Photo Quiz:
What Gray Whale Behaviors Do You See?

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Imagine you are a whale watcher. You will need to talk the lingo! This table shows terms (lingo) used by whale watchers to note whale behaviors when they chart observations. The next pages show photos of some of these behaviors. Which can you identify? Try it!

This: means this kind of sighting:
BL blow
BK back
PR print (or footprint): a round, slick patch on the surface of the water made by an unseen whale's fluke as it swims just below the surface of the water
Snk snorkeling: a whale barely breaks the water's surface, exposing just its blowholes (but no visible sign of a blow)
BR Breach: a leap out of the water, falling back with a big splash
FLK Fluke: showing the tail (flukes) above the water as it dives
Stealth When observers suddenly lose sight of a whale they've been tracking (The whale has "Gone Stealth.")
AB audible blow
Milling The whale or whales seem to be staying for a while in one area, or milling around.


What would you record for this behavior? Circle your answer.

BL
BK
PR
Snk
Stealth
AB
Milling
BR FLK

What would you record?

BL
BK
PR
Snk
Stealth
AB
Milling
BR FLK

What would you record?

BL
BK
PR
Snk
Stealth
AB
Milling
BR FLK

What would you record?

BL
BK
PR
Snk
Stealth
AB
Milling
BR FLK

What would you record?

BL
BK
PR
Snk
Stealth
AB
Milling
BR FLK

What would you record?

BL
BK
PR
Snk
Stealth
AB
Milling
BR FLK

What would you record?

BL
BK
PR
Snk
Stealth
AB
Milling
BR FLK

 

Here's what the experts wrote. How did you do?

 

 

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