Gray Whale Migration Update: February 19, 2003
Today's Report Includes:
- Whales Still Plowing South: Challenge Question #3
- Life in the Nursery Lagoons: Challenge Question #4
- More Whale Kisses
- Gray Whale Adaptations From Head to Tail
- Slurp and Squish: Mystery Photo Identified
- One, Two, Three: Breathe! Challenge Question #5
- See Daily Whale Numbers on the Web
- Holy Cow! What a Calf: Discussion of Challenge Question #2
- What?s This? Looking Ahead
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Gray Whale Migration Route |
Each migration season, the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Cetacean Society (ACS) counts the gray whales seen passing the Point Vincente Lighthouse (33.44N,-118.24W) between December 1 and May 15. Census volunteers said today that it is just amazing to see this many whales during February, and still many going south. (See graph on Web.) No more southbound babies have been seen from this spot recently, but the average number of southbound grays on Feb. 16 (using data over the last 10 years) is 3.6 whales. On February 16 this year, volunteers saw 17 southbound whales. On February 17, they saw 26! That means a lot of gray whales in the warm lagoons of Mexico. Let?s see what they?re up to!
But before we "go visit the whales," what?s your answer to
Challenge Question #3:
"What?s the AVERAGE number of gray whales seen per day by the ACS census in the week of Feb. 10-17? These are the actual numbers for each of those days: 13, 7, 21, 16, 8, 17, 26."
(To respond
to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
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| Mother and baby approach boat in lagoon. Photo Keith Jones. |
Since December, gray whales have been arriving in the four calving and mating lagoons of Mexico's Baja California peninsula. (Click on the Web map dots to read more about each lagoon.) Last time we asked you to journal about what might make the best conditions for a baby whale's birth and survival in its first months of life. Now you can compare what you wrote with comments of tour guide Kristin "Ellie" Kusic. She describes one of the lagoons--Laguna San Ignacio--from aboard a tour boat for whale watchers, and you?ll wish you were there!
TEACHERS: This real-world, high-interest nonfiction
selection comes with a Journey North Reading and Writing Connection---a fun menu
of teaching options that includes great ideas for Writers Workshop too. Just click
on the URL above and follow the link to the Reading and Writing Lesson. Here?s one
of the suggestions for a pre-reading activity:
Facts, Questions, and Words. Tap into students? prior knowledge. Divide the
class into 4-5 small groups. Give each group a large piece of chart paper. Ask students
to divide the chart into three equal columns: FACTS, QUESTIONS, and WORDS. Introduce
the topic: BABY WHALES. Give each group about 5-10 minutes to list facts they know
about baby whales. After students list facts, invite them to brainstorm questions
about baby whales. Encourage a variety of ideas through writing Who, What, Where,
When, Why and How questions.
After reading "Life in the Nursery
Lagoons," you?ll be ready to send us your answers to
Challenge Question #4:
"What makes the lagoons of Baja such good nurseries for newborn whales? Give two or more reasons."
(To respond
to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
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Clip: Touching a Whale |
More Whale Kisses
Imagine being in a boat in the nursery lagoons and having a baby whale swim right up to it. You can see the blowholes on the baby?s head open and close. Then you lean over the side of the boat and kiss the baby on its head! Here?s another video clip of those lucky teens from Knoxville, Iowa. They experienced this scenario on one of Keith Jones? whalewatching tours to Mexico last winter. Keith filmed the fun:
IMPORTANT: Mac users and some Netscape users cannot view the video file directly from the web with a simple mouse click on the URL. This is only possible with Internet Explorer and Windows. In order to view a clip directly from the web, you must copy the URL address, open Windows Media Player, select "Open URL" from the "File" menu, and paste the address into the window that appears. We?ve got you covered with these tech tips:
Gray Whale Adaptations: From Head to Tail
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. Fascinating secrets are revealed when studying how an organism's body--and its behavior--are adapted to its environment. There's always a WHY behind WHAT you see. An "adaptation" is a physical or behavioral feature that evolved in response to an organism's environment, due to pressures for survival. How a species looks (its anatomy), as well as how it behaves (how it moves, obtains food, reproduces, responds to danger, etc.) are all based in the species' evolutionary history. Each week, we'll pose a Challenge Question related to the next week's featured adaptation. Remember: There's always a WHY behind WHAT you see. So whenever you see an unusual behavior or body part, ask yourself WHY. Our Feb. 5 mystery photo is an example of a very important whale adaptation. Read on!
Slurp and Squish: Mystery Photo
IdentifiedLast time we gave you a mystery photo. It?s a small section of baleen from the mouth of a gray whale. What?s baleen? Baleen takes the place of teeth for all whales in the suborder mysticetes, or toothless group of whales. It?s an important adaptation for the type of feeding done by baleen whales, like the gray whales we?re studying. You can read more about baleen and how it works on this page, where you?ll also discover many more fabulous adaptations of a whale?s head:
Did you know?
Not so long ago, whales were hunted and killed in the lagoons because there was a
huge demand for whale products. People boiled their oil-rich blubber as fuel oil.
They used whalebone and baleen for things such as brushes, spokes in umbrellas, and
corsets (an undergarment that was tightly laced to give women very small waists).
One, Two, Three: Breathe!
Did you read about the adaptations of a gray whale?s head (see above)? Then you?re ready for this question:
Challenge Question #5:
"What adaptation enables a surfaced gray whale to take a breath even when it has a mouthful of water?"
(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)
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You can keep tabs on the daily gray whale census counts (great for graphing!) by visiting the ACS Web site, where the numbers are posted each day:
American Cetacean Society--Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project
How many northbound whales were seen today? How many southbound? The date when northbound counts exceed southbound counts is called the turnaround date. What?s your prediction for this year?s turnaround date? You?ll see it coming if you check the ACS Web site each day.
Holy Cow, What a Calf! Discussing Challenge Question #2
Last week we asked: "About how much will a calf weigh by the time it is two months old and begins the long migration north? Why is a calf's weight gain important?"
Students from Iselin Middle School grade 7A were right on top of this answer, using facts from "Holy Cow, What a Calf" to make their calculations. Their answers correctly ranged from 5600 pounds to 6030 pounds. Christopher, Yuandra, Brian, Gary, Matthew, Vanessa, Tassneem and Melissa all found their answer by multiplying 60 days (two 30-day months) by 60 pounds gained per day. That?s 3600 pounds gained in the two months. Add this to the birth weight of 2000 for an answer of 5600 pounds. Rosette, Courtney, and Krishna made their calculations using 31 days per month and a gain of 65 pounds per day. Added to the birth weight, that?s 6030 pounds. Good thinking, all of you!
"It is important for the young to gain this weight for its migration north, because it needs more fat to stay warm in the colder waters," wrote Gary, Matthew, Vanessa, Tassneem, and Melissa. They?re right. And during the swim north, the calf will continue to nurse and grow. Its blubber will supply warmth and energy on the trip into ever colder waters as it heads north with its mother.
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Do you know what this photo shows? It?s part of the landscape of the gray whale?s migration trail. But which end? Next time we?ll tell you more about it. See you then!
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:
IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.
1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-gwhale@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question
#3 (OR #4 OR #5).
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 March 5,
2003.
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