Archives for tag: commercial whaling

The Incredible But True Horror Story Behind Moby Dick

December 17, 2017 Roselyn Onuche Whale Information commercial whaling, facts about whale hunting, is Moby Dick a true story, largest whale on earth, largest whales, Moby Dick, Mocha Dick, sperm whale, whaling, why do we hunt whales

You may have read or heard about Herman Melville’s book and the whale character named Moby Dick at some point. But did you know the horrific events that followed the sinking of the whaling ship, Essex?

Poster For The 1976 Moby Dick Movie

To most of us, we regard whales as extremely large and docile creatures that have evolved to feed on plankton. These gentle giants swim around in the Earth’s waters and do not harm humans in any way. However, 19th-century literature tells a strange tale; a whale out for revenge.

Could a whale be out there bent on settling an old score?

Whales harbor large complex brains, states Dr. Richard Bevan, a zoologist, and lecturer at Newcastle University. He goes further to add that; a sperm whale can recall incidences of provocation as in harpooning and thus would

Species Profile: The Sei Whale

October 19, 2017 Roselyn Onuche Species Profile baleen whales, commercial whaling, facts about whale hunting, fin whale, finback whale, humpback whale, largest whale on earth, largest whales, rorqual whale, sei whale, whale conservation status, whale hunting, whale species, whale species profile, whales

The Sei Whale is the fourth largest baleen whale and an endangered species.

Sei Whale Mother With Her Calf (Photo: NOAA)

The Sei Whale is another baleen whale and it’s the fourth largest of them after the Blue Whale, the Fin Whale, and the Humpback Whale.

Although it prefers deeper offshore waters, it’s often sighted in most oceans and adjoining seas.

Typically, its body is colored dark steel gray with irregular light grayish to white markings towards the front of the lower body. The Sei whale’s skin is commonly marked with distinct crater-shaped scars caused by wounds

Species Profile: The Gray Whale

October 4, 2017 Roselyn Onuche Species Profile blue whale, commercial whaling, critically endangered whales, facts about whale hunting, fin whale, gray whale, humpback whale, right whale, whale hunting, whale species profile, whales, whaling, why do we hunt whales

The Gray Whale resisted capture so much that whalers named it “Devilfish.”

A Gray Whale In Captivity (Photo: Marine Mammal Commission/Wikimedia. Public Domain)

The Gray Whale is a medium-sized baleen whale and the only surviving member of its genus and family. This species is a migratory animal that travels annually between its feeding and breeding grounds.

These whales have a hump and a ridge of sharp bumps running down their backs rather than a dorsal fin. They also prefer to stay close to shore – feeding in shallow waters.

The common name, Gray Whale, comes from the contrasting gray patches and white mottling on its dark colored skin. The white patches are the result of barnacles and lice that have attached themselves to the whales’ skins. In

Species Profile: The Sperm Whale

July 19, 2017 Roselyn Onuche Species Profile commercial whaling, sperm whale, spermaceti, whale species profile

Learn all about the sperm whale: a very unique and popular whale indeed. This is another creature that was almost hunted to extinction and a whale of this same species happens to be the inspiration behind the 1851 classic tale by Herman Melville: Moby Dick.