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Whales off the Coast
of Maine
Whales are huge animals that look very much like fish.
However, whales are definitely not fish. They belong to the group
of animals called mammals. Dogs, monkeys, elephants,
and human beings are examples of other mammals. Mammals have highly
developed brains and are the most intelligent animals in the world.
One particular type of whale is the largest of all animals
on Earth. Others are only three to five meters long, still pretty
big for a sea creature. You will learn more about whales as you investigate
the selected sites.
Some common facts about whales are:
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A whale's tail is horizontal as opposed to the tail of a
fish which is vertical.
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Whales have lungs just like us and must surface to breathe.
Some whales can hold their breath for over an hour.
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Just as any other mammal, whales give birth to live young
.
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Baby whales nurse by drinking mother's milk produced by the
mother whale's body. Most fish, on the other hand, lay eggs and don't feed
their young.
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Whales, just like other mammals, are warm-blooded.
Their body temperatures remain about the same at all times. Fish
are cold-blooded. Their body temperatures are the same as the temperature
of the water they are in.
You will need to use the following sites to investigate and
learn about the many facets of whales, the products made from them, the
many types of whales that still exist, the men that hunt them (past and
present), and what is being done in order to insure the continued existence
of these animals.
Selected
sites:
The above sites are there to assist you in your investigation.
Many of the sites link to yet other sites. You will have to remember to
bookmark any sites that you find useful so that you can refer to them when
necessary.
Activity 1:
1. How long has man been involved in whale
hunting? Locate information about the earliest whale hunters.
What did they kill whales for? What parts of the world were involved?
(You may want to scan each site to see what they are about.) Trace
the history of whaling using a time line, outline, or series of short paragraphs.
Your team must make a visual aid large enough to be seen by the rest of
the class.
Other suggestions: You are not limited
to the above mentioned methods for documenting your work. You may do a
Power Point presentation or a video taped report/skit/interview about the
history of whaling. You decide on the method.
Back to selected sites
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Activity 2:
2. I bet that you did not know that African
Americans played a very important role in the whaling industry in this
country. As you explore the following site http://www.kwm.org/collections/exhibits/heroes/home.htm.
answer the questions below. Each member of the
team should answer some of the questions and be able to report to the class.There
are no other sites listed that deal with this subject. Feel free
to explore other sites that are relevant. Click on the images to
enlarge them.
Some subjects that you might want to explore:
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Who was Paul Cuffe? Why was he so important to the
whaling industry?
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Where did all of these African American whalers come from?
Where any of them from the USA?
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What were some of the duties of a whaler? What might
he be expected to do?
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What was done to a whale after it was caught? Make
sure you click on the links since they will give you more information.
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Besides Paul Cuffe, were there any other men that rose to
prominence in the whaling industry?
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How did whalers pass the time when not processing whales?
Describe some of the things they did especially SCRIMSHAW. Perhaps
you could provide a sample of your own by carving a bar of soap into a
whaling related item. Again, don't forget that Ms. Meredith(the art
teacher) is available to you for advice/assistance.
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What else did whalers do to while away the many hours in
which they were inactive?
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How did Lewis Temple's invention revolutionize the whaling
industry? Check out the selected bibliography about Lewis Temple
and the whaling industry. One of you might try to locate one or more
of these books on the public library shelves. Taking one out and
reporting on it will earn extra credit for yourself and for your team.
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What hardships did whaling voyages cause on those men that
had families? Were all of the men married? Did any of the women
go with them?
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What was Bequia? Why was it important? Check
out the bibliography link. Extra credit may be earned by locating
and reporting on any of the listed books.
Back to selected sites
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Activity 3:
Research the following topics with your team members:
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What are some products that have been made from whales?
You need to find some of the older uses and compare them with how they
are used today.
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What was the main product produced from whaling? What
did man replace it with? what effect did this have on the industry?
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What countries still hunt whales? Why? What products
are produced? Do we need whales to produce these things?
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What types of whales do these countries hunt and kill?
Why?
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How would you solve the whale hunting problem?
Back to selected sites
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Activity 4:
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How have whaling techniques changed
over the centuries? List all of the changes or improvements that
you can find. Document how these changes improved the whaling industry?
Create a model of any invention you find.(harpoon, types of boats etc...)
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Activity 5:
Search through the sites and list as many different types
of whales you can find. List them in some sort of order such as size,
weight, type etc...Make sure you list length, weight, physical characteristics,
and what each was used for. By physical characteristics I mean things
such as what makes a blue whale different from an Orca etc.
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Where are these whales found?
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How many of each type are left? How old is your information?
Why is it important to know the date of your information?
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Were you suprised about some of the animals classified as
whales?
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What is the scientific name for whales?
You must present this information to the class. Charts,
diagrams, posters are acceptable. If you can think of more creative
ways of presenting the information please do so.
Back to selected sites
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Activity 6:
Recently we read and discussed the
Bay of Fundy and the coast of Maine. One of the many activities that
people have gotten involved in is whale watching.
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Just what is whale watching?
What is involved?
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What sort of whales can be seen off
the coast of Maine and in/near the Bay of Fundy?
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What are the largest whales spotted?
Which are the smallest?
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What type of whale is most commonly
seen?
EXTRA CREDIT:
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What comes out of the whale's body when he surfaces?
If you say water you are only partially correct.
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What is the correct name for the hole that he breathes through?
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