About the wisdom of children (part 8)
by firmm Team
Text: Edeltraud Konradt, photos: and drawings: firmm
Orcas were still a topic of discussion this year. There were questions about the interactions of the marine mammals with the sailing boats.
Yes and no. There are several theories, but no one knows for sure. Today, there is an app for sailors that shows where the orcas are located so they can avoid those areas.
That's why I was particularly pleased when other questions were asked. The most common question was about the best time of day to see the animals.
The Strait of Gibraltar covers an estimated area of 1,400 square kilometres and is home to four species of dolphin that live here all year round, regardless of the time of day or night. There are also three species of whale that visit at different times of the year. We don’t know exactly where the animals will be when we set out, so we must search for them.
It is mainly the great white shark that is useful to the Orcas. Up to 30% of its body weight is liver, which represents a whole meal for the animals.
It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are known for their health benefits. They support heart health and reduce inflammation. Liver also contains many vitamins, including A, D and E, and alkylglycerols, which have an immune-boosting effect.
Dolphins are small, toothed whales and live in all seas except the Arctic Ocean. One exception is the Orca (which is also a dolphin, namely the largest one), which is also found in the Arctic and Antarctic.
People who observe marine life have a trained eye and can identify the species by its size, colour and shape. The fin, tail fluke and blow also provide experts with valuable information.
Each species of whale has a specific blow, which is the expulsion of air when it surfaces. The blow is an important distinguishing feature. Toothed whales only have a single mist fountain, as they only have one blowhole. Baleen whales, on the other hand, have two, which is why the blow is double and V-shaped.
Well, no, dolphins do have ears, but they're not visible on their heads. They have a special type of hearing organ that allows them to hear underwater. The outer ear is just a small indentation. However, they have a middle and inner ear.
Dolphins can detect sound signals underwater by picking up vibrations in the water with their lower jaw and skull. These vibrations are then transmitted to the inner ear, where they are processed. Their excellent hearing and ability to produce and detect sound signals make them very good hunters. They are skilled at:
They are skilled at:
- Echolocation:
Dolphins use echolocation to locate their prey. They generate high frequencies that are reflected by objects underwater and then analyse these reflected sound signals.
- Communication:
Dolphins also use sound signals to communicate with each other. They can produce different sounds to signal their position, mood and intentions.
Overall, dolphins' ears are an important part of their complex sensory system, which enables them to navigate, hunt and communicate underwater.
On our trips, we often see turtles, mainly loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta Caretta). A girl who came back from the trip very excited asked me:
Turtles are lung breathers, so they must regularly come to the surface to breathe. I found the following two pieces of information in published literature: Loggerhead turtles dive for about 5-40 minutes when they are active, but during sleep they can remain underwater for 4 to 7 hours by greatly slowing their heart rate.
explained an approximately 8-year-old child to me.
Well, not dangerous, but not harmless either. The fact is that giant squids are a favourite food of Sperm whales. But the squid does not allow itself to be eaten so easily. It fights back by wrapping its giant tentacles around the whale to hold on and resist the whale's attacks. It fights for its life and tries to make the whale give up.
This is how the suction cup marks appear on the bodies of Sperm whales, sometimes measuring up to 10 cm in size. A dead Sperm whale with such large marks was washed up on a beach in Australia.
A boy of about five had something to say about almost every topic in the lecture before I even got started. He called out to me:
That's right, I have nothing to add to that.
He must have read a lot of books about whales and dolphins...
said a 7-year-old girl. When I asked her, ‘What do you mean by stable?’, she explained
The bone structure of dolphins is an important part of their adaptation to life in the water. They have heavy, dense bones that help them dive and swim in the water. These bones are often more compact than those of land animals. The streamlined body of dolphins helps them minimise water resistance, which increases stability in the water and facilitates swimming movements. The hydrodynamic shape of the bone structure of dolphins is adapted to withstand the pressure of the water.
When they leap into the air and then splash back down onto the water, parasites fall off their skin. Dolphins also jump out of the water when hunting to gain speed. The sound of the splash startles the fish and drives them closer together, making them easier to catch.
a small boy stated.
The supposed smile is the rounded shape of their snout, which has a downward-curving fold at the end. It's their anatomy, simply the shape of their dolphin beak. They don't smile or look friendly. They don't smile or look friendly.
Dolphins perceive their surroundings in a similar way to humans or primates. They can see well, despite their poor long-distance vision.
Dolphins adapt their behaviour in winter to the changing environmental conditions. Some species of dolphin migrate to warmer waters, for example to give birth to their young. The dolphins here in the Strait of Gibraltar stay here in winter; they do not leave their habitat.
-) sharks, especially the great white shark, which is said to live in the Strait of Gibraltar. No, you can't see it here, and it doesn't jump into the boat either.
-) Blue whales, which are impressive because of their size. The whale has a heart as big as Dad's car. The heart of a Blue whale weighs about 400 to 500 kilos and is 1.5 metres long, 1.2 metres wide and 0.7 metres thick.
-) Orcas, which children like to call killer whales, and which they talk about. No, Orcas are not killers. The name originated because there are also carnivorous Orcas that kill other marine mammals to eat them.