Learning About Whales
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42. Aboriginal Whaling and Identity in the Twenty-First Century
42. Aboriginal Whaling and Identity in the Twenty-First Century 16286 - The Visual narratives and the depiction of whaling in north European prehistory over the long dure Presentation type: Oral presentation Author(s): Janik, Liliana (Dept of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Arab / Ver.Arab.) The tradition of whaling can be traced far back into the ancient history of early societies in northern Europe, even though most of the communities involved in whaling are long disappeared. The heritage of these societies, however, is not forgotten and can be seen in the images carved into rock surfaces thousands of years ago. This presentation introduces some exceptional examples of this rock art featuring whaling from the estuary of the River Vig, which flows into the White Sea in northern Russia. These carvings were made between about 5,500 and 3,000 years ago. This rock art has been the focus of a major international research project over the past decade, lead by the University of Cambridge. Our research has examined how the visual narratives of whaling changed over time, and raises questions about techniques of whaling, who participated in the act of whale hunting, and the nature of the stories being told, pecked into the rock surfaces by prehistoric carvers. The paper presents an analysis of a series of individual compositions that demonstrate the form of communication between the carver and the viewer, a form of communication which we can understand as a series of as intentional acts that can still be deciphered today, and that give us a glimpse into the ancient past. -
Toothed Vs. Baleen Whales Monday
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: TOOTHED VS. BALEEN WHALES MONDAY Their classifications help to give you the answer, so what do you think the most obvious difference is in a toothed whale versus a baleen whale? Your clues are in the close-up photos, below! PHOTO: TASLI SHAW PHOTO: CINDY HANSEN Answer: The most obvious difference between a toothed whale and a baleen whale is the way that they feed and what’s inside their mouth. Toothed whales (including all dolphins and porpoises) have teeth, like we do, and they actively hunt fish, squid, and other sea creatures. Their teeth help them capture, bite, and tear their food into smaller pieces before swallowing. Baleen whales have several hundred plates that hang from their upper jaw, instead of teeth. These plates are made of keratin, the same substance as our hair and fingernails, and are used to filter food from the water or the sediment. Once the food has been trapped in the baleen plates, the whales will use their massive tongues to scrape the food off and swallow it. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: TOOTHED VS. BALEEN WHALES TUESDAY The photos provided show specific prey types for resident orcas and for the gray whales that stop to feed in Saratoga Passage in the spring. Besides being two different species, what is another difference between these prey types? Who eats what and what makes you think that? Answer: The photos show Chinook salmon and ghost shrimp. Other than being two different species, their main difference is size! A toothed whale, like a resident orca, uses their teeth to capture, bite, and tear Chinook salmon into smaller pieces to be shared with other orcas in their family. -
Balaenoptera Bonaerensis – Antarctic Minke Whale
Balaenoptera bonaerensis – Antarctic Minke Whale compared to B. bonaerensis. This smaller form, termed the “Dwarf” Minke Whale, may be genetically different from B. bonaerensis, and more closely related to the North Pacific Minke Whales, and thus has been classified B. acutorostrata (Wada et al. 1991; IWC 2001). This taxonomic position, although somewhat controversial, has been accepted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Assessment Rationale The current IWC global estimate of abundance of Antarctic Dr. Meike Scheidat Minke Whales is about 500,000 individuals. The abundance estimates declined from about 700,000 for the second circumpolar set of abundance survey cruises Regional Red List status (2016) Least Concern* (1985/86 to 1990/91) to about 500,000 for the third National Red List status (2004) Least Concern (1991/92 to 2003/04). Although this decline was not statistically significant, the IWC Scientific Committee does Reasons for change No change consider these results to reflect a change. However, Global Red List status (2008) Data Deficient whether this change is genuine or attributed to greater proportions of pack ice limiting the survey extent, has not TOPS listing (NEMBA) (2007) None yet been determined. More detailed results from an CITES listing (1986) Appendix I assessment model are available for the mid-Indian to the mid-Pacific region, and suggest that the population Endemic No increased to a peak in 1970 and then declined, with it *Watch-list Data being unclear whether this decline has levelled off or is still continuing past 2000. -
Fishery Oceanographic Study on the Baleen Whaling Grounds
FISHERY OCEANOGRAPHIC STUDY ON THE BALEEN WHALING GROUNDS KEIJI NASU INTRODUCTION A Fishery oceanographic study of the whaling grounds seeks to find the factors control ling the abundance of whales in the waters and in general has been a subject of interest to whalers. In the previous paper (Nasu 1963), the author discussed the oceanography and baleen whaling grounds in the subarctic Pacific Ocean. In this paper, the oceanographic environment of the baleen whaling grounds in the coastal region ofJapan, subarctic Pacific Ocean, and Antarctic Ocean are discussed. J apa nese oceanographic observations in the whaling grounds mainly have been carried on by the whaling factory ships and whale making research boats using bathyther mographs and reversing thermomenters. Most observations were made at surface. From the results of the biological studies on the whaling grounds by Marr ( 1956, 1962) and Nemoto (1959) the author presumed that the feeding depth is less than about 50 m. Therefore, this study was made mainly on the oceanographic environ ment of the surface layer of the whaling grounds. In the coastal region of Japan Uda (1953, 1954) plotted the maps of annual whaling grounds for each 10 days and analyzed the relation between the whaling grounds and the hydrographic condition based on data of the daily whaling reports during 1910-1951. A study of the subarctic Pacific Ocean whaling grounds in relation to meteorological and oceanographic conditions was made by U da and Nasu (1956) and Nasu (1957, 1960, 1963). Nemoto (1957, 1959) also had reported in detail on the subject from the point of the food of baleen whales and the ecology of plankton. -
The Bowhead Vs. the Gray Whale in Chukotkan Aboriginal Whaling IGOR I
ARCTIC VOL. 40, NO. 1 (MARCH 1987) P. 16-32 The Bowhead vs. the Gray Whale in Chukotkan Aboriginal Whaling IGOR I. KRUPNIK’ (Received 5 September 1984; accepted in revised form 22 July 1986) ABSTRACT. Active whaling for large baleen whales -mostly for bowhead (Balaena mysricetus) and gray whales (Eschrichrius robustus)-has been practiced by aborigines on the Chukotka Peninsula since at least the early centuries of the Christian era. Thehistory of native whaling off Chukotka may be divided into four periods according to the hunting methods used and the primary species pursued: ancient or aboriginal (from earliest times up to the second half of the 19th century); rraditional (second half of the 19th century to the1930s); transitional (late 1930s toearly 1960s); and modern (from the early 1960s). The data on bowhead/gray whale bone distribution in theruins of aboriginal coastal sites, available catch data from native settlements from the late 19th century and local oral tradition prove to be valuable sources for identifying specific areas of aboriginal whaling off Chukotka. Until the 1930s, bowhead whales generally predominated in the native catch; gray whales were hunted periodically or locally along restricted parts of the coast. Some 8-10 bowheads and 3-5 gray whales were killed on the average in a “good year”by Chukotka natives during the early 20th century. Around the mid-20th century, however, bowheads were completely replaced by gray whales. On the basis of this experience, the author believes that the substitution of gray whales for bowheads, proposed recently by conservationists for modemAlaska Eskimos, would be unsuccessful. -
The Weekly Whaler PUBLISHED by MS
The Weekly Whaler PUBLISHED BY MS. RODERICK’S LINCOLN ELEMENTARY 21ST CENTURY 3rd GRADE CLASS. No. 11. Vol. XVll. SUNDAY, JULY 8, 1860. (Two Dollars per annum, ( Payable in advance. SHIPS OUT AT SEA. Captain Scarleth’s, ‘The Skittles’ AMERICAN VESSEL is making its way through the SUNK. Captain Vessel Pacific. She wants to head to the Azores. Written By Serena Asa ‘The Batman’ Captain Gabriella is leading ‘The The American whaler Essex hailed Serena ‘The Flamingo’ CoCo’ on its maiden voyage. It is from Nantucket, Massachusetts. It was attacked by 80-ton sperm Isaiah ‘The Resses’ whaling in the Atlantic Ocean. whale. The 20 crew members Kayanda ‘Oreo Ice Cream’ ‘The Dolphin’ and the ‘Cookie escaped in 3 boats, only 5 men survived. Three other men were Crumb’ are headed to the Arctic saved later. The first capture Elias ‘The Sharky’ under the control of Captains sperm whale, by the mid18th Nevaeh and Carina. Emily ‘The Oreo’ century. Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick (1851) was Scarleth ‘The Skittles’ Ms. Roderick and Ian are leading inspired in part by the Story of the their ships, ‘The Sprinkles’ and Essex. Gabriella ‘The CoCo’ ‘The Bentley’ through the North Atlantic Ocean, in search of Right The End. Nevaeh ‘The Dolphin’ Whales. CHARLES W. MORGAN. Carina ‘Cookie Crumb’ ADVERTISEMENTS. Written By Gabriella Ms Roderick ‘The Sprinkles’ LEANOR CISNEROS The last wooden whale ship went back to sea at the Mystic Seaport. Ian ‘The Bentley’ She needed to get fixed up and it took five years. After that, she went on her 38th voyage. -
Lunge Filter Feeding Biomechanics Constrain Rorqual Foraging Ecology Across Scale S
© 2020. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd | Journal of Experimental Biology (2020) 223, jeb224196. doi:10.1242/jeb.224196 RESEARCH ARTICLE Lunge filter feeding biomechanics constrain rorqual foraging ecology across scale S. R. Kahane-Rapport1,*, M. S. Savoca1, D. E. Cade1,2, P. S. Segre1, K. C. Bierlich3, J. Calambokidis4, J. Dale3, J. A. Fahlbusch1, A. S. Friedlaender2, D. W. Johnston3, A. J. Werth5 and J. A. Goldbogen1 ABSTRACT morphological scaling (Haldane, 1926), resulting in functional Fundamental scaling relationships influence the physiology of vital trade-offs that ultimately impact evolution and ecology. rates, which in turn shape the ecology and evolution of organisms. For The physiological advantages and disadvantages associated with diving mammals, benefits conferred by large body size include different body sizes have wide-ranging effects, from behavior to life reduced transport costs and enhanced breath-holding capacity, history. For example, the smallest animals have the lowest absolute thereby increasing overall foraging efficiency. Rorqual whales feed energetic demands (Kelt and Van Vuren, 1999), yet they may also by engulfing a large mass of prey-laden water at high speed and struggle with thermoregulation and be forced to compensate by filtering it through baleen plates. However, as engulfment capacity increasing their metabolism (Scholander et al., 1950; Taylor et al., increases with body length (engulfment volume∝body length3.57), the 1980). Small size enables high performance maneuverability and surface area of the baleen filter does not increase proportionally agility (Domenici, 2001), but may limit maximum attainable speeds (baleen area∝body length1.82), and thus the filtration time of larger (Carrier, 1994; Hirt et al., 2017). -
Mandible Allometry in Extant and Fossil Balaenopteridae (Cetacea: Mammalia): the Largest Vertebrate Skeletal Element and Its Role in Rorqual Lunge Feeding
bs_bs_banner Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 108, 586–599. With 6 figures Mandible allometry in extant and fossil Balaenopteridae (Cetacea: Mammalia): the largest vertebrate skeletal element and its role in rorqual lunge feeding NICHOLAS D. PYENSON1,2*, JEREMY A. GOLDBOGEN3 and ROBERT E. SHADWICK4 1Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7013, USA 2Departments of Mammalogy and Paleontology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA 98195, USA 3Cascadia Research Collective, 218½ West 4th Avenue, Olympia, WA, USA 4Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4 Received 4 July 2012; revised 10 September 2012; accepted for publication 10 September 2012 Rorqual whales (crown Balaenopteridae) are unique among aquatic vertebrates in their ability to lunge feed. During a single lunge, rorquals rapidly engulf a large volume of prey-laden water at high speed, which they then filter to capture suspended prey. Engulfment biomechanics are mostly governed by the coordinated opening and closing of the mandibles at large gape angles, which differentially exposes the floor of the oral cavity to oncoming flow. The mouth area in rorquals is delimited by unfused bony mandibles that form kinetic linkages to each other and with the skull. The relative scale and morphology of these skeletal elements have profound consequences for the energetic efficiency of foraging in these gigantic predators. Here, we performed a morphometric study of rorqual mandibles using a data set derived from a survey of museum specimens. Across adult specimens of extant balaenopterids, mandibles range in size from ~1–6 m in length, and at their upper limit they represent the single largest osteological element of any vertebrate, living or extinct. -
The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, Signed at Washington Under Date of December 2, 1946
1946 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE REGULATION OF WHALING Adopted in Washington, USA on 2 December 1946 [http://iwcoffice.org/commission/convention.htm] ARTICLE I ................................................................................................................................. 4 ARTICLE II ................................................................................................................................ 4 ARTICLE III ............................................................................................................................... 4 ARTICLE IV ............................................................................................................................... 5 ARTICLE V ................................................................................................................................ 5 ARTICLE VI ............................................................................................................................... 6 ARTICLE VII .............................................................................................................................. 7 ARTICLE VIII ............................................................................................................................. 7 ARTICLE IX ............................................................................................................................... 7 ARTICLE X ............................................................................................................................... -
Bowhead Whale Field Studies in Alaska, 1975
MFR PAPER 1195 Bowhead Whale Field Studies in Alaska, 1975 Marquette WILLMAN M. MARQUETTE Willman M. Marquette is with the Marine Mammal Division, North west Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Naval Support Activity, Building INTRODUCTION whales by aborigines or a Contracting 192, Seattle, WA 98115. Government on behalf of aborigines is Mammal Division (MMD), then the The bowhead whale, Balaena mysti permitted but only when the meat and Marine Mammal Biological Laboratory, cetus, is found in Arctic and northern products of such whales are to be used were carried out by Dale W. Rice subarctic waters. Its numbers were exclusively for local consumption by (1974) in 1961 and 1962. In 1973, greatly reduced over a period of about the aborigines." The MMPA (Sec. through a contract with the University 300 years, initially in the European 101b) provides that any Indian, Aleut, of Southern California, the National Arctic, then in the eastern Canadian or Eskimo "who dwells on the coast of Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Arctic and the Okhotsk Sea. Commer the North Pacific Ocean or the Arctic through the MMD of the Northwest cial whaling for bowheads began in the Ocean" may take bowhead whales for Fisheries Center (NWFC), supported Chukchi Sea and later in the Beaufort subsistence or for the purpose of Floyd Durham's studies of the bowhead Sea during the mid-1800's; the last creating authentic articles of handi· whale, which he had begun in 1961. reported voyage occurred in 1916 craft, if not accomplished in a wasteful The principal objective of the current (Bower and Aller, 1917) when the manner. -
Whale Species
Whale鯨の種類 species Whales are grouped as baleen whales (14 species) or toothed whales (70 species). Baleen whales have baleen plates in the upper jaws and two blowholes on the top of their heads. Toothed whales bear teeth and a single blowhole. Dolphins and porpoises are whales below 4 meters in length. Baleen whale examples Blue whale Bryde’s whale Fin whale Sei whale Humpback whale Minke whale Antarctic minke whale Bowhead whale Gray whale Toothed whale examples Beluga Sperm whale Pilot whale Killer whale Bottlenose dolphin Baird’s beaked whale Origin of the term "kujira" (whale) Although there is no definite etymology for the Japanese word for whale (“kujira”), according to one theory, since whales have big mouths, “kujira” was derived from the term “kuchihiro” (wide mouth). It is also said that in ancient Korean language, the particle “ku” meant big size, “shishi” indicated a beast or animal, and “ra” represented a postfix; the term “kushirara” shortened to “kujira”. The kanji character representing “kujira” means big fish. Another term used in Japan for whale is “isana” and is usually written with the two kanji characters indicating “brave fish”. In the Manyoshu, the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, the term “isanatori” (whale hunter) was used as a customary epithet in sea-related context. It is also said that the term “isana” has its origins in the ancient Korean language, meaning “big fish”. Reference: Kujira to Nihon-jin (Seiji Ohsumi, Iwanami Shincho). 1 What is the IWC? IWC Organization The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) was concluded International Whaling in 1946. -
Rorqual Whale (Balaenopteridae) Surface Lunge-Feeding Behaviors: Standardized Classification, Repertoire Diversity, and Evolutionary Analyses
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, 30(4): 1335–1357 (October 2014) © 2014 Society for Marine Mammalogy DOI: 10.1111/mms.12115 Rorqual whale (Balaenopteridae) surface lunge-feeding behaviors: Standardized classification, repertoire diversity, and evolutionary analyses BRIAN W. KOT,1 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, California 90095-1606 U.S.A. and Mingan Island Cetacean Study, Inc., 378 Bord de la Mer, Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Quebec G0G 1V0, Canada; RICHARD SEARS, Mingan Island Cetacean Study, Inc., 378 Bord de la Mer, Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Quebec G0G 1V0, Canada; DANY ZBINDEN, Meriscope Marine Research Station, 7 chemin de la Marina, Portneuf-sur-Mer, Quebec G0T 1P0, Canada; ELIZABETH BORDA, Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, Texas 77553, U.S.A.; MALCOLM S. GORDON, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, California 90095-1606, U.S.A. Abstract Rorqual whales (Family: Balaenopteridae) are the world’s largest predators and sometimes feed near or at the sea surface on small schooling prey. Most rorquals cap- ture prey using a behavioral process known as lunge-feeding that, when occurring at the surface, often exposes the mouth and head above the water. New technology has recently improved historical misconceptions about the natural variation in rorqual lunge-feeding behavior yet missing from the literature is a dedicated study of the identification, use, and evolution of these behaviors when used to capture prey at the surface. Here we present results from a long-term investigation of three rorqual whale species (minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata; fin whale, B.