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The
tongue of a mature blue whale has the same mass as an elephant's
Antarctic
minkes are the world's oldest surviving whale species
The largest and most complex brain in the world belongs to the the world's biggest odontocete; the Sperm whale.
Commercial
Whaling Resumes—Led
by Norway and Japan, the world’s commercial whaling fleets are
back cruising the seas in search of whales and controversy is following
along. When Japan’s thinly-veiled ‘research’ whaling
fleet sailed in November, Australians were outraged and labeled the
program as an “insult to science”.
Scientists speculate that the whales use ocean currents, temperature changes, acoustical cues, and the Earth’s magnetic field to find their way to Hawaii (the most remote island chain in the world). |
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Large Whales in Hawaii
SPERM WHALE (Physeter macrocephalus): Listen to a Sperm Whale The Hawaiian Islands
marked the center of a major nineteenth  century whaling ground for sperm whales (na palaoa). Between 1800 and 1987, over 300,000 sperm whales were taken in the North Pacific.
In 1819 the Essex, a whaling ship out of Nantucket, was stove by a sperm whale several thousand miles southeast of the Hawaiian Islands. In "In the Heart of the Sea," the first mate describes the attack: "He came directly from the shoal which we had just before entered and in which we had struck three of his companions, as if fired with revenge for their sufferings."
The sounds of
sperm whales have been recorded throughout the year off Oahu. Sperm whale abundance in Hawaii is
estimated at 7,082 seemingly peaking in spring months.
Sperm whales remain one of the most mysterious of the great whales, living in remote deep waters;
- They are the largest of the toothed whales, and are the "Monstro" of Pinocchio fame.
- Sperm whales prey mainly upon deep water squids and fishes.
- When foraging, they surface for about 10 minutes, then fluking up before diving for about 40-minutes
- Dives up to 2500m and possibly 3200m have been noted, as well as dives lasting as long as 138 min!
- They have the largest brain on earth and are remarkable for their strong social bonds.
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They posses a bulky head, yet a very narrow lower jaw. Sperm whales have teeth only on their lower jaws, all the same shape.
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Unlike all other toothed whales, the sperm whale's blow hole is not in the middle but off to the left side.
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As a likely form of communication and perhaps other functions, sperm whales usually breach during the few hours each day when they socialize with other sperm whales in a group at the sea's surface.
Hawaii's Large Whales - more rarely seen
BLUE WHALE (Balaenoptera musculus): Whaling
catch data indicate that whales feeding
along the Aleutian Islands may migrate to offshore
waters north of Hawaii in winter.
BRYDE'S WHALE (Balaenoptera edeni): Outside the main islands, Bryde's whales do not migrate.
FIN WHALE (Balaenoptera physalus): Fin whales, sleek and fast animals, migrate into Hawaiian waters
mainly in fall and winter, based on
acoustic recordings off Oahu and
Midway Islands. They are second in size only to the blue whale. The fin whale's haw is black on the left side and white on the right.
MINKE WHALE (Balaenoptera acutorostrata): Minke whales have only been
recently confirmed to occur seasonally
around the Hawaiian Islands and their
migration routes or destinations are not
known.
SEI WHALE (Balaenoptera borealis): Previously, sei whales were estimated to have been reduced to 20% of their prewhaling
abundance in the North Pacific. They appear to be more abundant in Hawaiian waters in the summer or fall, but the majority of sei whales would be expected to be
at higher latitudes in their feeding grounds at this time of year.
On rare occasions North Pacific right whales are observed in Hawaii
Our wildlife tours focus on education and conservation so that an
interactive relationship can be maintained in the best interest of
both humans and dolphins. We model admiration and deep respect for
these wonderful mammals.
Links
to Whales, Dolphins and other marine mammals
Humpback Whales l Sperm Whales l Beaked Whales l Pygmy Whales l Pilot Whales l Melon-headed Whales l False Killer Whales l Monk
Seals | Dolphins in Hawaii l Sea Turtles l Seabirds l Coral Spawning l Manta
and Spotted Eagle Rays l Sharks
of Hawaii |
Whale and Dolphin Research l Marine WIldlife Tours | Photos l Other Resources l
Wild
Side Specialty Tours
Tours
with Integrity - on the island of Oahu:
Waianae Boat Harbor
Oahu Hawaii 96792 (near Ko Olina Resort)
TEL (808) 306-7273
FAX (808) 668-4075
email: reservations@sailhawaii.com
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