Calambokidis never heard a blue whale s call during the first decade he was studying the animal. Eventually, with the help of a hydrophone, a microphone that picks up noises underwater, he was able to hear the deep, pulsating sound. Hearing that reverberate through was one of the more impressive times I ve heard an animal call, he says. Just as impressive as its call is the noticeable mark a blue whale leaves behind as it sinks into the sea. The phenomenon is called a flukeprint. The flukeprint is created by the upward motion of water coming off the trailing edge of the fluke [the whale s tail] as the animal basically begins its acceleration downward, Calambokidis says. So what it ends up looking like is basically an upwelling mass of water that starts as a small circle and spreads outward. There is one striking aspect of a blue whale that has nothing to do with the 2 of 6
animal s enormous size its appearance underwater. Especially in the sunlight, when they are traveling just below the surface, they can get this almost shimmering light, an almost turquoise glow, Calambokidis says. They can almost seem to glow underwater. While blue whales dwarf their adversaries in the sea, the large marine mammals are surprisingly timid, Calambokidis says. Their response to killer whales is to flee at high speed, he says. People might not expect that from the largest animal that has ever lived. Though a blue whale s tongue can weigh as much as an elephant, the giant ocean creature survives almost exclusively on a diet of two-inch shrimp-like organisms called krill. During certain periods of the year, a blue whale can eat as much as 4 tons of krill in a single day. It then expels the processed food in a defecation trail, which Calambokidis describes as a brick-red cloud that colors the water. The world population of the docile creatures dwindled severely from 1900 to the mid-1960s, when blue whales were being hunted extensively for whale oil. Whale oil is a substance made from whale s fat, or blubber. Whale oil can be used as a heating and lighting fluid. It is estimated that 360,000 blue whales were killed during that period. In 1966, the killing of blue whales was banned by the International Whaling Commission. Scientists believe there are between 10,000 and 25,000 blue whales left in the Earth s oceans. Even though whale hunting no longer threatens the endangered species, Calambokidis says there are other dangers facing the blue whale today. Underwater sounds from ships and sonar might affect the animals. Many 3 of 6
scientists worry that climate change could alter the whales ecosystems. One definite cause of blue whale deaths occurs when large ocean vessels inadvertently strike the marine mammals. In fall 2007, four blue whales were killed by ships off the coast of Southern California. With Cascadia Research, Calambokidis is trying to learn more about blue whales in an effort to ensure their population doesn t dwindle any more. They do represent one of the more magnificent animals that we have on the planet, he says. Vocabulary Term Part of Speech Definition accelerate verb to increase speed or velocity. adversary opponent or enemy. awe great respect or amazement. biologist scientist who studies living organisms. blubber thick layer of fat under the skin of marine mammals. blue whale climate change species of marine mammal that is the largest animal to have ever lived. decade 10 years. gradual changes in all the interconnected weather elements on our planet. defecate verb to expel waste matter from the body. docile dwarf ecosystem adjectivegentle and easily led. verb to make something appear small by having it appear next to something much larger. community and interactions of living and nonliving things in an area. emit verb to give off or send out. 4 of 6
Term Part of Speech Definition endangered species organism threatened with extinction. enormous adjectivevery large. exclusive adjectivelimited to a few characteristics. exhale verb to breathe out. expedition journey with a specific purpose, such as exploration. extensive adjectivevery large. fatality a death. fluke either half of the triangle-shaped end of a whale's tail. flukeprint pattern of smooth water formed by a whale's tail just under the surface of the water, as it dives below. geyser natural hot spring that sometimes erupts with water or steam. humbling adjectivecausing a feeling of modesty or not being important. hydrophone device for locating and listening to sounds underwater. inadvertent adjectiveaccidental or not on purpose. insure verb to make sure. International group of national governments that decides the rules Whaling for whaling. Commission John Calambokidis research biologist who studies marine mammals. krill small marine crustacean, similar to shrimp. low-frequency noise that has few vibrations and is barely audible to sound humans. magnificent adjectivevery impressive. an animal that lives most of its life in the ocean but marine mammal breathes air and gives birth to live young, such as whales and seals. 5 of 6
Term Part of Speech Definition National (1888) organization whose mission is "Inspiring people Geographic to care about the planet." Society navigate verb to plan and direct the course of a journey. nonprofit business that uses surplus funds to pursue its goals, not organization to make money. phenomenon an unusual act or occurrence. pod group of whales or dolphins. population total number of people or organisms in a particular area. pulsate verb to throb, or expand and contract in a uniform pattern. reverberate verb to echo back, or reflect sound. sonar method of determining the presence and location of an object using sound waves (echolocation). timid adjectiveshy or fearful. turquoise adjectivegreenish-blue color. whale oil wax obtained from boiling the blubber of whales. Articles & Profiles National Geographic Magazine: Still Blue Audio & Video National Geographic Video: Blue Whales Interactives National Geographic Magazine: Blue Whales Quiz Worksheets & Handouts National Geographic Kids: Blue Whales Coloring Page 1996 2017 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. 6 of 6