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Wondrous Whales

All whales and dolphins belong to the cetacean order and are carnivores. Of these species, three quarters are toothed whales and the rest are baleens. Both types may be found in all of the world’s oceans. Most of the baleen whales spend summers in cooler polar temperatures and winters in far warmer weather just as we humans prefer to do. Most toothed whales do not migrate. With the seasons reversed in the northern and southern hemispheres, this means that visitors wishing to add whale watching tours to their vacations most anywhere will have the opportunity if they time their vacations right. Travelers on Costa Rica tours may see populations from the Arctic that have migrated south or whales from Antarctica that have come north.

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Wondrous Whales

The largest of these creatures are called the Great Whales which includes all of the baleens and one toothed species, the sperm whale. Visitors on whale watching tours in Central or South America or who travel to Antarctica may see one or more of eight great whale species, seven baleens (the southern right whale, blue, fin, sei, Bryde’s whale, humpback and Antarctic (southern) minke), and the sperm whale.

Like all mammals, whales must breathe air. Scientists believe that whales once used their flippers to walk on land. Their tails evolved into flukes that today help them to swim and dive. Though many of the mammalian systems remain, gone are the hind legs and ears. Blubber allows them to survive in temperatures much colder than those of the terra firma they once inhabited.

Whales have evolved extraordinary hearing capabilities inside their heads and use the sounds they form to locate prey, navigate their dark environment and communicate with fellow-whales. Vessels equipped with hydrophones allow visitors while whale watching on Costa Rica tours and elsewhere to hear the unique sounds these species make. Whales can feed underwater without breathing because their respiratory and digestive systems are not connected.

Some of the terms that describe the characteristic moves of whales may not be self-evident. When a whale slaps its flukes on the surface of the water, it is called lobtailing. Sticking its head above the surface during which it appears to look around is called spyhopping. When a whale thrusts some or all of its body out of the water in a leap, it is called breaching. Some breach more during rough seas than when seas are calm. Scientists believe whales have a number of different reasons to breach. It is an effective way to shake a parasite or send a message. When a whale twists while breaching, it is an unforgettable sight.

Most whales travel in pods at least part of the year or during certain activities. Some pods are temporary, others, inter-generational. The pods of some species consist only of cows and calves. A whale calf is usually born tail first, taking its first breath within seconds, after being helped to the surface by its mother. Within thirty minutes, the calf has learned to swim on its own and usually travels in the mother’s wake, called a slip stream.

Most whales have a dorsal fin on their backs. If curved, the dorsal fin is described as falcate.

When visitors on Antarctica whale watching tours or elsewhere see species that appear mottled in color, it may actually be scarring from encounters with other species or be caused by lamprey and other parasites that latch on to the skin to feed.

Though today most whale species are protected from commercial slaughter, they still must share the same waters, and as a result, human activities still threaten the remaining whales. The species that inhabit shallow waters to feed are particularly vulnerable to getting entangled in fishing lines or colliding with a ship.

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