One of the most common activities in ocean tourism is whale watching. There are some very well known locations for whale watching, and one of them is the Channel Islands, Oxnard CA. The whales are only seen at certain times of the year, so you need to be sure about when to try this. Whale watching Channel Islands is definitely an option if you are in the area at those specific times of the year.
Whales are the largest mammals on earth. It might sound strange that they are mammals, since they live in the sea, but they are. They are not cold-blooded, and they also breathe using lungs, unlike ordinary fish, which use gills.
The gills in fish are rich in blood-vessels and are specially adapted to absorb oxygen out of the water that is constantly passing through them as they swim. Whales cannot do this, as they do not have gills. This means that they need to break the surface of the water regularly to take in fresh air. They do this through what is known as the spout or blowhole. As the whale breaches, or surfaces, it exhales through the blowhole, which is situated on the top of its head. This causes the characteristic fountain of seawater spray.
Once exhalation or spouting has taken place, the new air is inhaled. The animal can then breathe again, and it dives below the surface. It can swim at very low depths and can also stay under the surface for exceptionally long periods of time. It must, however, breach at some time to breathe, just as people also cannot stay submerged after the oxygen in their lungs has been depleted.
They have traditionally been subject to a very serious threat, namely hunting. The hunting of these animals, or whaling, was a common economic pursuit in previous times. It has since been banned by most countries. The exception is Japan, which still holds an annual hunt. Although Japan is subject to criticism for this, their official explanation is that they conduct the whaling for research purposes.
Whaling has always used an implement called the harpoon. A harpoon is a spear-shaped metal implement that is directed through the air at its target from the whaling vessel. In ancient times, the harpoon was held in the hand and thrown by the power of the hunter's arm. This would be done by a sailor standing in a smaller vessel positioned strategically next to the whale in the water. It cannot avoid surfacing at regular intervals, so the sailor would remain alert in the hunting boat, waiting for it to do so.
In the modern era of whaling, harpoons either included a grenade or electricity. The electric harpoon would electrocute the whale in the water, while the grenade variety would enter into the whale's body and then detonate, causing terrible injury or the death of the animal. Modern whaling vessels used special harpoon launchers or cannons to cast the harpoon more powerfully at the whale.
In recent times, whale populations have been decimated by whaling. They reproduce only very slowly and some species gestate for up to two years. Although Japan obstinately continues to hunt a set number of animals every year, the modern trend is to outlaw this activity. So, if you are able to watch them breaching, it can be a rewarding pastime and one which you should try to participate in.
Whales are the largest mammals on earth. It might sound strange that they are mammals, since they live in the sea, but they are. They are not cold-blooded, and they also breathe using lungs, unlike ordinary fish, which use gills.
The gills in fish are rich in blood-vessels and are specially adapted to absorb oxygen out of the water that is constantly passing through them as they swim. Whales cannot do this, as they do not have gills. This means that they need to break the surface of the water regularly to take in fresh air. They do this through what is known as the spout or blowhole. As the whale breaches, or surfaces, it exhales through the blowhole, which is situated on the top of its head. This causes the characteristic fountain of seawater spray.
Once exhalation or spouting has taken place, the new air is inhaled. The animal can then breathe again, and it dives below the surface. It can swim at very low depths and can also stay under the surface for exceptionally long periods of time. It must, however, breach at some time to breathe, just as people also cannot stay submerged after the oxygen in their lungs has been depleted.
They have traditionally been subject to a very serious threat, namely hunting. The hunting of these animals, or whaling, was a common economic pursuit in previous times. It has since been banned by most countries. The exception is Japan, which still holds an annual hunt. Although Japan is subject to criticism for this, their official explanation is that they conduct the whaling for research purposes.
Whaling has always used an implement called the harpoon. A harpoon is a spear-shaped metal implement that is directed through the air at its target from the whaling vessel. In ancient times, the harpoon was held in the hand and thrown by the power of the hunter's arm. This would be done by a sailor standing in a smaller vessel positioned strategically next to the whale in the water. It cannot avoid surfacing at regular intervals, so the sailor would remain alert in the hunting boat, waiting for it to do so.
In the modern era of whaling, harpoons either included a grenade or electricity. The electric harpoon would electrocute the whale in the water, while the grenade variety would enter into the whale's body and then detonate, causing terrible injury or the death of the animal. Modern whaling vessels used special harpoon launchers or cannons to cast the harpoon more powerfully at the whale.
In recent times, whale populations have been decimated by whaling. They reproduce only very slowly and some species gestate for up to two years. Although Japan obstinately continues to hunt a set number of animals every year, the modern trend is to outlaw this activity. So, if you are able to watch them breaching, it can be a rewarding pastime and one which you should try to participate in.
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