There's a place in Florida where endangered whales every winter give birth to their calves.
Having lived in San Diego, I knew whale-watching is a great winter pastime there, but I didn't know until recently that people in this place in Florida can watch whales, too.
The whales that give birth off Florida's east coast from the Georgia border southward maybe to Vero Beach are known as right whales. Like their human counterparts called 'snowbirds', they come south from their summer home to escape winter's cold around Massachusetts and Canada's Bay of Fundy. If it's a warm winter up north, they may not be seen south of St. Augustine.
Why are they called right whales? Hunters in centuries past thought they were the 'right whales' to hunt because this species moves slowly, travels close to shore and floats when dead. Nobody hunts right whales anymore. An international agreement stopped the hunting in 1935, and right whales were put on the Endangered Species list in 1973.
Why were whales hunted in the past? Two reasons: Blubber and baleen. Oil produced from blubber (fat) was used in lamps and as a lubricant. It also was used for margarine, lard and shortening. Right whales don't have teeth; they have baleen, a mustache-like material in their mouths. They trap food behind the baleen when expelling excess water. The flexible baleen once was used for buggy whips, umbrella stays, skirt hoops, strapping for beds, brushes and caning for chairs.
Today, only about 300 Northern Right Whales survive, and scientists fear that number may dwindle to 200 if things don't change. They're talking about the possibility of extinction in a couple of centuries. And some call the right whale the most endangered large mammal in the world.
While hunters are no longer a threat to the whales, ships are. Scientists say ships account for 30-50 per cent of whale deaths. In cooperation with the Navy and many other agencies, they have established an elaborate warning system when whales are calving in an attempt to prevent as many deaths as possible. Other causes of deaths include marine debris like plastics and fishermen's drift nets. The Daytona Beach Journal reports that 10-20 per cent of the whales in Florida come into contact with fishing equipment each year.
Starving doesn't seem to be a problem. Even though they weigh 60-100 tons, they fast on their 2,800-mile round-trip calving run from northern to southern waters, going without food for several months. Florida doesn't have the food they eat. In summer, each whale eats as many calories in one day as a human eats in eight months.
When the females are calving off Florida's coast, it's time for 'Dad's night out'. Only 30-50 pregnant whales come to Florida, and scientists have no idea where the males go during the winter. Maybe they don't like the idea of swimming 2,800 miles to see their offspring.
One good place in Florida to see right whales is Canaveral National Seashore. You'll need binoculars. But be aware that the odds are against seeing one. On average, only about a dozen of the 30-50 whales visiting Florida in the winter are seen by humans. If the weather is good, a day on the beach is a pleasant experience. (Mosquitoes are on a vacation then.)
If you're looking for a right whale, what do you look for? The whale probably will look as if it's floating on the surface - remember, the whale is not a speedy mammal. It's probably just resting. Look for a triangular tail, short flippers and lack of a dorsal fin. You may see a whale spout water through its double blow holes - a spout that looks like a V shape.
If you're lucky, you may be close enough to see a whale that has white patches of lice on its head, over its eyes and around its mouth. They all do. In the whale world, these are its 'fingerprints'; no two whales have the same patterns of lice (which don't hurt the whale).
Oh, and if you're looking for a whale spout, don't hold your breath. A right whale can hold its breath for up to 30 minutes.
Copyright (c) 2011 Gene Ingle, an award-winning editor-writer-cartographer, is an expert on places to see in Florida. He has driven nearly a million miles in Florida researching places on maps you probably never heard of. This place in Florida is one of 213 featured in The Famous Florida Trivia Game available free at http://www.mapsourceatlases.com - Test your knowledge of Florida free.
No comments:
Post a Comment