Wanfala Spesol Visit Long Olketa Gray Whale
FROM MAN WEA RAET FOR WEKAP! LONG MEXICO
Taem iu kakam klosap long wanfala whale wea sleep hem mekem iu tingim samting wea big tumas. Taem iu stap klosap long hem, iu feel smol tumas, and feel olsem iu no strong. Samfala taem, man herem hem brith, and wata wea hem sprem thru long nose maet kasem man. Long taem olsem, man bae luksavve hem lukim wanfala animal wea barava winim wanem man savve tingim; wanfala nambawan samting, wea body bilong hem long and blak.—Jacques-Yves Cousteau, marine explorer.
OLKETA toktok antap barava storyim feeling wea mifala garem taem smol boat bilong mifala gogo klosap long olketa gray whale long kliafala wata bilong Magdalena Bay long Baja California, Mexico. For longtaem nao mifala laek for lukim olketa bigfala animal hia, wea evri year olketa savve kam long olketa lagoon bilong Baja for faendem partner and for bornem pikinini.
Man wea leadim mifala killim dae engine and padol isisi go klosap. Olketa whale hia luk olsem no wari long kakam bilong mifala. Mifala lukluk long hao olketa trae hard long partner bilong olketa taem olketa rola, sutim wata thru long nose witim bigfala noise, and kwiktaem daeva andanit wata for show-off long tail bilong olketa. Samfala olketa “spyhopping”—pushim kamaot hed from wata and lukluk long area raonem olketa.
Datfala man wea leadim mifala talem mifala hao nomata law no letem mifala for go klosap long olketa whale winim 30 meter, olketa mami whale and olketa smol wan bilong olketa savve planti taem kam klosap long olketa boat and letem man for tasim olketa.
Faet for Stap Laef
Bihaen mifala visitim olketa whale hia hem barava muvim mifala for duim samfala research. Mifala faendaot hao long mek-19 century, olketa man wea laek hunt tumas klosap finisim olketa whale bilong east saed long Pacific. Bihaen samfala taem, wei for laekem oil and bon bilong whale hem gogo daon, and namba bilong olketa whale start for kamap big moa. Then, long olketa first year bilong 1900, hunting hem start moa, taem olketa boat kamap olsem ‘factory wea float’ diswan mekem olketa man for hunt fit for keepim meat bilong whale long boat. Distaem moa, gray whale bilong east saed long Pacific klosap tumas for finis evribit.
Long 1947, International Whaling Commission wakem law for protectim olketa gray whale. Long olketa year wea just go pas gavman bilong Mexico putim olketa tambu ples for olketa whale and datfala Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve.a From samting olsem 26,000 gray whale stap distaem, luk olsem disfala animal bae no finis yet.
Spesol GoGo Bilong Olketa
Ples bilong olketa gray whale for kaikai hem barava long north saed, long sea bilong Bering and Chukchi. Long there olketa whale savve kaikaim olketa smol animal olsem crab, crayfish and ura long sea, for mekem body garem staka gris taem olketa gogo long south wea hem 16,000 kilometer for go kasem olketa Baja lagoon and for kam bak. From olketa whale savve travel samting olsem 5 go kasem 10 kilometer insaed wan hour, hem tekem olketa tu go kasem thri month for kasem ples wea olketa go long hem. From olketa depend evribit long gris long body bilong olketa for stap laef, olketa savve lus weight taem olketa gogo and long olketa month wea olketa stap long Baja California.
Olketa gray whale wea babule nao olketa first wan for arrive long olketa lagoon for bornem pikinini insaed long olketa wata hia wea barava kwaet. Taem olketa smol wan born, tail nao kam firstaem and hem mas kwiktaem kamap from wata for tekwind. Nara tufala mere wan nao help long datwan, man kolem olketa aunty, wea kamap olsem nurse. Gray whale savve babule for 12 kasem 13 month, so evri tu or thri year wanfala baby whale bae hem born. Tingim wei for bornem wanfala baby wea hevi bilong hem 680 kilogram and long bilong hem 5 meter!
Olketa baby wan savve susu for samting olsem eit month long milk wea 53 percent hem gris—hem tenfala taem moa gris winim milk bilong buluka. Olketa whale savve stap long olketa lagoon for tu go kasem thri month, from January go kasem midol long March, wea mekem gris long body bilong olketa baby kamap staka mekem olketa strong for go long North and for keepim olketa stap hot long cold wata bilong Arctic.
Samting hia wea mifala faendemaot abaotem olketa gray whale hem barava interesting. Mifala no savve forgetim datfala taem wea mifala lukim olketa whale long barava ples bilong olketa. Olketa animal hia mekem mifala tingim olketa toktok bilong Psalm 148:7: “Praisem Jehovah long earth, iufala olketa sea animal and iufala evri samting insaed long deepfala wata.”
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a International Whaling Commission letem lokol pipol bilong Alaska and Siberia nomoa for duim hunting for kaikai nomoa. Diswan helpem olketa gray whale, wea distaem olketa savve fren gud witim man olsem man wea leadim mifala hem talem.
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HAO HEM KAIKAI
Olketa gray whale no garem teeth, bat olketa garem olketa strong flat samting long mouth wea white (olsem piksa showimaot). Long bilong olketa flat samting hia hem faev go kasem twenti-faev centimeter and hange tu saed long top part insaed mouth. Olketa flat samting hia kamap from keratin—sem samting wea olketa fingernail bilong iumi kam from. Gray whale savve kaikai long barava botom long sea—hem followim and sakem olketa samting olsem crab and nara samting long botom sea. Then hem aotem wata thru olketa hair wea stap long flat samting insaed mouth.
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Courtesy Gray whales with Winston
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INFORMATION ABAOTEM GRAY WHALE
◼ Gray whale garem olketa white mark long skin bilong hem—datwan hem from olketa barnacle and olketa parasite.
◼ Olketa man wan savve grow kasem 14 meter—long winim wanfala bigfala bas—and olketa mere wan lelebet big winim.
◼ Gray whale garem tu go kasem faevfala laen andanit throat bilong hem, wea hem mekem throat bilong hem for kamap moa big taem hem kaikai.
◼ Hevi bilong wanfala gray whale hem samting olsem 16 ton, bat samfala 30 go kasem 40 ton.
◼ Gray whale savve kamap antap long wata evri thri go kasem faev minute for tekwind, bat hem savve stap andanit for 15 minute.
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© Richard Herrmann/Seapics.com
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“Spyhopping”
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© Michael S. Nolan/Seapics.com
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© Howard Hall/Seapics.com