[INTRODUCTION] 1 [TWO GENERAL MIGRATION ROUTES] 2 [WHALE WATERS—SUMMER AND WINTER] 5 [FEEDING—FILTER WHALES] 6 [EVOLUTION OF WHALES] 10 [Breathing Adaptations] 10 [Swimming Adaptations] 11 [WHALE TYPES] 15 [Porpoises and Dolphins] 15 [Squid Eaters] 18 [Filter Whales] 18 [SIGNIFICANCE OF BLUBBER] 19 [Heat Conservation] 19 [Buoyancy] 20 [Food Storage] 20 [SEXUAL MATURITY] 21 [LIFE SPAN] 21 [WHALE INTELLIGENCE] 23 [WHALE SENSES] 23 [Sight] 23 [Hearing] 23 [Smell] 24 [HABITS] 24 [ENEMIES] 25 [Killer Whales] 25 [Parasites] 25 [WHALE ABNORMALITIES] 26 [INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF WHALES] 26 [CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE] 28 [Evolutionary Place] 28 [Geographic Distribution] 29 [Shore Habits] 30 [Scientific Description] 31 [Reaction to Whaling] 33 [How Do They Sleep?] 33 [Migration Groupings] 34 [Breaching] 35 [WHALING] 36 [Whalers As Explorers] 37 [Prehistoric Whaling] 37 [Historic Whaling] 39 [Modern Whaling] 42 [EXAMPLE OF UNREGULATED WHALING] 47 [California Gray Whale] 47 [GRAY WHALE PROTECTED] 48 [VALUE OF GRAY WHALE] 48 [Esthetic] 48 [Scientific] 49 [Commercial] 49 [NATURAL POPULATION CONTROLS] 51 [CURRENT SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY] 52 [Life Expectancy] 52 [Age Determination] 52 [Distribution and Population Rise] 53 [APPENDIX] 55
Migration routes of the California gray whale. The Korean herd may now be extinct.
Introduction
The WHALE PRIMER provides a brief introduction to one of nature’s most interesting creations, the whale. The principal star of the handbook is the California gray whale which in recent years has become a major tourist attraction in southern California. Notwithstanding the extreme interest, no concise interpretation of the migration has been prepared. Although there is a tremendous number of technical and popular writings about whales, there is still great mystery about them. Whales carry on practically their entire lives below the surface of the sea out of reach of man, so that most of our knowledge has been pieced together from the study of the bodies of slaughtered whales. The literature abounds in partial truths, misinterpretations and technicalities which confuse even the specialists. Many of the sources of information require translation.
Furthermore, many of these papers were published in journals of limited distribution. Others are long since out of print, and much of the primary historic records can be found by examination of records which exist only in one particular library. In the preparation of this manuscript, hundreds of books and over 4,000 papers were catalogued, of which the most important were available, and examined. The author was particularly fortunate to have Japanese and Russian friends who gave gladly of their time to insure coverage of these important papers.
The author deliberately made an extreme condensation of the facts in order to prevent the reader from being overwhelmed by details that merely obscure the broad picture. It is hoped that the reader will gain an awareness of the extreme mastery by whales of the marine environment. Other basic concepts of biology, which are clearly illustrated by the natural history of whales, are developed.
The intense interest and pleasure which the sight of the migrating whale creates clearly overshadows the brief monetary benefit that the whaling industry might gain from slaughtering it. We hope that you will be stimulated to join forces with those of us who feel that man should preserve those forms of life which add so much interest, beauty, and knowledge to man’s awareness.
Two General Migration Routes
The migration of the California gray whale is one of the most remarkable natural history events in the world today. The majority of these whales journey southward just off the shore of southern California and Lower California during January and February. Although a few early migrants may pass San Diego early in December, they are not abundant until Christmas. An occasional straggler can be sighted in March.