Whale of a time at the coast
Of the ten "great" whales,
animals in the order Cetacea
reaching lengths of 30 feet or
more, eight have been report
ed in the coastal waters of
North Carolina. Seven of these
giant creatures are baleen
whales, the biggest animals
that have ever lived.
Baleen w'hales are members
of the suborder Mysticeti or
"mustached whales," so called
because of the bristle-like
strands of baleen attached to
their upper jaws instead of
teeth. The baleen is used dur
ing feeding to strain krill or
chirps that make up the most
complex song in the animal
kingdom.
The sperm whale, the largest
member of the suborder
Odontoceti or "toothed" whales,
is also a visitor to North
Carolina waters. Sperm whales,
which reach a length of 50 feet
and weigh about 40 tons, remain
widespread in the coastal waters
of the Atlantic despite a huge
drop in their numbers from
whaling activity earlier this cen
tury. Their smaller cousins, the
pygmy sperm whale and the
dwarf sperm whale, are rarely
other plankton, the minke whale, sei wnaie,
Bryde's whale, fin whale, blue whale, humpback
whale, and the northern right whale have all been
sighted in North Carolina waters. The minke
whale is the smallest of the baleens, attaining a
maximum length of 33 feet. The blue whale is the
largest of all animals, reaching a maximum
length of 98 feet and an adult body weight of 100
tons.
Most baleen whales are great travelers, making
seasonal migrations from feeding grounds near
the poles to tropical breeding areas. It is during
these migratory treks that whale watchers are
most likely to see one of these giants of the sea.
One of the most predictable migrators of the
great whales is the humpback. The winter
months of December and January are prime times
to spot these huge creatures as they travel south
ward through our coastal waters to the warmer
waters of the Caribbean where they will breed or
give birth. In the spring, humpbacks return north
to the cool polar waters for a summer of feeding,
where they will consume over 1.5 tons of food a
day. During this northward migration, hump
backs pass through the waters of North Carolina
during March and April.
Humpbacks tend to swim near shore during
migration, increasing the likelihood of a sighting.
They are the most animated and acrobatic of the
great whales. Humpbacks lift their 40-ton bodies
almost completely out of the water in a dramatic
behavior called breaching. These graceful giants
are also the most vocal of the baleen whales, pro
ducing an elaborate melody of moans, yelps and
spotted in North Carolina waters but this may be
due to, their preference for deeper waters.
More than 20 other Cetaceans, which also
includes dolphins and porpoises, have been
recorded in the coastal waters of the Carolinas.
The most abundant Cetacean along the Atlantic
coast is the bottlenosed dolphin; other visitors
include the harbor porpoise and four species of
beaked whales.
Spotting a great whale off the Brunswick
County coast is a rare and special opportunity.
Their numbers are few because of excessive whal
ing; many have been hunted to near extinction.
All of the great whales are considered endan
gered species and are protected by the Marine
Mammal Protection Act and the International
Whaling Commission.
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