Cetaceans
Yesterday we took a trip out from Tazacorte harbour on a whale watching boat. Who we’d been out with 5 years ago when I was here last on Barada.
We asked the lady in the office what they had seen the day before? Bottle nose, common dolphins and pilot whales.
Whales all have fluke tails and are mammals like us humans and need to breath air like us, otherwise they would drown.
Whales are divided into two species classes tooth whales Odontoceti and baleen whales. The tooth whales are carnivores feeding on fish, squid and marine animals.
The baleen whales are filter feeders. They feed low on the food chain, primarily eating zooplankton and small fishes, which they encounter in large swarms or schools. Right whales eat zooplankton (animal plankton).
Sound is very important to whales and dolphins for hunting, navigating and communicating. Toothed whales and baleen whales use sound quite differently.
Toothed whales and dolphins (for example killer whales and bottle-nose dolphins) use echolocation for hunting and navigating, while baleen whales (for example humpbacks and blue whales) generally produce a series of sounds which are frequently termed ‘songs’ that are used for communicating.
Whale songs
Whale songs consist of distinct sequences of groans, moans, roars, sighs and high pitched squeals that may last up to 10 minutes or longer. It is thought these sounds could be used for communicative purposes such as to identify other individuals, for long-range contact and to warn others of threats as well as navigation.
Baleen whales do not have vocal chords so scientists are still unsure how whale songs are produced.
When I’m out sailing I always seem to sense when dolphins and whales are near the boat. Good sign for dolphins is sea birds flying about over the surface of the water.
Here’s a short film I made of the Tazacorte whale boat trip.
Whales and dolphins are extremely social animals and many dolphins love to bow race and it’s always a pure joy to watch their antics in the water.