Cetacean Discussion Thread

[Archipel Sempi]

A discussion thread about the beautiful, smart, and cool mammals called Cetaceans. This group includes: Whales, dolphins, orcas, porpoises, etc. Polls may be requested, and will be changed every month or so. Discuss anything about these mammals, like if you've spotted them, your whale spotting experiences, whale hunting, etc.

Now, for the opening poll, "what's your favourite type of whale species", bowhead whales, by far. The longest living whale, cetacean, and mammal, living a grand total of 200 years. They are truly fascinating. Why I love them, it's because they take their time to do things, and seem pretty chill if I say so. They actually first have babies at 25 years old, some humans have babies earlier! Just imagine a whale first giving birth at 25, that would be weird. And also, they have babies, only every 5 years, compared to the usual 1-2 years of other whales. Also, they just look cool in general.

Also, another random thing, I've eaten whale before. From Norway. (probably minke whale) You're wondering, what's the taste? It tastes like beef, or lamb's lung. It doesn't taste bad.

[Xshor]

based based based. quality thread.

the poll is a tough call for me but i had to go with sperm whale, partly because they seem so eerie and otherworldly from their gigantic blocky shape like a ship hulk to their sleeping position to their clicking calls, and partly because one of the strongest "spiritual" experiences ive yet had was when i was visiting the carnegie natural history museum and came across a massive sperm whale mandible stood up against a wall, stretching all the way up to the ceiling. i was just so taken aback by every aspect of it, the size, the shape, the immensity of the animal it must have came from in life, i couldnt help but drop to my knees in front of it. corny, i know.

also one thing i really appreciate about whales - modern, highly derived whales in particular - is that by all accounts they make up the weirdest marine tetrapod fauna in the earth's history, outdoing every era of mesozoic marine reptiles, and we get to share our narrow slice of geologic time with them. it makes me feel so blessed. mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, metriorhynchids etc are undeniably cool but none of them were ever utter freaks on the same level as odontocetes with satellite dishes in their skulls or rorquals whove gone down every conceivable specialisation to turn their heads into unfathomable yawning abysses. not to mention beaked whales whose sexual display structures are inside their heads because they can still show up via echolocation without affecting their hydrodynamics

[Yellowgrass Creek]

Cetaceans are incredible animals, though i regrettably don't have much knowledge on them. Im a fan of river dolphins and bowheads.

[The Galactic Authority of Progress]

Dolphins and whales are pretty cool. The most sentient type of animal after humans. Dolphins are such smart, elegant animals, they’re my favourite. But humpbacks come close, they seem calm.

[Stellar Colonies]

What's your favourite type of whale species?

probe

[El Lazaro]

Favorite crustacean? Crabs, I suppose.

[Xshor]

Favorite crustacean? Crabs, I suppose.

thats for my thread

[Yellowgrass Creek]

the fact that no one ever talks about fin whales despite them being the 2nd biggest animal on earth and one of the biggest of all time is mind-boggling.

[Necroghastia]

Whale ancestors are probably the most fascinating group of prehistoric animals IMO.

[Ethel mermania]

Whales and dolphins are way cool.

Have seen them many times. Within the last 10 years whale sitings have been increasing in the NYC area.

Last year in Atlantic city, we watched dolphins surfing. That was one of the coolest things I have seen.

[Archipel Sempi]

I'm going to talk something really sad about a specific whale.

The "52 hertz whale", you might have heard of it. This whale is the only one to sing in 52 hertz, so it is completely isolated from whale society. It cannot understand others, it speaks a whole different language.

[Kerwa]

Years ago when I was working in Charleston SC there was a restaurant where you sit on the balcony, eat dinner and watch dolphins swim in the creek. I would give that place a Michelin star just for atmos. alone, unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Not at all.

[Trollgaard]

Cetaceans are very neat! Their evolutionary history is very interesting. Some of the reconstructions of when they started the long road into into becoming what they are today are wild!

This thread reminds me I bought a book a year or two about this and haven't gotten around to reading it yet! I need to find where I put it.

[Lothria]

I've personally always been a fan of sperm whales. Tales of their battles with giant squid has always fascinated me. That, and this has always been a cool video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkBpummjR5I&ab_channel=EVNautilus

[Archipel Sempi]

the fact that no one ever talks about fin whales despite them being the 2nd biggest animal on earth and one of the biggest of all time is mind-boggling.

I forgot they even existed

[Floofybit]

I like Right Whales because they're like me: always right

[Cerespasia]

Can an adult Beluga Whale fit into a medium or large sized swimming pool?

[Archipel Sempi]

Can an adult Beluga Whale fit into a medium or large sized swimming pool?

Probably.

[Kubra]

Ah yes, the revolutionary proletariat

[Ethel mermania]

the fact that no one ever talks about fin whales despite them being the 2nd biggest animal on earth and one of the biggest of all time is mind-boggling.

I saw all fin whale off of long beach NY. You learn in school whales eat small fish, like herring or mehden, this guy was feeding on bluefish. I eat bluefish. Gives a sense of prospective on what is a small fish to whales

[Archipel Sempi]

Dolphins are fucking psychopaths

[Xshor]

do i really have to say it again

[Yellowgrass Creek]

Two months late but i have something to add to this.


One of the main reasons that people dislike dolphins (aside from wanting to go against an almost none existent mainstream culture) is because they are "grapists". I find this to be very flawed, Mating without the consent of one party takes place in thousands, if not millions of species. Almost all birds, hundreds of fish, hundreds of insects, many mammals, etc. Infact, it's been observed that similar hypersexual behaviors are more common in domesticated animals than wild ones due to aggression being replaced often with the want to reproduce (though that may not be true i'm not sure) Either way holding animals at all to human standards just seems flaws. If you held every animal to human standards, i think basically all animals would go to hell. Humans are also in no room to judge such topics.

[Yellowgrass Creek]

Also hourglass dolphins are really cool

[Xshor]

Mating without the consent of one party takes place in thousands, if not millions of species. Almost all birds, hundreds of fish, hundreds of insects, many mammals, etc

this isnt quite true in all fairness. forceful mating is somewhat notably more common among mammals than other vertebrates - birds in particular actually tend to have fairly solid establishing of consent prior to mating, with a handful of exceptions such as ducks. this is largely influenced by different forms of mating competition, as species in which males directly compete with one another for access to a group of females will frequently have the males subsequently forcing themselves onto said females at will, whereas species in which males engage in ritualised courtship towards females rely on said females choosing them in order to successfully mate. mammals often tend towards the former, other tetrapods and especially birds as well as many invertebrates tend towards some form of the latter. this isnt a comprehensive overview of course, and many animals' reproductive behaviours don't fit anywhere in this dichotomy, but i do feel like its potentially worth noting that many wild animals do engage in mutually consensual rather than unilaterally forced mating

i do of course agree with the overall point of what youre saying, i just wanted to be a pedant