The Story Behind Whaling And Whale Watching Channel Islands
Whale watching is an important activity in marine tourism. There are various places on earth where this activity is possible. It tends to be seasonal, so you should research where and when to do this. The Channel Islands, Oxnard CA, are one location, and whale watching Channel Islands is a recommended excursion if you are in the vicinity at the right time of the year.
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 of a fish allow water to pass through them continuously as the fish swims. Not having gills, a whale is unable to do this. This is why it frequently surfaces to inhale its next supply of fresh air. It breathes through its blowhole or spout. The latter is positioned on top of its massive head. This is how the trademark spray of seawater is formed when it surfaces or breaches - as it exhales through its spout, seawater is blasted upwards in a visible explosion.
Once it has exhaled or spouted, it inhales new air and then dives beneath the surface again. Whales can swim to extreme depths and also stay underwater for long periods of time. Yet it must surface again at some stage to breathe, in the same way that people cannot stay underwater indefinitely either.
The key threat to whale populations in the world has always been hunting by human seafarers. The traditional name of this practice is whaling. It was a more frequent activity in previous centuries but nowadays it is illegal almost everywhere. Japan still asserts that their annual hunting expedition is in the interests of scientific research, even though it is vehemently opposed by observers. Japan remains the most notable exception to the modern attitude of prohibition, though.
Traditional hunting methods usually involve a device known as a harpoon. This is a specialized spear-type implement which is launched from the ship or boat. In older times, it was literally thrown from a small boat or dinghy which would be rowed alongside the breaching animal. Because the animal must surface regularly, the hunters would wait in anticipation of its next breach.
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.
In recent times, whale populations have been decimated by whaling. They reproduce only very slowly and some species gestate for up to two years. Although Japan obstinately continues to hunt a set number of animals every year, the modern trend is to outlaw this activity. So, if you are able to watch them breaching, it can be a rewarding pastime and one which you should try to participate in.
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 of a fish allow water to pass through them continuously as the fish swims. Not having gills, a whale is unable to do this. This is why it frequently surfaces to inhale its next supply of fresh air. It breathes through its blowhole or spout. The latter is positioned on top of its massive head. This is how the trademark spray of seawater is formed when it surfaces or breaches - as it exhales through its spout, seawater is blasted upwards in a visible explosion.
Once it has exhaled or spouted, it inhales new air and then dives beneath the surface again. Whales can swim to extreme depths and also stay underwater for long periods of time. Yet it must surface again at some stage to breathe, in the same way that people cannot stay underwater indefinitely either.
The key threat to whale populations in the world has always been hunting by human seafarers. The traditional name of this practice is whaling. It was a more frequent activity in previous centuries but nowadays it is illegal almost everywhere. Japan still asserts that their annual hunting expedition is in the interests of scientific research, even though it is vehemently opposed by observers. Japan remains the most notable exception to the modern attitude of prohibition, though.
Traditional hunting methods usually involve a device known as a harpoon. This is a specialized spear-type implement which is launched from the ship or boat. In older times, it was literally thrown from a small boat or dinghy which would be rowed alongside the breaching animal. Because the animal must surface regularly, the hunters would wait in anticipation of its next breach.
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.
In recent times, whale populations have been decimated by whaling. They reproduce only very slowly and some species gestate for up to two years. Although Japan obstinately continues to hunt a set number of animals every year, the modern trend is to outlaw this activity. So, if you are able to watch them breaching, it can be a rewarding pastime and one which you should try to participate in.
About the Author:
If you are looking for information about whale watching Channel Islands residents should pay a visit to our web pages online here today. Additional details are available at http://bellalunacharter.com now.