real whale wars!
Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
101–110 of 134 posts
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#102[deleted]
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#103Humpbacks are amazing animals. I live in southeast Alaska, and humpbacks pass through here every spring and fall. They spend their winters in Hawaii where they mate, and they come back here to feed in the spring and summer. When they first arrive in the spring you can see their vertebrae as they arch their back for a dive. After eating all summer, you can see how much they've filled out by the time they pass through…
Worth noting that whale watching tours are considered harmful by some studies: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14107381
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#104Humpbacks are amazing animals. I live in southeast Alaska, and humpbacks pass through here every spring and fall. They spend their winters in Hawaii where they mate, and they come back here to feed in the spring and summer. When they first arrive in the spring you can see their vertebrae as they arch their back for a dive. After eating all summer, you can see how much they've filled out by the time they pass through…
I just went to Alaska. It was my first time and I couldn't believe the amazing beauty I've seen. I would love to go back. You mentioned kayaking, any suggestions on where to go?
A 2 hour drive south of Anchorage is Seward, where there are several kayaking companies which will take you out into Resurrection Bay. People often see a variety of wildlife on these excursions, such as humpbacks, orcas, sea lions, jellyfish, etc. A cool kayaking trip from Seward is to Caines Head recreation area, where you can hike through boreal forest up to an old abandoned World War 2 fort with beautiful views of the bay. Homer is about 3 hours south of Anchorage and is also a good place for sea kayaking.
I personally have more experience with packrafting, which I highly recommend. High quality lightweight packrafts can easily be carried on/in a day pack. A recent packrafting trip I did: drive 1 hour south of Anchorage to Portage railroad stop, take the train 20 minutes south to the Spencer Glacier stop, paddle around the lagoon adjacent to the glacier (don't get too close, it calves frequently and can be quite dangerous), then paddle all the way back to the car on the Placer River (not a technical river)... about 8 hours total trip time.
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#105If I may play Devil's advocate here - it is very easy to anthropomorphize animal behaviour. There are numerous examples in the animal kingdom of animals protecting and even rearing animals from other species. This could be down to genetics and learned behaviour and nothing to do with altruism, or other noble sentiments. Part of me says it is highly unlikely that Humpback whales have a vendetta against killer whales a…
Anthropomorphism is anthropomorphic. We are animals, mammals. Whales are also mammal animals. To attribute our behaviours as something solely human is ridiculous hubris and a vestige of hundreds of years of scientific ignorance.
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seems like this point of view is unassailable because for every example that, in regular understanding, would be selfless behaviour, the definition of self-interest is stretched to encompass it. - Anonymous philanthropy => feelings of self worth - Low reward public service (Mother Theresa) => fame and influence - Parents sacrificing personal good for kids => some kind of evolutionary advantage - Falling on a grena…
I agree. I wonder if a better strategy would be to amend the definition of altruism to include doing something for someone else because it makes you feel good. Surely most would agree that "it makes me feel good to help someone" vs "I financially gained from helping someone" are not the same type of "selfishness" (excluding the genetic reductionist explanations).
This leads to more questions, among them: why does it make me feel good?
Why doesn't it make me feel bored, sleepy, nauseous, repulsed, angry, etc. ?
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#107If I may play Devil's advocate here - it is very easy to anthropomorphize animal behaviour. There are numerous examples in the animal kingdom of animals protecting and even rearing animals from other species. This could be down to genetics and learned behaviour and nothing to do with altruism, or other noble sentiments. Part of me says it is highly unlikely that Humpback whales have a vendetta against killer whales a…
> ... the policeman of the oceans
i thought it was Aquaman. the dolphins are his deputies.
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#108On a similar note: last week i observed a group of seagulls relentlessly attacking a phantom quadcopter that was flying over their territory. The quad clearly wasn't trying to eat their offspring so it could be that the whales are just asserting their territorial rights..
asserting their rights by allowing a hunted seal to rest on its belly and helping it remain there by using its fins? Did you read the article before commenting?
He could mean asserting its rights by not allowing other animals to hunt in its territory. I don't know if that is common behavior among animals though.
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#109It's interesting that we have such a hard time accepting the emotion of altruism both in humans and animals. The author of the articles states: "could just be revenge". Revenge is in many ways more senseless then altruism for evolutionary purposes (unless you directly attack killer whales that threaten you, but one could argue that that's a form of self-defence), but from our ego perspective it feels more intuitive,…
I don't deny that altruism exists, but to me it's just another form of egoism. Nobody can convince me that they have ever done anything for ANY other reason than because of the belief that it will be good for them or that they'll get some sort of kick out of it. Not Mother Theresa, not anyone, ever. Because it's not possible. If you don't put your own interests first, you have nothing to give to others anyway. Moreov…
Joey is that you ?
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&e...
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#110On a similar note: last week i observed a group of seagulls relentlessly attacking a phantom quadcopter that was flying over their territory. The quad clearly wasn't trying to eat their offspring so it could be that the whales are just asserting their territorial rights..
on many occasions, i've seen a dog mistake an empty plastic bag, pushed down the street by a breeze, for a dangerous threat to its existence.
could seagulls have been making a similar mistake?