A bottlenose dolphin, with an S-shaped spinal deformity, is seen here rubbing against a sperm whale. Photograph courtesy Alexander Wilson and Aquatic Mammals

Recently an article written by Linda Poon, of the National Geographic news, covered what has been a rare interspecies event between a deformed bottle-nosed dolphin and sperm whales off the coast of the Azores.

Reading through the article, it was interesting the theories, ideas and thoughts expressed by biologists and behavioral “greats” about whales. I say this because there was too much significance placed into the idea that interspecies events such as these are rare in a marine setting, that there was more emphasis on “why” rather than noting the event and recognizing that cetaceans are social, caring and self-aware.

Mind you, none of these “specialists” have the ability to communicate directly with these creatures, yet they have lots of opinions about it! In a completely different area yet similar, as an artist, I have experienced business executives working with me on a creative project. They may know nothing about art, but they certainly have many opinions about it! Read the rest of this entry »

This is the listening device built by Stanford University, based on orca ears. CREDIT: Onur Kilic

It’s an amazing new discovery – and invention – that has been achieved thanks to whales.

In a story I found in TechNews Daily, a team of scientists have developed an underwater listening device basic on the ears of killer whales.

“The decibel range of the sensor ranges from 20 decibels to 180 decibels in water — this is equivalent to a microphone that can record a whisper in a quiet library and the sound from 1 ton of TNT exploding 60 feet away,” researcher Onur Kilic, an applied physicist at Stanford University, told TechNewsDaily.

“At the same time, this new hydrophone can work at virtually any depth, no matter how crushing the pressure. It also can hear sound frequencies from 1 hertz to 100 kilohertz, spanning pitches far higher than the whine of a mosquito and far lower than a foghorn.”

The benefit of this invention will allow scientists to track whales underwater and the equipment will be able to track and hear other sounds in the water, such a leaking oil from an underwater pipeline.

The device has the capability of also filtering out other sounds. Killer Whales do this naturally, when they are hunting other sea creatures, including whales. And so the same theory applies.

Since whales live in the water, their ears – and ear drums use water fluids.

“The only way to make a sensor that can detect very small fluctuations in pressure against such immense range in background pressure is to fill the sensor with water,” Kilic said. Doing so keeps the water pressure on each side of the membrane equal, no matter how deep.

“Kilic and his colleagues fabricated a microchip with a silicon membrane about 500 nanometers thick, or about 25 times thinner than common plastic wrap. They next drilled a grid of tiny holes in the membrane to allow water to pass in and out.

“To detect the wobbles of such a membrane in response to sound, the researchers shine a laser on this reflective sheet with a fiber-optic cable. Since the diameter of the holes in the membrane are close to the wavelength of light from the laser, the holes interfere with the light trying to pass through the membrane, reflecting it toward a detector. When the membrane gets deformed by sound waves, the intensity of the light alters, which the detector can pick up.

“The kind of displacements you get off the diaphragm for the quietest sounds in the ocean is on the order of a hundred-thousandth of a nanometer,” Kilic said. “That is 10,000 times smaller than the diameter of an atom.”

The point is, scientists are using something whales have developed over millions of years. Our in depth studies of them have only actually begun in earnest the last fifty years or less. Yet here is a breakthrough that has a definite value to man, yet we still allow whales to be hunted and killed.

Does that make sense?

Although man has his own set of ears, is he really listening?

map of baja

Yes, believe it or not, a whale did that!

This past week I took a trip down to Baja, California with the intent purpose of experiencing Pacific Gray Whales up close.

What I did not realize is that these whales had the same idea about me!

I happened to find a very modest tour to Guerro Negro, a small city two-thirds of the way down Baja. Guerro Negro is known for two things: table salt and whales. That’s right, table salt and whales.

This small town is responsible for pretty much all the salt you find on your table. And as far as whales, well, next to Guerro Negro are huge lagoons where Pacific Gray Whales come to mate and have their calves.

When we finally arrived at the small boat dock, each boat only held 8 people. The drive to the center of the lagoon takes you past sand dunes, until you begin seeing 10-15 water spouts, and aroused 40 ton males jumping clean out of the water! Read the rest of this entry »

One of the divers on the rescue team works on the crab pot lines that held the female humpback whale near the Farallon Islands. The weight of the crab pots was pulling the animal down. Marine Mammal Center photo via Associated Press

Some of you may have heard about a recent endangered humpback whale being saved off the coast of San Francisco. It is a very touching story and once again, points up to the awareness and sentience of these wonderful creatures:

A humpback whale freed by divers from a tangle of crab trap lines near the Farallon Islands nudged its rescuers and flapped around in what marine experts said was a rare and remarkable encounter.

Sunday’s daring rescue was the first successful attempt on the West Coast to free an entangled humpback, said Shelbi Stoudt, stranding manager for the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today I ran across a wonderful BBC video clip which actually is a simply wonderful little story in itself:

“World free-diving champion Tanya Streeter spends two weeks diving with humpback whales in the Turks and Caicos Islands as they migrate southward. In this short animal video, she examines the tail flutes that are as destinctive as a human finger print and takes a closer look at the amazing methods a mother humpback whale uses to teach her young calf how to breathe underwater. Brilliant footage from BBC sea life show ‘Diving with Whales’.”

I would like to correct it though.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kayakers and divers came within meters of the large right whale as it swam around Scorching and Karaka bays.

A southern right whale seen in Wellington Harbor may signal the return of an endangered species, a scientist says.

Dozens of people watched from the shore while a pair of divers and kayakers came within meters of the 13-metre giant as it swam around Scorching and Karaka bays on Miramar peninsula on Saturday, in New Zealand.

Karaka Bay resident Gail Higgs-West first noticed the great shape moving in the water about 11am but it was still there as she ate dinner at 6pm.

Throughout the day, passing motorists stopped for a look and dozens of people came down to Karaka Bay wharf.

“It was sort of awe-inspiring. [It looks like] a bus in the water – underneath there is this massive animal. We were really impressed by how people behaved – if they were in a canoe, they let the whale come to them,” Ms Gail Higgs-West said.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s one thing for me to blog about my personal stories about interspecies communication such as whale communication and dolphin communication.

Or whales talking.

It’s another to hear it from a completely different part of the world.

Recently in New Zealand, rescuers were attempting to save a whale and it’s calf from being stranded on the shoreline, but without success.

As it turns out the whales were sending out distress signals, which was picked up by a nearby dolphin. The dolphin came quite close to the rescuers and the whales and was able to calm the two whales down.

The dolphin had to recognize that the two whales were endangered. Why? Well, once the whales calmed down, the dolphin then guided the whales out of the small lagoon to safety and freedom.

You can see it here on: Read the rest of this entry »