Whale watching is only possible at specific times in the calendar year, and only in a select number of places in the world. Yet it represents one of the most special events in the marine tourism agenda. Whale watching Channel Islands is one opportunity to engage in this activity. If you are in the Channel Islands in Oxnard CA at the appropriate time of the year, you should investigate this event.
It may not be a familiar fact to laypeople, but whales are also mammals, and not only that, they are the largest mammals in the animal kingdom. They are therefore not fish at all. They breathe through lungs, like other mammals do, and they are warm-blooded. Fish, on the other hand, breathe using gills and are mostly cold-blooded.
The gills in fish are rich in blood-vessels and are specially adapted to absorb oxygen out of the water that is constantly passing through them as they swim. Whales cannot do this, as they do not have gills. This means that they need to break the surface of the water regularly to take in fresh air. They do this through what is known as the spout or blowhole. As the whale breaches, or surfaces, it exhales through the blowhole, which is situated on the top of its head. This causes the characteristic fountain of seawater spray.
Once exhalation or spouting has taken place, the new air is inhaled. The animal can then breathe again, and it dives below the surface. It can swim at very low depths and can also stay under the surface for exceptionally long periods of time. It must, however, breach at some time to breathe, just as people also cannot stay submerged after the oxygen in their lungs has been depleted.
They have traditionally been subject to a very serious threat, namely hunting. The hunting of these animals, or whaling, was a common economic pursuit in previous times. It has since been banned by most countries. The exception is Japan, which still holds an annual hunt. Although Japan is subject to criticism for this, their official explanation is that they conduct the whaling for research purposes.
Whaling has always used an implement called the harpoon. A harpoon is a spear-shaped metal implement that is directed through the air at its target from the whaling vessel. In ancient times, the harpoon was held in the hand and thrown by the power of the hunter's arm. This would be done by a sailor standing in a smaller vessel positioned strategically next to the whale in the water. It cannot avoid surfacing at regular intervals, so the sailor would remain alert in the hunting boat, waiting for it to do so.
Modern harpoon technology involved explosives or electric shocks, and the harpoons were launched from the whaling ship with great force by a mechanized cannon. The harpoon would either penetrate the whale's body and electrocute it, or its grenade component would explode in the whale's body and mortally injure or kill it.
The effect of whaling on whale numbers was profound, and whales are now an endangered species. Their reproduction is particularly slow. Larger whale species sometimes have a gestation period of about two years. Japan simply refuses to stop all whaling expeditions, and Japanese vessels hunt a pre-approved number of animals every year. Other countries, however, have banned whaling entirely. If you get the chance to watch the whales, it is worth your while to take it.
It may not be a familiar fact to laypeople, but whales are also mammals, and not only that, they are the largest mammals in the animal kingdom. They are therefore not fish at all. They breathe through lungs, like other mammals do, and they are warm-blooded. Fish, on the other hand, breathe using gills and are mostly cold-blooded.
The gills in fish are rich in blood-vessels and are specially adapted to absorb oxygen out of the water that is constantly passing through them as they swim. Whales cannot do this, as they do not have gills. This means that they need to break the surface of the water regularly to take in fresh air. They do this through what is known as the spout or blowhole. As the whale breaches, or surfaces, it exhales through the blowhole, which is situated on the top of its head. This causes the characteristic fountain of seawater spray.
Once exhalation or spouting has taken place, the new air is inhaled. The animal can then breathe again, and it dives below the surface. It can swim at very low depths and can also stay under the surface for exceptionally long periods of time. It must, however, breach at some time to breathe, just as people also cannot stay submerged after the oxygen in their lungs has been depleted.
They have traditionally been subject to a very serious threat, namely hunting. The hunting of these animals, or whaling, was a common economic pursuit in previous times. It has since been banned by most countries. The exception is Japan, which still holds an annual hunt. Although Japan is subject to criticism for this, their official explanation is that they conduct the whaling for research purposes.
Whaling has always used an implement called the harpoon. A harpoon is a spear-shaped metal implement that is directed through the air at its target from the whaling vessel. In ancient times, the harpoon was held in the hand and thrown by the power of the hunter's arm. This would be done by a sailor standing in a smaller vessel positioned strategically next to the whale in the water. It cannot avoid surfacing at regular intervals, so the sailor would remain alert in the hunting boat, waiting for it to do so.
Modern harpoon technology involved explosives or electric shocks, and the harpoons were launched from the whaling ship with great force by a mechanized cannon. The harpoon would either penetrate the whale's body and electrocute it, or its grenade component would explode in the whale's body and mortally injure or kill it.
The effect of whaling on whale numbers was profound, and whales are now an endangered species. Their reproduction is particularly slow. Larger whale species sometimes have a gestation period of about two years. Japan simply refuses to stop all whaling expeditions, and Japanese vessels hunt a pre-approved number of animals every year. Other countries, however, have banned whaling entirely. If you get the chance to watch the whales, it is worth your while to take it.
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