The Sea of Cortez, Baja California Sur
Her baby weighed about 8000 pounds at birth. That’s four tons! It seems impossible, but 8000 pounds is not really very much when you consider that the mother herself probably weighed 180,000 pounds or more. The happy event took place one to three months ago, probably somewhere off the coast of Costa Rica. Now they were here with us in the rich waters of Mexico.
Most authorities agree that the blue whale is the largest animal ever to live on planet Earth. Some of the dinosaurs were undoubtedly massive, but the bones to support huge bodies on land, and the muscles to move them, simply could not outstrip gravity. The buoyancy of water has been the key to the success of the huge cetaceans. Prehistoric mammals, most likely from among the ungulate group, moved into the oceans. With genetic mutations and environmental adaptations taking place over thousands of generations, these opportunists eventually gave us the great whales of today. Among the changes that occurred were the migration of the nostrils to the top of the head, loss of the hind limbs, modification of the forelimbs into pectoral flippers, and development of a muscular caudal peduncle (the tail stock) and broad, boneless flukes. The flukes, powered by massive muscle bundles, have replaced the legs as the propulsion system.
The baby has grown rapidly in the few months since birth. It is now strong and full of spirit. As we watched from our ship, the mother surfaced from a deep feeding dive to collect her youngster. The little one appeared to have joined briefly with another adult that was moving past. Was it confused, lonely or simply curious? Without warning, the mother suddenly lunged out of the water in a near “breach”. The baby, now in front of her, quickly duplicated the move as shown here. Blue whales are not really known to breach, so we had witnessed a truly rare event.
Even after yesterday’s emotional encounters with gray whales, today produced yet more unforgettable images. At least 17 blue whales were feeding around the islands on the western side of the Sea. Their early morning blows, powerful and tall, could be seen and heard across the still water. Also encountered were humpback, fin and Bryde’s whales and bottlenose dolphins, the latter shining crystal clear as they rode our bow wave. The true diamond in the necklace of islands that make up the important biosphere reserve of Baja California is Isla Santa Catalina. For some reason its granitic sands and soils are rich. We snorkeled its shores in the early afternoon before landing for walks through a truly lush desert scene. Heavy rains of a month ago had set off an explosion of growth. Flowering plants that may bloom only once every few years were in full colour. The stately cardons and the endemic giant barrel cacti were verdant. Casual walks and even an energetic hike to the top of an arroyo to overlook the calm ocean left us proud and smiling. But we were still curious. There are many more mysteries to solve and images to savor here in the Sonoran Desert.
Her baby weighed about 8000 pounds at birth. That’s four tons! It seems impossible, but 8000 pounds is not really very much when you consider that the mother herself probably weighed 180,000 pounds or more. The happy event took place one to three months ago, probably somewhere off the coast of Costa Rica. Now they were here with us in the rich waters of Mexico.
Most authorities agree that the blue whale is the largest animal ever to live on planet Earth. Some of the dinosaurs were undoubtedly massive, but the bones to support huge bodies on land, and the muscles to move them, simply could not outstrip gravity. The buoyancy of water has been the key to the success of the huge cetaceans. Prehistoric mammals, most likely from among the ungulate group, moved into the oceans. With genetic mutations and environmental adaptations taking place over thousands of generations, these opportunists eventually gave us the great whales of today. Among the changes that occurred were the migration of the nostrils to the top of the head, loss of the hind limbs, modification of the forelimbs into pectoral flippers, and development of a muscular caudal peduncle (the tail stock) and broad, boneless flukes. The flukes, powered by massive muscle bundles, have replaced the legs as the propulsion system.
The baby has grown rapidly in the few months since birth. It is now strong and full of spirit. As we watched from our ship, the mother surfaced from a deep feeding dive to collect her youngster. The little one appeared to have joined briefly with another adult that was moving past. Was it confused, lonely or simply curious? Without warning, the mother suddenly lunged out of the water in a near “breach”. The baby, now in front of her, quickly duplicated the move as shown here. Blue whales are not really known to breach, so we had witnessed a truly rare event.
Even after yesterday’s emotional encounters with gray whales, today produced yet more unforgettable images. At least 17 blue whales were feeding around the islands on the western side of the Sea. Their early morning blows, powerful and tall, could be seen and heard across the still water. Also encountered were humpback, fin and Bryde’s whales and bottlenose dolphins, the latter shining crystal clear as they rode our bow wave. The true diamond in the necklace of islands that make up the important biosphere reserve of Baja California is Isla Santa Catalina. For some reason its granitic sands and soils are rich. We snorkeled its shores in the early afternoon before landing for walks through a truly lush desert scene. Heavy rains of a month ago had set off an explosion of growth. Flowering plants that may bloom only once every few years were in full colour. The stately cardons and the endemic giant barrel cacti were verdant. Casual walks and even an energetic hike to the top of an arroyo to overlook the calm ocean left us proud and smiling. But we were still curious. There are many more mysteries to solve and images to savor here in the Sonoran Desert.
