Whales Hayley Farless, Zoe Abedon, and Zack Reavis

University of Alaska Southeast-Juneau mascot, Spike the Humpback Whale

Disney Pixar, Finding Nemo (2003).

What really is a Whale?Simply put, whales are large, aquatic mammals that spend their entire lives in water. Whales’ most recognizable anatomical traits include their blowholes, their blubber, and their two flippers and singular dorsal fin. They often migrate thousands of miles each year, but the specifics of migration vary for each particular species and its given feeding and reproductive behaviors.

● Whales belong to the order Cetacea, which also includes dolphins and porpoises.

● Whales are further divided into two sub-orders: Mysticeti and Odontoceti

“What is a whale?” Enchanted Learning. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/

Cetacean Suborders● Mysticetes, baleen whales

○ Utilize baleen, a keratin comb-like structure to filter small organisms from the water as a source of food.

○ Have two blowholes.○ Produce very low-frequency “songs” as a means of communication. ○ Examples include Humpback Whales, Gray Whales, Fin Whales, and Blue Whales.

● Odontocetes, teethed whales○ Utilize their teeth to hunt fish and other small aquatic creatures, which they don’t chew.○ Have one blowhole.

○ Hunt their prey by using echolocation, in which they emit clicks that bound off of objects and

return back to the lower jaw bone. They then move on to the ear and the brain, where the echo of the clicks is utilized to interpret the characteristics of the object.

○ Examples include Orcas, Dolphins, and Beluga Whales

“What is a whale?” Enchanted Learning. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/

Mysticeti Physical Characteristics. http://whales.findoutnow.org/images/whale%20anatomy%20diagram.JPG

Toothed Whale Anatomy. http://schools.look4.net.nz/science/biology/marine/fish/fish_files/Toothed_Whale.jpg

Whale Evolution-The hippopotamus is the closest living relatives to whales or cetacea.

-They shared some common ancestor and each evolved into

aquatic mammals separately.

-The common ancestor would have likely been a land mammal as one

of the oldest whale ancestors, the Pakicetus, was mostly a land

mammal.

-Despite the Pakicetus not looking like a whale, the skull resembles

that of a present day whale and is unlike any other mammal.

The evolution of whales. http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evograms_03

Whale Evolution-The hippopotamus evolved around 15 million years ago.

-The baleen and toothed whale branched from a common ancestor

around 34 million years ago, when the baleen whale evolved baleen

in place of teeth for filter feeding and when the toothed whale

evolved echolocation for better hunting.

The evolution of whales. http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evograms_03

Whales in the Ecosystem

-Whales enhance both the stability and predictability of marine ecosystems.

-They eat many types of fish and invertebrates, some fall prey to other species (such as killer whales), and they distribute nutrients throughout the ocean.

-Even upon death, their carcass drops to the ocean floor and provide a habitat for many species, some of which can only survive in these, “whale falls”.

-One interesting and important positive feedback loop seen, is whale feces promoting plankton growth, which promotes overall fish population growth, which inherently will promote whale populations.

Whales as ecosystem engineers. http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=news&storyID=18797

Whales in Kenai Fjords National Park

● Gray Whale● Humpback Whale● Fin Whale ● Orca (Killer Whale)● Beluga Whale● Pacific White-Sided Dolphin

Kenai Fjords National Park(Photo by Hayley Farless)

Other Whales Present in Alaska

● Blue Whale - Present around the Aleutian Islands, mostly the westernmost islands.

● Right Whale - Has been seen in the Gulf of Alaska but the right whale population is less than 450,

so these are extremely rare to see.

● Minke Whale - Present in Alaska’s Kachemak Bay, Glacier Bay and Prince William Sound.

● Bowhead Whale - Present in Northern Alaska around the ice.

The Whales of Alaska. http://www.whale-watching-alaska.com/whale/bluewhalesalaska.html Alaska’s Population of Bowhead Whales. http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=42 North Pacific Right Whale. http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=rightwhale.main The Whale’s of Alaska. http://www.whale-watching-alaska.com/whale/minkewhalesalaska.html

Gray Whales, Eschrichtius robustus

Length: 44 to 48 feet

Weight: 30 to 40 tons

Average Life Expectancy: 50 to 70 years

Appearance: Dark gray with white patches

Gray Whale Facts. http://www.whalefacts.org/gray-whale-facts/

Source: Voices in the Sea on ucsd.org

Habitat and Migration of the Gray Whale

-Gray whales are mostly found in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean and near Korea in the Western North Pacific Ocean.

-Their migration route takes them as far south as Baja and as far north as Alaska.

Gray Whale Facts. http://www.whalefacts.org/gray-whale-facts/

Source: https://www.learner.org/jnorth/images/graphics/gwhale/maps/map_annual.gif

Gray Whale Diet

-Gray whales swim to the bottom of the ocean and scoop up sediments from the ocean floor, which then allow them to filter food through their baleen.

-Gray whales are mostly benthic crustaceans, but consume other small prey in their path.

Gray Whale Facts. http://www.whalefacts.org/gray-whale-facts/

Source: http://news.berkeley.edu/2011/07/06/gray-whales-likely-survived-the-ice-ages-by-changing-their-diets/

Gray Whale Breaching by Flickr user Eric Neitzel. Used under Creative Commons License.

Gray Whale Skeleton by Flickr user Dave Nixen. Used under Creative Commons License.

Humpback Whales, Megaptera novaeangliae

Length: 40 to 48 feet

Weight: 25 to 40 tons

Average Life Expectancy: 45 to 50 years

Appearance: Black on the upperside and mottled black and white on the underside.

Humpback Whale. http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/humpback-whale/

Source: http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/humpback-whale/

Habitat and Migration of the Humpback Whale

-Found in all of the world’s oceans

-Follow a pretty normal migration route, with a migration to the polar regions for the summer and the tropical waters for the winters.

Humpback Whale. http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/humpback-whale/

Source: http://www.grida.no/graphicslib/detail/the-long-migration-of-the-humpback-whale_9cd5

Humpback Whale Diet

-Feeds primarily krill, small crustaceans, and small fish.

-Eats up to one and a half tons of food per day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Humpback Whale. http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/humpback-whale/

Source: http://www.freakingnews.com/funny-pictures/whales-pictures.asp

Humpback Whales in Kenai Fjords National Park (Photos by Hayley Farless)

Breaching male Humpback Whale in Kenai Fjords by Flickr user jdegenhardt. Used under Creative Commons License.

Humpback Whale by Flickr user Christopher Michel. Used under Creative Commons License.

Fin Whales, Balaenoptera physalus

Hard Facts

Length: 70 - 80 feet

Weight: 40 - 80 tons

Speed: Up to 20 mph

Life Expectancy: Up to 100 years Source: Whale Wiki on GreenPeace.org

“Fin Whale - Balaenoptera Physalus.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/fin-whale.htm

Fin Whale Skeleton by Flickr user Daniel Mennerich. Used under Creative Commons License.

Fin Whale by Flickr user chris buelow. Used under Creative Commons License.

Live in the deep waters of every ocean in the world

Generally only spotted in the Kenai Fjords in early May and August

Habitat of the Fin Whale

Photo by Hayley Farless

“Fin Whale - Balaenoptera Physalus.” National Park Servicehttps://www.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/fin-whale.htm

Fin Whale Diet

Filter feeders

500 - 900, 3-foot long baleen plates hanging from the roofs of their mouth

64 ventral grooves allow their mouths to expand

Diet consists of krill, copepods, and small schooling fish like herring and halibut

Source: huntsmanmarinesciencecenter.com

“Fin Whale - Balaenoptera Physalus.” National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/fin-whale.htm

Reproduction of Fin Whales

Breed and give birth off the coast of Mexico in the winter

Gestation lasts a year and mothers only give birth once every two years

A newborn fin whale is normally 4 - 8 tons and around 22 feet

Sexual maturity occurs around the age of 6 or 7

Source: gatorwoman.com

Source: loretobluewhales.com

“Fin Whale - Balaenoptera Physalus.” National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/fin-whale.htm

Orcas, Orcinus orca Hard Facts

Length: 23 - 26 feet

Weight: 4 - 8 tons

Male dorsal fins can be up to 6 feet long

Life expectancy: Unknown → Could be 30 - 50 years, but it is thought that some orcas live to be about 80 - 90 years old

Source: pixabay.com

“Killer Whale - Orcinus Orca.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/killer-whale.htm

Orca Species

There are three genetically distinct types of orcas that do not interbreed or mingle:

❖ Resident: Eat fish (silver salmon, halibut, and herring) and have a range of up to 800 miles

❖ Transient: Eat marine mammals (harbor seals, porpoise, and sea lions) and have a range of up to 1,500 miles

❖ Offshore: Usually live in open ocean areas → Diet is mostly unknown, but they are thought to possibly eat sharks and even baleen whales

“Killer Whale - Orcinus Orca.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/killer-whale.htm

1 salmon in a school of mixed fish

How precisely an orca can use their echolocation

“Killer Whale - Orcinus Orca.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/killer-whale.htm

Reproduction of Orcas

Matriarchal, multigenerational societies

Pods mate with other pods during late summer/early fall → “Superpods” form during mating

16 - month gestational period → Birth in winter or early spring

Orca calves: 7 - 9 feet and 400 pounds

“Killer Whale - Orcinus Orca.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/kefj/learn/nature/killer-whale.htm

Orcas in Kenai Fjords National Park (Photos by Hayley Farless)

Orca by Flickr user Victoria Hoete-Dodd. Used under Creative Commons License.

Orca by Flickr user Kim. Used under Creative Commons License.

Beluga Whales, Delphinapterus leucas

Length: 13 - 20 ft

Weight: 2000 to 3000 pounds

Life expectancy: 35 - 50 years

Appearance: White with rounded forehead and no dorsal fin

Source: oceanviewer.org

“Beluga Whales.” National Geographic. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/beluga-whale/

Beluga Whale by Flickr user Fundación Caja Mediterráneo. Used under Creative Commons License.

Beluga Whale Fluke by Flickr user Vince Smith. Used under Creative Commons License.

Beluga Diet, Habitat, and Social Structure

Belugas eat fish, crustaceans, and worm

They can be found in arctic and subarctic waters, but migrate southward when the ice starts to freeze over → Belugas that don’t make it out of the ice become trapped and die as they become prey for polar bears, killers whales, and people

Belugas live together in small pods → They communicate using a complex series of whistles, clicks, and clangs

“Beluga Whales.” National Geographic. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/beluga-whale/

Beluga Point at Cook Inlet near Anchorage, AK

Beluga Point on the Seward Highway near Anchorage, Alaska. This section of the Turnagain Arm is home to around 350

belugas. Source: http://www.alaska.org/detail/beluga-point

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens

Length: 7 to 8 feet

Weight: ~300 pounds

Average Life Expectancy: 37 to 46 years

Appearance: Backside is black, sides are striped light and dark gray, and underside is white.

Pacific White Sided Dolphin. http://wildwhales.org/pacific-white-sided-dolphin/

Habitat and Migration of the Pacific White-Sided Dolphin

-Found in temperate, coastal waters of the Northern Pacific.

-The Pacific White-Sided Dolphin doesn’t necessarily migrate, rather it moves about a range from Amchitka Island in the Aleutians to the Gulf of Alaska to the tip of Baja California.

-Can also be found around the Kuril Islands of Japan.

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin. http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/pacific-white-sided-dolphin/

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin Diet

-Pacific White-Sided Dolphins eat mostly squid and small schooling fish, like anchovies and sardines.

-It is largely believed that these dolphins eat mostly at night.

Source: http://www.itsnature.org/sea/aquatic-mammals/pacific-white-sided-dolphin/

Pacific White-Sided Dolphin. http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/pacific-white-sided-dolphin/

A pair of Pacific White-Sided Dolphins by Flickr user NOAA Fisheries West Coast. Used under Creative

Commons License.

Threats to WhalesBiggest dangers to whales:

● Collisions with ships● Entanglement in fishing gear (bycatch)● Pollution● Shipping activity→ Can damage whale’s hearing

There is an international ban on the trade of whale products, but countries such as Iceland continue to hunt whales despite the threats of the International Whaling Commission

Climate change is affecting the food source of whalesSource: snopes.com

“Whales.” WWF. http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/whale

Whale ConservationResearch Methods:

● Satellite tagging● Acoustic recording● Photo identification● Genetics

List of Organizations Helping Out the Whales

● World Wildlife Fund● Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society● World Cetacean Alliance● Planet Whale● Sea Shepherd

“Whale Conservation.” CaboTrek. http://cabowhaletrek.com/whale-info/whale-conservation/

Whales in the Alaskan Economy: Whaling

● Whales have historically been hunted for meat, oil, bones, and blubber to produce a profit, but commercial whaling was ended by the International Whaling Commission in 1986 to preserve population numbers.1

● After successfully lobbying, some native communities are permitted to take a certain number of whales- generally Bowhead Whales- per season for subsistence. In Alaska, these communities include Gambell, Savoonga, Wales, Little Diomede, Kivalina, Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, Barrow, Nuiqsut, and Kaktovik.2

1“History and Purpose.” International Whaling Commission. https://iwc.int/history-and-purpose2 “Our Whaling Villages.” Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. http://www.aewc-alaska.com/whaling-villages.html

Whales in the Alaskan Economy: Whale Watching

● With commercial whaling a banned practice, the industry of whale watching has become the primary way in which Alaska’s whales contribute to its profit.

● Alaska’s southeastern coast its most visited location in the summer months- by tourists and by whales-, which makes it an ideal economic location for the wildlife tourism industry and whale watching.

● As of 2008 Alaska saw over 500,000 whale watching tourists, which brought in over $460,000,000 (p. 214).

● Increasing transportation availability and traveling opportunities have likely increased these numbers even further.

Whales in Alaskan Native Culture● The hunting of whales, particularly Bowhead Whales, is an extremely

significant cultural facet of many Arctic Native communities in Alaska and has been going on for thousands of years. With imported products available only at enormously inflated prices in many Native villages, aboriginal whaling currently provides the communities with subsistence.

● Seals are first hunted by men, and their skins are dried by women and used to carefully craft the traditional whaling boats.

● Some Alaskan Native cultures deem whaling a rite of passage for its men, while Native women often prepare food for the whaling events.

“In Hunt for Bowhead Whale, Alaska Native Village Preserves Its Past.” Julia O’Malley, 2015. http://america.aljazeera.com/multimedia/2015/7/whaling-alaska-native-village-preserves-its-past.html

Whales in Alaskan Native Culture

● The whales are harvested by the male boat crews through harpooning, and the traditional methods of butchering and sharing the meat and resources take place in a celebratory fashion.

● Community feasts and festivals are often held as a way of demonstrating unity and community adhesion.

● The continuation of the whaling practices allows for the communication of Native culture through generations and preserves tradition while providing sustenance for communities that are often isolated from affordable foods and other necessary goods that whales can provide.

“Subsistence Hunting Activities and the Inupiat Eskimo.” Cultural Surivial, 1998. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/united-states/subsistence-hunting-activities-and-inupiat-es

Photo by Marco Queral