The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-09-28

Of WHALES

Few of us realize that the blue or
sulphur bottom whale found in all our
oceans is not only the largest animal
which lives today, but is also, so far
as is known, the largest animal which
has ever existed on the earth or in it's
waters. A writer in the National Geo
mems have been measured which reach
graphic Magazine states that speci-
ed the length of eighty-seven feet, and
in all probability weighed as much as
.seventy-five tons. Although the mouth
is enormous, large enough, in fact, to
permit ten or twelve men to stand up
right in it, the throat measures only
about nine inches in diameter.
The finback, closely related to the
blue whale, has been called the grey
hound of the sea- for it's long slen-
der body is built on the lines of a rae
ing yacht, and the animal can equal
the speed of the fastest steamship.
The back is dark gray, shading into
beautiful light gray on the sides and
pure white below A noticeable char
acteristic about this whale is the SYM
metry of the throat coloring; the LETT
side is dark slate and the right pure
white like the under parts. The ba-
leen also, on the right side, for dis
lance of about two and half feet,
is white, in sharL distinction from the
remaining dark places.
THE humpback is the most inter-
esting of all our large whales, partly
because of the fact that it's habits are
more easily studied than are those of
the other members of the family. It's
maximum size is under So feet, but
its body is thick and heavy, with enor-
nous side fins, or flippers. These great
paddles are one-uarter the length Of
the entire body, and single one from
a whale 40 feet long weighed on the
station scales $50 pounds. The throat,
breast, flukes and flippers of the hump
back are almost invariably covered
, with masses of barnacles, or rather
barnacles on barnacles, for the hard,
-shell-like Coronula are themselves the
hosts of the soft pendant goose bar
lnacles."
In Japan, the writer of the National
Geographic Magazines article studied
the Sci whale of the Norwegians
which is the 'Iwashi kujira" (sardine
whale) of the Japanese. 1t is not Il
large animal, seldom exceeding "a feet
and is formed on slender, graceful
lines, much like the finback. Its color
alton also resembles in general way
the latter species, but it can readily
be distinguished by its high, falcate
; dorsal fin. The Sci whale has a habit
of swimming just below the surface
" sometimes with the dorsal fin exposed
and when feeding will travel for
: considerable distance in this manner
It is a difficult whale to shoot, because
: the back is arched but slightly wher
the animal dives. and only compare
lively small part of its body is shown
above the water at one time.
It is stated that the distance trav
! ersed by whales when beneath the
surface of the water depends entirely
, upon circumstances. The longest pc
= riod of submergence for fnbacks, ac
: tually timed by watch, was twenty
o three minutes, but there is little doub
8 but that most large whales can re
r main under water a considerabl!
n longer time.
II Most extraordinary of all whales Il
|. the square-nosed sperm whale. Instead
9 of having plates of baleen, this whale
carries a row of 20 to 25 heavy teetl
on each side of the lower jaw. Thes
fit into sockets in the roof of tn
. mouth, and assist in holding the CLAN
t. squid and cuttle-fsh on which tn
4 enormous animal feeds. Since tn
squid seldom gets far out of the warn
= currents, the sperm does not go int
the cold water, but cruises about Il