Gray Whale Migration Update: Today's Report Includes: Babies Reach Seward! Migration Highlights Along the Coast Using Up the Fat Stores: Challenge Question #13 Fun Facts from Mike and Winston Tails and Flippers: Challenge Question #14 Residents or Transients: Discussion of Challenge Question #12 Want to Watch Whales in Baja? Here?s YOUR Chance! Year-end Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts! Gray Whale Migration Route (Click on face of map) Babies Reach Seward! Migration Highlights Along the Coast The first gray whale baby has arrived in Seward, Alaska! Capt. Leslie Hines was excited to share the news with you! There?s more exciting news from the other end of the whale trail, where Wayne Perryman is counting mom/calf pairs on their journey north. Wayne says we?re "on the brink of passing the total for 1995 (total count of 194 pairs) and we have already passed the total counts for 1999, 2000, and 2001. So, pretty much the worst thing that we can end up with is the 5th highest estimate in a 10-year series. And, the party is not over yet." WOW! Read more in our full report and you?ll see why Wayne says, "Things are pretty exciting here along the central coast." We were delighted to hear from one of you readers, too: "Observed mother and calf approximately 200 yards off beach near Malibu Colonies from 6pm-7pm. Appeared to be heading north. Lost track just before dusk," writes William Michaelis from Malibu, California (34.07N,-118.8W). Mother/Calf. Mike & Winston. Jamie?s Whaling Station in Tofino tells us "The migration is still coming; however, it has slowed a bit and now with the calves and cows, the whales are a little more skittish." Who is the Two-Dot-Star? In the Channel Islands near Santa Barbara, Carol tells us: "Almost all of the whales passing through here now are cow calf pairs and often very close to the shore." But what exciting sights Carol reports, and what an unusual, stumping question the naturalists were asked! Mike and Winston at the ACS/LA census report another above average two weeks for the gray whales, summing up the situation as of April 27: "For the northbound migration we now have more than 8 of the last 19 seasons. For the cow/calf northbound we have more than 10 of the last 19 seasons. We now have more calves than last season (2002)--which was considered a very good season." What was unusual about the last whale of day on April 25? Don?t miss what?s happening all along the migration trail with more details from observers in our full report, here: Full Migration Report (Good stuff!) Using Up the Fat Stores The whales are hurrying back to the Arctic feeding grounds, where ice is melting and the food chain is renewing. You can imagine that migrating takes a lot of energy. Gray whales eat very little during migration and breeding/calving season in the warm lagoons. Back in the Arctic, they?ll feast for at least five months before starting the migratory cycle once again. In our March 5 report, you learned that blubber is an adaptation that helps whales survive. We said that the food items eaten by gray whales are very tiny, but grays are very efficient feeders. Their metabolism is very low so they make efficient use of food energy. Whales burn far fewer *calories per day per pound of body weight than humans do! But they can lose up to 80 percent of their body weight during the migration and breeding season. That makes us wonder how you?d answer this: Challenge Question #13: "Rice and Wolman (1971) calculated that gray whales burn 19 kilocalories per kilogram of body weight per day. What?s the conversion for tons to kilograms? How many kilocalories does a 40-ton whale burn per day?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) *NOTE ABOUT CALORIES: There is confusion in everyday language regarding calories, which are energy units. The calorie in everyday use is actually a kilocalorie (kcal, also designated Calorie, with a capital "C"), 1000 times larger than a calorie (with a lower case "c"). In fact, the makers of labels on food boxes and cans in the grocery store are careless in their representation of this energy unit. The labels correctly use the upper case when stating total Calories of the food within, but then many of them say "based on a 2,000 calorie diet." Note the lower case "c." If literally interpreted, "based on a 2 Cal (or kcal) diet" doesn't make any sense. You and I can't live on 2 Calories a day! They actually should write "Calorie;" instead they mistakenly wrote "calorie." Mike and Winston, Whale Watchers Fun Facts from Mike and Winston Did you make some discoveries with Dr. Dave Rugh?s answers for Ask the Expert? You learned whether we know if whales have different eye colors like humans do, for example. Or why some whales might still head south in March or April. For you whale buffs, here are more tidbits from our friends Mike and Winston. Which facts surprise you the most? Which interest you the most? What further question can you ask about each fact? Challenge your classmates to see if they can find answers. Eschrichtius robustus: what does it mean? The name comes from Eschricht (a 19th century Danish zoology professor)and rubustus (Latin for "strong"). Gray whales are also known by these names: California gray whale, Pacific gray whale, Devilfish (a name given to them by the early whalers because these massive sea mammals attacked the whaleboats when they being hunted). Suborder: Mysticeti (Latin for "Mustache;" a baleen whale) Family: Eschrichtidae (the only member) Color: Adults are mottled gray with whitish barnacles and yellowish whale lice. Newborns are black. Size: Adults are up to 46ft in length and up to 40 tons in weight. Females are slightly larger than males. Newborns are 12-15 ft in length at birth and weigh 1500-2000 pounds. Gray whales eat Amphipods (small shrimplike crustaceans), small crabs, tube worms, mollusks and occasionally small fish and squid. Gestation Period is 11 - 13 months. Calves nurse up to 7 months. (Mother's milk is about 53% butterfat, compared to cow's milk with only 4% butterfat.) Newly pregnant whales are the first to migrate north. Mother's with their newborns are the last to come north. Photo Mike & Winston Tails and Flippers: More Great Gray Adaptations A gray whale?s tail is indeed an adaptation that helps this species survive. Some estimates say that the power of a gray whale?s tail in action is the equivalent of a 500 horsepower engine mounted at the rear of the whale! What type of motion results in such power? What makes a gray whale?s tail strong and stiff? How wide across is a gray whale?s tail? How much does the tail probably weigh? Read a fast, fun page about this adaptation: Built for Powerful Propulsion Then get ready for the next challenge question as you see photos and learn about another adaptation, the flippers: Paddles to Turn and Steer Challenge Question #14: "How a whale?s flippers similar to and different from your hands?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Residents or Transients: Discussion of Challenge Question #12 Last time we asked: "What are two differences between transient killer whales and resident KWs?" "I give credit to Mike and Winston for my answer to challenge question #12," says Jack Nguyen from Challenger Middle School. "The two differences between transient killer whales and resident killer whales have to do with their shape and their diet. First of all resident killer whales feed on fish. However the transient killer whales feed on marine mammals. Another difference is that resident killer whales have rounded dorsal fins. Transient killer whales have pointed dorsal fins." Also from Challenger Middle School, Nga Vo adds: "I could tell the difference by look at the top of the dorsal fin. If it is rounded, the orca is a resident. If it is pointed, the orca is a transient." Nick Mrs. Pfaff's/Ms. Miller's 4th period class at Challenger Middle School also sent the right answer, as did Rosette, Krishna, and Courtney from Iselin Middle School/grade 7A. Way to go, students! Carrie Hladik of the Condor Express Crew in Santa Barbara, CA added this to the information in Mike and Winston?s article: "Transient killer whales are also better cooperative hunters." Thanks, Carrie! Want to Watch Whales in Baja? Here?s YOUR Chance! Keith Jones reminds us, "Next year we want to provide the funding for a group of between 9 and 14 high school seniors/juniors and their chaperones to experience the Baja Jones Adventure to the gray whales." Is your school interested? If so, contact Keith Jones: keith@greywhale.com with a letter of interest by June 15th. (An email query is acceptable to begin.) Year-end Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts! Please take a few minutes to share your suggestions and comments in our Year-End Evaluation Form below. The information you provide at the end of each year is the single most important tool used to guide our planning. Journey North Year End Evaluation Please share your thoughts 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 #Challenge Question #13 (OR #14). 3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions above. The FINAL Gray Whale Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 14. Copyright 2003 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. 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