Life and Adventure in the South Pacific

by John D. Jones

But one of the most curious and surprising of the actions of the sperm whale is that of leaping completely out of the water, or of “breaching,” as whalemen term it. The way in which he performs this extraordinary motion appears to be by descending to a certain depth below the surface, and then making some powerful strokes with his tail, which are frequently and rapidly repeated, and thus convey a great degree of velocity to his body before he reaches the surface, when he darts completely out. When just emerged and at its greatest elevation, his body forms with the surface of the water an angle of about forty-five degrees, the flukes lying parallel with the surface in falling. The animal rolls his body slightly, so that he always falls on his side, and seldom breaches more than twice or thrice at a time. In very clear weather, on the Japan ground, we have seen the breach of a large whale at a distance of sixteen miles; but, as a general thing, eight or ten miles is the distance that a breach may be discovered from masthead.

BREACHING.

It is probable that the sperm whale often resorts to this action of breaching for the purpose of ridding itself of various animals which infest its skin, such as large “sucking-fish,” and other animals which resemble crabs. Of the former of the parasites, some fix themselves so closely to this convenient carrier that they sometimes adhere to the skin of the whale for several hours after its death, and then suffer themselves to be forced off by the hands of the whalemen. It is not improbable, also, that some of these actions may be resorted to in the whale endeavoring to avoid the assaults of the swordfish, by which they are sometimes attacked. There is also an animal called a “killer,” which, in company with the swordfish, attack the whale. The latter will goad him from below, while the former leaps out of the water and falls upon him from above, the attack thus intimidating the whale, and giving the swordfish an opportunity to inflict its wounds.

Herding.—The sperm whale is a gregarious animal, and the herds formed by it are of two kinds; the one consisting of females, the other of young bulls not fully grown.

A SCHOOL.

These herds are called by whalemen “schools,” and occasionally consist of great numbers. With each school of females are always from one to three large males, the lords of the herd. The males are said to be extremely jealous of intrusion by strangers, and to fight fiercely to maintain their rights. The full-grown males, or “large whales,” almost always go alone in search of food, and, when they are seen in company, are supposed to be migrating from one feeding-ground to another. The large whale is generally very incautious, and if alone, he is without difficulty attacked and easily killed, as he frequently, after receiving the first blow from the harpoon, appears hardly to feel it, but continues lying like a “log of wood” on the water before he rallies or makes any attempt to escape from his enemies.

Large whales are sometimes, but rarely, met with remarkably cunning and full of courage, when they will commit dreadful havoc with their jaws and tail. The jaw and head, however, appear to be their principal offensive weapons.

The female breeds at all seasons, producing but one at a time, except in a few instances, in which two are produced. Her time of gestation is unknown, but is supposed to be about ten months. Their young, when first born, are about twelve or fourteen feet in length, and five or six in girth. The females are much smaller than the males, being considered not more than one fourth the size of the adult large whale. They are very remarkable for attachment to their young, which they may frequently be seen urging and assisting to escape from danger with the most unceasing care and fondness. They are also not less remarkable for their strong feeling of attachment to each other; and this is carried to so great an extent, that, should one female of a herd be attacked and wounded, her faithful companions will remain around her to the last moment, or until they are wounded themselves. This act of remaining by a wounded companion is called by whalemen “bringing to,” and whole schools have been destroyed by dexterous management, when several ships have been in company, wholly from these whales possessing this remarkable disposition. The attachment appears reciprocal on the part of the young whales, which have been seen about the ship for hours after their parents have been killed.