Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Whale Facts

Talking to my mom this morning, she asked how big the whales are.  This picture might give some perspective.  The males are 50-60 feet long and weigh about a ton a foot.
The whales migrate to the islands to give birth to their babies (calves) and stay in the area for up to 4 months, giving the babies a chance to get some size before they migrate to Alaska.  Here is a mom and baby.  If you look close, the spray is coming from the babies blow hole.
There isn't really any food for the whales in this area so the adults are basically fasting the whole time they are in the islands.  They don't eat until they get further north.  The babies however, nurse up to 100 gallons of milk a day from their moms.  The milk is the consistency of cottage cheese or thick yogurt.
They have never recorded or seen a live birth of a humpback whale in the ocean, which seems unbelievable.  They think that the moms calve on the east side of the island but they are not sure.  You can tell approximately how old the baby is by how frequently is comes up for air.

Me and Courtney on the coveted fron seat of Captain Steve's boat.  We stand in line an hour to get this seat.  The guy in the tan hat right behind us was making snide comments and tried to jump our place in line.  He didn't know he was dealing with 2 experienced whale chicks.  One more comment and we would have thrown him overboard. Bonehead....

Of course each day ends with an incredible sunset.  You will see people lined up everywhere, just taking it all in, both tourists and locals.  It is magical and a great time to reflect on all the gifts of the day and to give thanks for being in such a beautiful place.

2 comments:

Carole said...

Oh YES!!! Thanks Ann for posting such beautiful picures, and for the up date. I love you and can hardly wait to see you. I am so glad you had such a wonderful time in Hawaii this time around.

GLWallace said...

Ann
you don't have to post this but here are some other facts. This year the Japanese whaling fleet so far have taken 78 whales from the southern oceans for "research". They sell most of the meat for human consumption in Japan. Also this year in the Cove at Tajai Japan they have killed 628 dolphins for human consumption and sold another 70 to be circus acts. The closest count that has come from shark teams is that approx 700 sharks have been caught, had their fins cut off and then thrown back into the ocean to die. I can only think how beautiful your experience was to see these magnificent creatures in the wild and giving birth to the next generation. Something really special. My hope and dream is that someday all life is treated with the respect that god asks of us and that no longer will we have to witness the savage nature of man for his own benefit but be able to enjoy all the great gifts we are given to see, touch, and experience.
Looks like you 2 had an amazing time and I know I am looking forward to the rest of the pix. Hugs