Gray Whale
Migration Update: April 20, 2005
Today's Report Includes:
- Track the Whales: Latest Migration Data
- What’s Up North? Challenge Question #7
- Journey North for Kids: Gray Whales Are Mammals Like Us
- Adapted for Survival: Link to Lesson
- Field Notes from Alaska: Gray Whales Galore
- Field Notes and Photos from Channel Islands Observation Post
- Field Notes from Wayne Perryman: The Parade is Picking Up
- Whale Journey (Literature Link)
- Try This! Breathing, Diving, Swimming
- Ice and Baby Whales: Discussion of Challenge Question #6
- Ice and
Other Polar Mammals: Challenge Question #8
Track the Whales: Latest Migration Data
Make your own graphs using the data at the links below, or print and anayze our graphs. (For background, see lesson: Tracking Gray Whale Migration from California Observation Posts)
| Gray
Whale Migration Off the California Coast |
Channel Islands Data | |
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Whales passing per day Feb 1 - Apr 18, 2005 |  |
| Northbound Los Angeles |
Northbound Channel Islands |
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Northbound
and Southbound
Los Angeles |
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| Data Courtesy of the American Cetacean Society of Los Angeles and Channel Islands | ||
- How did the migration change in the two weeks since our April 6 update? What do you think will happen next?
- What differences do you notice between the two observation posts? What factors do you think could account for the differences? (Remember to consider the behavior of the whales, the weather, and the observers!)
- Do you think the pulse of mother/calf pairs on their way north from the birthing lagoons in Mexico has arrived? Overall, on what dates would you say pulses passed each site? Describe a category of whales (age group, gender) each pulse probably included. (See background lesson for basic understandings.)
- Describe the pattern of calf migration at each site. What questions do the patterns raise? Are you curious about why calves appeared at Channel Islands in March, and then at both sites in April? Is this what you expected? What might explain it?
- When do you think the southbound migration ended, as measured at the Los Angeles site?
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Photo Keith Jones |
The gray whale makes one of the longest migrations of any mammals. The journey averages 10,000-14,000 miles (16,000-22,530 km) round trip. This is amazing! But there’s another BIG difference besides length when you compare gray whale migrations to those of other animals. Think about the direction they travel in spring, and the reason for the journey. Then send us your answer to what might seem like a simple question, but probably one you’ve never stopped to think about:
Challenge Question #7:
“ How does the gray whale’s main purpose for migrating northward differ from the purpose of other Journey North species?”
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
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Photo Keith Jones |
Did you know that ancestors of gray whales once lived on land? Over millions of years, they returned to the water and adapted to life in that habitat. Whales may look like fish, but whales are mammals, just like you. What makes a creature a mammal? Why don’t gray whales have much hair? How do they get air when they are in the water? How does a calf’s early weight gain of 60 or more pounds a day help it stay alive during its cold trip north? You’ll find out when these wonderful photos lead you to the answers:
Adapted for Survival: Link to Lesson
Dissecting a dead whale, a marine biologist could see that it spends its life in the ocean, lives at least part time in very cold water, and migrates long distances. How? By understanding how whale bodies and behaviors are adapted to habitat and food requirements. Dive into our fascinating lesson about the amazing head-to-flipper adaptations that help gray whales survive in their immense saltwater habitat. You’ll discover there’s always a WHY behind WHAT you see. So whenever you see an unusual behavior or body part, ask yourself WHY. Then you can fill out a chart to see what you would need to add to your own body to live like a gray whale! Start exploring here:
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Field Notes from Alaska: Gray Whales Galore!
Kodiak’s Whale Fest Kodiak is in full swing until April 24. The gray whales passing Kodiak Island are cooperating fully! Sunday, 17 April, fifty or more people turned out to see Bird Brain Dance Company (whose dancers interpret migration). They were treated not only to the outdoor dancers but to gray whales in full migration from the bluffs of Narrow Cape. “Because the seas were so calm you could actually see the whales on the surface,” reports Susan Payne from Kodiak. Check out photos and events of this annual celebration:
Field Notes and Photos from Channel Islands Observation Post
As this week's graph shows, some amazing days of whale watching have been enjoyed by the volunteers at the Channel Islands post. A big thanks to Research Director Michael H. Smith for letting us be there with these photos! They were taken in front of Coal Oil Point at Goleta, California. This is the location of the American Cetacean Society-Channel Islands Gray Whale Census.
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 |
A
gray whale calf spyhops for a look at surfers and a passing
cormorant. "The calf and mom (on the ocean side)
were very close, and in quite shallow water," reports census
Director Michael H. Smith. |
A day for close-ups: a score of bottlenose dolphins and two pairs of gray whales mingled with surfers. |
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Aerial
view of Pt. Piedras Blancas, CA
|
Field Notes from Wayne Perryman: The Parade is Picking Up
Here come the moms and babies! On April 18, Wayne Perryman sent this
news from his official observation post at Pt. Piedras Blancas, CA: “We
are now up to 81 cow/calf pairs for the season. Things are picking
up and I expect that this week will start the big push. The satellite-
tagged
whales are still in Mexican waters, so the peak will probably be,
as usual, the last week of April to the first week of May.”
We’ll try to bring you more news about those satellite-tagged
whales next time. Meanwhile, will all the calves survive the journey
to the
summer feeding grounds? What is the journey like for the mothers
and their new babies? Read on:
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Whale Journey (Literature Link)
In her 50 years, Old Gray swam a distance equal to traveling to the moon
and home again. What's in store for her baby, about to make his first
migration? Whale Journey by Vivian French (1998, Zero to Ten Limited)
is a richly detailed picture book that all ages will enjoy. Join three
generations of whales on their travels. After reading this gripping story,
try a point-of-view writing experience (along with other fun activities)
built on this literature link to the study of gray whales. See:
 |
Photo M.H. Smith |
Did you know that a gray whale has a predictable breathing pattern while migrating? The whale generally blows 3-5 times in 15-30 second intervals before raising its fluke and submerging for 3-5 minutes Have a partner watch the clock while you pantomime this sequence of events to get a feel for the whales’ pattern and timing.
A gray whale can stay submerged up to 15 minutes. It can travel at 3-6 miles per hour (4.8-9.6 km/hr). If a gray whale and her calf swim more slowly, how long do you estimate their journey takes if they swim a total of 6,000 miles from Mexico to Alaska?
Ice and Baby Whales: Discussion of Challenge Question #6
Last time you looked at some of Wayne Perryman’s research to see how scientists look for correlations between variables. We asked: "Do you ever see a year with a long feeding season and a low of number of calves? Do you see a short feeding season followed by a high number of calves? State a hypothesis."
How many of you noticed that there's never a long feeding season followed by a low number of calves, or a short feeding season followed by a high number of calves? Given that finding, some possible hypotheses might be:
• Number of calves born is related to fatness or condition of the female whales.
• The longer the feeding season, the better condition the whales are in and the more calves are born the following year.
• The amount of food available to gray whales affects their calf production the following year.
Ice and Other Polar Mammals: Challenge Question #8
As long as you’re thinking about ice, how will you answer. . .
Challenge Question #8:
" What polar mammal that, unlike the gray whale, feeds more successfully when sea ice is present? Explain."
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:
IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.
1. Address
an email message to: jn-challenge-gwhale@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge
Question #7 (OR #8).
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions
above.
The Next Gray Whale Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 4, 2005.
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