NEFSC's Webmaster (6'2")
finds a fin whale's jaw bone
|
The fin whale is the second
largest whale reaching lengths of up to 27 meters (88 feet) and weights
up to 69 metric tonnes (76 tons). Depending on where they live, fin
whales eat both fish and small crustaceans. In the Antarctic, their prey
is almost exclusively krill. In northern areas they often eat small
schooling fish such as herring or anchovies. Like the other great whale
species, the population of fin whales was severely depleted by whaling.
|
The humpback
whale is often seen by whale watching boats. The humpback reaches a
maximum length
of about 15.6
meters (51 feet) and a maximum weight of about 34 metric tonnes (37.5 tons). In the southern hemisphere its primary food is
krill. In the northern hemisphere it eats schooling fish such as anchovies, cod, sand lance, and capelin. The humpback is one
of the most popular whales for whalewatching on both the east and west coasts. It is the whale most often photographed
leaping out of the water--an activity called breaching and surfacing quickly to trap
food which is known as lunging (pictured above) . The humpback is also called the "singing whale". A male's song may
be as long as half an hour and changes from year to year. Scientists estimate that there are 10,000 humpbacks
worldwide--only about eight percent of its estimated initial population.
