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A humpback whale.© William Rossiter |
Humpback Whales
Their Latin name (Megaptera novaeangliae), means "big-winged New Englander" and it is apt—their long white pectoral fins wave and glide through the water like wings. Humpback whales sing the beautiful mysterious songs that captivate all who hear them. And these whales are not just singers but also composers. Their songs grow, evolve, change and adapt as the years pass. In 2007, Japan announced that it would begin an annual hunt of 50 humpback whales a year but backed off due to fierce global opposition. However, Japan could easily change its mind again at any time.
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A sperm whale.© William Rossiter |
Sperm Whales
This is the mighty Moby Dick. Sperm whale males are nearly twice the size of females and are mostly head—their heads take up one-third of their bodies. When they exhale their tremendous blow, it shoots out of their nose at a 45 degree angle. Their brains are the largest of any animal on earth. Like many of the other great whale species including fin and sei whales, sperm whales are still endangered.
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A fin whale.© William Rossiter |
Fin Whales
Also called finbacks and the second largest whale alive today, after the blue whale (the largest animal to ever live), fin whales are perhaps the only known animal species on the planet that have asymmetrical markings on their bodies—their left side coloration is different from their right side! Because of their enormous size, it is even harder to kill them without causing prolonged suffering. In spite of this, they have been targeted for the last four years by Japanese whalers and the last three years by Icelandic whalers. Together these countries now plan to kill 200 fin whales. That is a lot of animals doomed to suffer a long and painful death.
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A Bryde's whale.© Alisa Schulman-Janiger |
Sei and Bryde’s Whales
These whales are very similar in appearance and may be mistaken for one another at sea. They are fast, sleek, and very little is known about their numbers or habits. Japan is the only country that hunts these species. Japan gives itself a quota of 50 sei whales and 50 Bryde’s whales a year under the guise of conducting scientific research. Yet they have not contributed any significant knowledge of either species to the global scientific community in spite of almost 10 years of so-called research. So these animals have really died for nothing.
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A minke whale.© Ursula Tscherter |
Minke Whales
These are the smallest of the "great" whales, with a bright white chevron on their shoulders and an exuberant tendency to leap high out of the water. In the days of unregulated whaling, these whales were not a major target because of their size. Because of this, they were not hunted to the brink of extinction like many of the larger whales. However, they are now the primary target of today’s whalers and the only species Norway hunts. In the 2007/2008 whaling season, more than 1,200 minke whales were killed by Japan, Norway and Iceland. This makes it hard to believe there really is a global ban on commercial whaling.
