Is 52 the Loneliest Number? The search is on for the enigmatic whale 52—the world’s loneliest whale. Actor Adrian Grenier (Devil Wears Prada) and Josh Zeman (who produced the feature-length documentary 52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale) are asking fans and whale-lovers alike to fund their hunt for the elusive “52 Hertz” singer. Although 52’s call hasn’t been heard since 2004, scientists and aficionados are adamant that this whale might still be found. Others, however, are not convinced that whale is as unique or lonely as people want to believe. Echoes in the Deep It began in 1989, after state-of-the-art hydrophones called SOSUS, used by the United States Navy to detect enemy submarines, were bequeathed to those conducting oceanographic research. Whale 52 was identified by the Woods Hole Oceanographic …show more content…
This has been documented across cetacean species. Whale 52 may have come from a region where 52Hz are utilized more frequently. Clark also finds fault with Whale 52’s loneliness, rejecting the idea held by some that the whale cannot be heard or understood by "regular" blue whales that make lower-frequency calls. "The animal's singing with a lot of the same features of a typical blue whale song," he says. "Blue whales, fin whales and humpback whales: all these whales can hear this guy, they're not deaf. He's just odd." One must also take into account the nature of blue whales. Dolphins, orcas and sperm whale are gregarious, social animals by default. However, blue whales live solitary lifestyles. This might be 52’s preferred style of
Blackfish: The Documentary Entertainment is a word that invokes feelings of fun and pleasure. It is an exciting time with family and friends filled with joy and laughter, especially at amusement parks. However, what about the whales entrapped at water parks? How do they feel about this? Are they content with their environment?
This has been a tradition of the Makah Indians for more than 2000 years. They had to stop in 1926 due to the scarcity of gray whales. But their abundance now makes it possible to resume their ancient practice of the hunt.
For many years, SeaWorld has been putting up killer whale shows for human entertainment. The Shamu show is the lost well know whale show. Shamu was the name of the first killer whale brought to Sea World San Diego in 1965. “Shamu” is now used to refer to any whale that is performing as a stage name. Throughout the many years of performance, the death of Dawn Brancheau was the lost influential and famous incident. This incident gained a lot of interest and made known to many people the problem of captivity for killer whales and how all of this could be prevented if this industry was not created at all. The death of Dawn Brancheau sparked director Gabriela Cowperthwaite to create the documentary “Blackfish” (Cowperthwaite, “Filmmaker: Why I made Blackf...
Sea World has been known to lie to the public when it comes to giving facts about these killer whales they have captive. One of the things this company claims is that the killer whales actually live longer in their care. According to the website (Sea World of Hurt) this is completely false, killer whales in the wild have a similar life span to humans, they can live from anywhere to 50-100 years. Held captive, these animals hardly live past twenty-five years. In the wild, an orcas dorsal fin is straight which is the way it should be. In captivity, you will mostly see their dorsal fins flopped over or completely collapsed. The reasons as to why their fins become this way is because they simply do not have enough s...
2. Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk. New York: Greenwillow, 2001. The Ohio Digital Library. Overdrive. Web. 13 Jan. 14. .
“… building a tank the size of Rhode Island wouldn’t be large enough for a six-ton male killer whale such as Tilikum, an animal capable of swimming 100 miles a day,” states an anonymous whale expert. Whales have been in captivity since 1861 when P.T. Barnum displayed the first live whale that was captured in Canada. However, Barnum had no idea how to care for the mammal and it died after only a week in captivity. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Being up close with killer whales could give us some clues about how they interact with each other, including physical behavior, their dialect, and how their pods work together as a family unit. However, what we are finding is that whales who belong in the wild are suffering in captivity. Killer whales have no record of ever harming a human being in the wild. In captivity, there have been many incidents of killer whales harming or even killing their trainers. What would cause them to do this in captivity, but not in the wild? They have been known to resort to aggression toward themselves and each other, in what scientist believe to be a stress induced behavior. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Evidence against having these wild animals in captivity is increasing and we need reevaluate the value of capturing and holding killer whales for our educational purposes, enjoyment, and profit.
The first whale to ever be captured was Moby Doll. The capture of Moby Doll was an accident; the purpose of getting this whale was so a sculptor named Samuel Burich could make a life size model for the British Columbia Hall Aquarium. Moby Doll was shot numerous times, but would not die. Since the whale would not die they decided to keep the whale and put it on display. There was little information on how to take care of the whale. Moby Doll did not eat for fifty-five days while being held captive. They were giving the whale the wrong food and when they finally figured it out the whale killed itself a month later. “Stories of Killer Captive Whales”.
Whales living in captivity become aggravated and have been known to take out anger on themselves by self harming. In the pools they live in, metal bars are placed in between the pools to prevent the killer whales from swimming to another pool. On several occurrences, the whales have attempted to bite and break the metal bars. This leaves the whales with broken teeth and a risk of infection. Infections in killer whales can lead to death in many cases. If a whale gets an infection, they have to be taken out of the pool and placed into another pool by themselves to prevent any problems with other killer whales they live with. In many cases, whales with infections need serious care from whale specialists.
Killer whales have a recognizable coloration with a black back and white belly. They also have a noticeable o...
The book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, is an inspiring story about an Essex from Nantucket, getting attacked by a eighty-five ton sperm whale miles deep out in the ocean. In these times, going on any ocean expedition had its precautions. While much focus on food, drinking water, medication and a method to cure illness, the most overlooked impairment was the creatures of the ocean. While the men of this vessel left the docks as predators, the survivors of the ninety- three-day journey on three small harpoon boats came back as prey. This story gives a great depiction of the potential of the sperm whale as well as the devastation that they can bring.
...ould estimate where they spent most of their time. By the length of the other skeletal bones, the size and shape of the animals could be determined, which also shared insight to its behavior. The largest primitive whales could indeed walk on land, but only did so for short periods because their legs could not take so much weight for long amounts of time. These behaviors allow scientists and paleontologists to understand even more as to how these fascinating and mysterious animals went from ruling on land to taking over the sea.
Loneliness is a pit in one individual's stomach that eats you from the inside out or outside in it is one of the most difficult feelings to withdraw from, but it is possible. Chris Crutcher the author of “Whale Talk” tries to convey in his book through the characters and their pasts. In the book the main character T.J. (The Tao Jones) hates jocks and all they stand for so he tries to help those who have been bullied by the jock which leads him to make a swim team to show letterman jackets can be worn by anyone if they want one. Through this story T.J. has experienced and met people who have also experienced loneliness. In “Whale Talk” Chris Crutcher demonstrates loneliness is overcome like when T.J. is talking about his neglectful biological parents, when T.J.’s father
Killer whales communicate by a series of clicks and whistles called vocalization. Each pod, or family, has their own unique language. This gives whales the ability to identify their own pods. Orcas have a brain that is about five ti...
The short film ,”Humpback Whale Shows AMAZING Appreciation After Being Freed From Nets,” shows 3 men, and a woman are in a small boat, cutting away the net that inprisons the whale. This is a fine example of the value of human emotions enhancing the survival of the whale, that otherwise would more than likely die. After being freed the whale danced a happy dance of sorts, and showed it 's appreciation for valuing it 's life enough to risk their own safety to save it ("Humpback Whale Shows AMAZING
Their beautiful song can travel miles and miles underwater. These sequences of moans, howls, cries, and other noises are quite complex and often continue for hours on end. It is most likely that humpbacks sing to communicate with others and to attract potential mates (National Geographic). Humpback whales travel in groups called pods. These whales, like others, regularly leap from the water, landing with a tremendous splash. Scientists aren’t sure if this breaching behavior serves some purpose. These whales are famous for the water acrobatics. Humpback whales can frequently be seen leaping out of the water and sometimes can use their flukes to propel themselves completely out of the water (Animal Planet).