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| Sunday, 9 January 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Awesome whales! Blue Whale- the largest of them all
The largest of them all in the world is the Blue Whale. An adult could grow up to 20-33 m (65-110 ft) in length and weighs around 63-190 tonnes (62-187 tons). The male is six per cent shorter than the female. In 1909, a 33.58 m (110.12 ft) long female had been brought into the Grytviken whaling station in South Georgia. Its heart had weighed 698.5 kg (1540 lbs).
Blue Whales are said to live for about 30-45 years. It is amazing how fast a Blue Whale calf grows in a short span of time from a bonely visible ovum to a colossus creature. It is considered to have the fastest growth in the Animal Kingdom.
Humpback - songster of the seas Humpback whale is considered as the songster of the seas. The most musical of all mammals, this whale is said to produce 'songs' that have a remarkable haunting quality, especially when several of them sing in chorus. The sounds the Humpback whale makes are the most complex sounds heard in the natural world. However their function remains uncertain. It is believed that these sounds serve to identify individuals, both to each other and as members of different communities or populations. These may also be helpful in maintaining co-ordination of travel between individuals when they are separated, as it often happens during the great annual migration to and from their traditional breeding grounds. The deep notes it makes may carry for many thousands of kilometres. These notes change gradually over the years and completely new songs evolve.A single humpback song can be repeated over and over without a pause up to 22 hours at a time. The Humpback Whale is the most playful and acrobatic of all the whales. It can remain submerged for 20 minutes and leap right out of the water! It is an astonishing feat for an animal that can weigh around 29 tonnes. Its length could be around 11.5-15.0 m (37.4 - 48.8 ft). It is found mostly in coastal waters worldwide,and like the Blue Whale, it too lives on krill and small fish.The Humpback has the longest flippers, about 4.3 m (14 feet), of all whales and thick blubber. A 12-m (39 ft) whale can yield as much as 8 tons of whale oil, making it the richest source of oil. |
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
You may not have seen a whale in real life, but you must have heard and
read about them and seen pictures of them in books and television. They
are very fascinating creatures that live in the sea. There are many types
of whales.
The Blue Whale which can be easily identified by its awesome
proportions was once found in open oceans and seas in many parts of the
world. It is now limited to certain areas, mainly in polar feeding grounds
during summer. It feeds on krill (up to 4 tonnes daily) and small fish. It
does not eat throughout the year but only for about 4-5 months a year.
