Whale hunting with gun and camera / A naturalist's account of the modern shore-whaling industry, of whales and their habits, and of hunting experiences in various parts of the world

by Roy Chapman Andrews

II. DIAGNOSES OF THE WHALES DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOK

BLUE WHALE, SULPHURBOTTOM
Balænoptera musculus (Linn.)

Very large size. Average length, 76 feet; maximum length, 87 feet. The pectoral fins are about 15 per cent. of the total length, falcate and bluntly pointed. The dorsal fin is small and variable in form, but usually more or less falcate; it is situated behind the line of the anus. Many ventral folds.

The color of the body is mottled gray, the proportions of light and dark tints varying greatly in different individuals, but the body is usually lightest at the shoulder and between the flippers and the umbilicus. The head is a little darker than the body and unmarked. A few entirely white spots are usually present on the posterior ends of the abdominal folds.

The pectoral fins are gray on the upper surface, except at the tip, and white below. The flukes are plain gray above, and below are marked with fine light and dark gray lines running antero-posteriorly. The dorsal fin is dark gray and the whalebone black.

The rostrum of the skull is very broad with the free margins of the maxillæ convex; the nasal bones are oblong with truncated anterior margins. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 15 (–16), lumbars 14 (–16), caudals 26 (–28). Total, 63–65. Habitat: cosmopolitan.

FINBACK, RAZORBACK
Balænoptera physalus (Linn.)

Large size and very slender form. Average total length, 62 feet; the maximum, 81 feet. The pectoral fins are about 12 per cent. of the total length, lanceolate and pointed. The dorsal fin is moderate in height and falcate; it is situated just behind the line of the anus. Many ventral folds.

The color of the body is dark gray above and white below, the two colors merging imperceptibly into each other on the flanks. The coloration of the head is not bilaterally symmetrical, there being more white on the right side than on the left. The right side of the lower jaw is white and also the anterior third of the whalebone; the left side of the lower jaw and left baleen are dark gray. The gray of the flanks extends obliquely down and back from the pectoral fins toward the flanks, but does not reach the inferior edge of the peduncle, which is white.

The pectoral fins are gray above and white below. The flukes are dark gray above and white below, with a gray posterior margin. The whalebone is gray, striped longitudinally with yellowish white in varying proportions; the anterior baleen on the right side is all yellowish white.

The rostrum of the skull is narrow and pointed with the free margins of the maxillæ nearly straight. The nasal bones are narrow and pointed on the median line anteriorly. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 15 (–16), lumbars 14 (–15), caudals 25 (–26). Total, 61–63. Habitat: cosmopolitan.

SEI WHALE, RUDOLPHI’S RORQUAL
Balænoptera borealis (Lesson)

Moderate size. Average total length, 42 to 43 feet; maximum length, 53 feet. The dorsal fin is large, and falcate; it is situated just anterior to the line of the anus. Many ventral folds.

The color of the head and back is dark gray; on the sides and flanks the gray of the back becomes lighter and the flanks are beautifully marked with wavy gray lines. The throat and breast are white, but a wide dark gray band runs across the belly. The ventral line from the anus to the flukes is gray. The pectoral fins above and below are dark gray, but somewhat lighter on the anterior half of the under side. The flukes above are dark gray like the back, and below are light gray in the ventral portion, becoming darker on the edges. The whalebone is bluish-black with white bristles.

The rostrum of the skull is narrow and triangular with straight sides as in the Finback. The nasal bones are oblong and truncated anteriorly. The first rib is usually bifurcated. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 14 (–13), lumbars 13 (–14), caudals 22 (–23). Total, 56–57. Habitat: cosmopolitan.

HUMPBACK
Megaptera nodosa (Bonn.)

Form massive and ungraceful. Head flat and blunt with dermal tubercles’ along the sides and middle. Ventral folds few and broad. Average total length, 45 feet; maximum length, 55 feet. The pectoral fins are more than one-fourth the entire length with several prominent bunches along the anterior edge. The dorsal fin is low, thick and somewhat falcate, and the flukes are broad with crenate posterior edges.

The color is black with white markings. The head, back and sides are black and the throat and breast to about opposite the pectoral fins are splashed and streaked with white in varying degrees. On the lower lips, sides of the jaw and about the chin, throat and breast are spots, circles and crescents of white; these are probably the scars left by barnacles and other parasites. Between the flippers in the middle of the breast there is usually an irregular transverse patch of white, 10 or 12 inches in diameter.

The flippers are black above with many white spots and circles, and white below except for a broad patch of black at the base. The flukes are normally black above with white spots along the edges; below they are white, spotted and circled with black, except in the basal third, where there is a large black area. The whalebone is dull black, with brownish black bristles.

Skull very broad with an obtuse rostrum. The nasal bones are rather narrow and pointed anteriorly. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 14, lumbars 11 (–10), caudals 21. Total, 53 (–52). Habitat: cosmopolitan.

NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE, BLACK WHALE
Eubalæna glacialis (Bonn.)

Form massive. Head about one-fourth the total length and rostrum much arched, with a protuberance near the anterior end, called the “bonnet.” Lower lip very large, and the free margin is more or less sinuous. Pectoral fins very broad and short. No ventral furrows and no dorsal fin. The color is black throughout, with more or less white on the throat and breast in some individuals. Greatest length, 54 feet.

Rostrum of skull very long, narrow and curved. Nasal bones large, broad and oblong. Sternum broad and irregularly triangular. Scapula broader than high. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 14, lumbars 11 (10–12), caudals 23 (–26). Total, 55 (–57). Habitat: in temperate waters in both hemispheres.

BOWHEAD, GREENLAND RIGHT WHALE
Balæna mysticetus (Linn.)

Form massive. Head enormous, exceeding one-third the total length of the whale. Upper jaw greatly arched to accommodate the long whalebone. No “bonnet.” Blowholes elevated and followed by a deep concavity over the “neck.” No ventral furrows and no dorsal fin. The color is black, with some white about the throat and lower lips. The whalebone is black, long and very elastic; in some individuals it reaches a length of 14 feet. Greatest length, 65 feet.

Rostrum of skull long, narrow and remarkably arched. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 12, lumbars 14, caudals 22. Total, 55. Habitat: Arctic waters only; not found in Antarctic.

CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE, DEVILFISH
Rhachianectes glaucus (Cope)

Form robust. Upper jaw moderately arched. Two to four furrows on throat. No dorsal fin. The color is black, or very dark slate, thickly marked about the snout, lips, chin and jaws with white flecks and small spots. On the sides, breast and belly are many roughly elliptical, irregular grayish markings and white circular spots which are apparently the scars left by barnacles. The amount of white varies greatly with individuals, but is seldom entirely absent. The pectoral fins and flukes are black on both surfaces, with scattered white spots and circles. Average size, 40 feet; maximum size, 49 feet.

Skull with a broad strip of frontal exposed upon the vertex. Nasals very long and broad. Cervical vertebræ all free. Anterior ribs with tubercles, necks and heads. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 14, lumbars 12, caudals 23. Total, 56. Habitat: North Pacific Ocean only.

SPERM WHALE, CACHALOT
Physeter macrocephalus (Linn.)

Size large and form massive. Head blunt. A single S-shaped blowhole at the end of the snout. Forty to 50 teeth in lower jaw. No functional teeth in upper jaw. A prominent “hump” on the back.

The color is slate gray, with some white about the lower jaw and snout, which is crossed in every direction by long white lines (scars). White or gray patches are usually found about the umbilicus. Greatest length, 70 feet.

The bones of the skull are elevated to form a high crest above and behind the nares. The rostrum is very massive and wide, but gradually tapers to the apex, and is concave. Lower jaw very long and narrow. Atlas free, but all the other cervical vertebræ united into a solid mass. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 11, lumbars 8, caudals 24. Total, 50. Habitat: cosmopolitan, in warm currents.

KILLER WHALE, ORCA, GRAMPUS, THRESHER
Orca orca (Linn.)

Form robust. Head pointed. Heavy pointed conical teeth in both jaws. An extremely high dorsal fin. The color is black, with an elliptical white spot on each side of head. The throat and breast are white and there is a trident-shaped area of white on the belly and flanks. A white or grayish patch is usually present just behind the dorsal fin. The flukes above are black, and below white except for a black band on the posterior margins and tips. Greatest length, 30 feet.

Rostrum about equal in length to the cranial part of the skull, broad and flattened above, rounded in front. Teeth usually twelve in each jaw. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 11–12, lumbars 10, caudals 53. Total, 51–52. Habitat: cosmopolitan.

WHITE WHALE, BELUGA, MARSOUIN BLANC
Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas)

Form robust. Head very small and marked off from body by an ill-defined neck. No dorsal fin. Pectoral fins very broad and upturned. The color is pure white in the adult, except for a very narrow band of brownish on the edges of the flukes and flippers. The young are entirely brownish.

Skull rather narrow and elongated. Eight to ten teeth in both jaws—cervical vertebræ all free. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 11, lumbars 9, caudals 23. Total, 50. Habitat: North Atlantic and North Pacific.

BLACKFISH, PILOT WHALE, CA’ING OR GRINDHVAL
Globicephalus melas (Traill)

Form robust. Head large and very round. Dorsal fin thick and triangular. Pectoral fins very long and narrow.

The color is black throughout, except for a narrow fountain-shaped area of white on the throat, breast and belly. Greatest length, 30 feet.

Skull broad and depressed. Premaxillæ strongly concave in front of nares. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 11, lumbars 12–14, caudals 28–29. Total, 58 or 59. Habitat: North Atlantic Ocean.

BOTTLENOSE PORPOISE
Tursiops truncatus (Mont.)

Head produced in the form of a beak. Strong teeth in both jaws. A well-developed dorsal fin.

The color is dark gray on the head, back and sides, and the throat, breast and belly are white. Average length, 8 feet; greatest length, 12 feet.

Rostrum tapering. Palate not grooved. Symphysis of mandible short. Forty to 50 teeth. Vertebral formula: cervicals 7, dorsals 13, lumbars 17, caudals 27. Total, 64. Habitat: North Atlantic Ocean.