• The Minke Whale
• The Humpback Whale
• The Narwhale
• The Killer Whale
• The Fin Whale
• The Sperm Whale
Humpback Whale in Ammassalik Fjord
The Minke whale
Very common, and easy to get close to as the Minke is quite curious.
A slim medium sized baleen whale with pointed head, and a relatively high and curved fin. The tail is broad and can be up to ¼ of the whale’s entire length. A fast swimmer. Gives only a small spout. Adults are between 6, 75 meters and 10 meters and weigh 5 – 10 ton. A the age of 6- 8 year the Minke becomes sexually mature. One calf is born every year or every second year. When born the calf is 2.5 meter and weigh in average 350 kilogram.
The Minks can stay under the surface up to 20 minutes, but they are not expected to dive deeper than 50 meters.
In the summertime the Minke is present in the Arctic seas in large number. In wintertime they move to more southern seas.
Normally the Minke Whale stays in small groups of 2 – 4 animals. When seeking food they may occur in larger groups.
Food: Capelin, and small crayfish.
Humpback whale
Also very common, and easy to get close to. Measures 14 - 18 metres and weigh 25 - 30 tons. The Humpback is a baleen whale with a humpy dorsal fin. White flippers extending up to 1/3 of the body's length. Raises its tail when diving. The tail has a distinctly serrated rear edge. Every whale's tail is different, and the patterns can vary from completely white to completely black. Individual whales can be identified by studying the tail pattern.
The humpback whale's spout is bushy, up to 3 metres high and directed slightly forward. It blows 4-10 times before diving.
Humpback whales generally travel in small groups of 2-15. These groups are not permanent, but may stay together for several weeks and as long as a few months.
The humpback is the acrobat among large whales. Whales of all ages fling themselves out of the water and flap their tails and fins. It is not known why they do this, but it could be to communicate, to express excitement, or simply to play.
Humpbacks are also known for their singing, though, in fact, it is only the males that sing. Each population has its own distinct song, which changes over time. They sing mostly during mating season.
Their singing is probably used as a mating call, communication and for location by other whales.
Females probably start bearing calves at 6 years of age.
Food: Schooling fish, cephalopods and krill
Narwhal A small whale. Measures 4 - 5 metres, and weigh from 800 kilogram to 1.6 ton. The narwhal is a "toothed whale" and a relative to the sperm whale, pilot whales and dolphins and porpoises. It is unusual among the whales, as it has no dorsal fin, and its neck vertebrae, instead of being fused together, are joined like those of land mammals. The dorsal fin may have been lost because it was a hindrance under the ice. It has small rounded, up-curved flippers. Narwhals have blunt heads and small mouths. Narwhals have no functional teeth. Two elongated teeth develop in the upper jaw, but they point forwards, not down into the mouth. In females, both usually remain embedded in pockets in the maxillary bone and grow no longer than 15 cm or so, but in males and very few females, the left one erupts through the lip and develops as a straight, spiral tapered tusk, with a left-hand twist, 2.0 - 2.8 m long. It is still uncertain whether the tusk is more to the male narwhal than an advertisement of mature sexuality. Many theories has been launched: It has been suggested that the narwhal uses it for spearing fish, stirring up the bottom, breaking ice, as a wave guide for its underwater vocalizations and even for popping itself on an ice flows to go to sleep…well, nobody really knows.
The Narwhal travel in pods containing between 15 – 35 animals.
Females probably start bearing calves at 6 - 8 years of age.
Food: Fish, squid and shrimps
Killer whale
Not so common as the Minke and Humpback, but still widely spread along the East Coast. They tend to rove, so you would be lucky to see a pod.
The killer whale is a medium-size toothed whale. Measures 4 – 10 metres and weigh 2.6 – 9 ton. They often travel in pods of 10-50.
Killer whales hunt in packs. They have developed a whole series of specialised hunting techniques, enabling them to attack even large whales. Using sound, killer whales can concentrate a shoal of fish, making them easier to catch. Their characteristic dorsal fin can be up to 1.8 metres high. Killer whales are one of the fastest whales, with top speeds of up to 60 km/h.
Food: Fish, squid, seals, porpoises, dolphins, sea birds and whales
Fin whale
The second largest animal ever to have live on the planet. Fin whales are found in all oceans of the world.
The fin whale is long, sleek, and streamlined, with a V-shaped head which is flat on top. A single ridge extends from the blowhole to the tip of the rostrum (upper jaw). The fin whale is light grey to brownish-black on its back and sides. The underside of its body, flippers, and fluke are white.
The fin whale has a prominent, slightly curved dorsal fin located far back on its body. Its flippers are small and tapered.
Adult males in the Arctic measure up to 24 metres Females are slightly larger than males. Weight for both sexes is between 50-70 tons.
Adult males reach sexual maturity at about 6-10 years of age, and calves are believed to be born at 3-4 year intervals. Length at birth is 5.5 -6.5 m and weight is 2 tons.
Fin whales are found most often alone, but groups of 3-7 individuals are common, and association of larger numbers or concentrations may occur in some areas at times.
Food: Fin whales feed mainly on small shrimp-like creatures called krill or euphausiids and schooling fish.
The Sperm Whale
The head of the sperm whale is blunt and squared off, and has a small, under slung jaw. The sperm whale's head houses a large reservoir containing spermaceti, clear liquid oil that hardens to a waxlike consistency when cold, and was for many years prized by whalers. The head is also large, and makes up to 1/3 the total body length and more than 1/3 of its mass.
A single blowhole is located forward on the left side of the head, and the blow, which is bushy, is projected forward rather than straight up as it is with other whales. The sperm whale has a squat dorsal fin, followed by knuckles along the spine. Its flippers are small and slightly tapered, while its flukes are broad, measuring as much as 5 metres from tip to tip.
Adult males reach lengths of 15 -18 metres and weigh up to 35-45 tons. Adult females are much smaller, growing to about 11 metres and a maximum weight of 13-14 tons.
Males reach sexual maturity approximately at the age of 10 years, but do not seem to take an actual part in breeding until their late 20's. Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 7-13 years. Newborn calves weigh approximately 1 ton and are 3.4 - 4.9 metres long. The mature males only attend female groups a few hours at a time. These female groups (family groups) consist typically of 10-20 animals. Within these groups there appears to be communal care for the young.
The sperm whale is the deepest diver of the great whales and can descend to depths of over 3,300 1000 metres and stay submerged for over an hour. Average dives are 20-50 minutes long to a depth of 300 -600 metres.
Sperm whales communicate using "morse-code" like patterns of clicks called codas. There is also a theory that sperm whales may stun their prey with a burst of sound.
.jpg)
