First of all, I'm surprised that the whale was 130 years old. It makes it even more surprising that it survived that long with a harpoon stuck in its shoulder, especially one that exploded soon after it stuck in the whale. As Mr. Bockstoce says towards the end of the article, it obviously couldn't have bothered the whale that much, since it survived for another good hundred years. It is really too bad that the Alaskan whalers killed it recently, because it could have probably survived longer.
If this whale was 130 years old, there are most likely more whales this old or even older than this. I hope that these endangered whales keep on surviving, because they have set a record and should be recognized and preserved for as long as they naturally live.
When I first read this article, I was surprised to learn that a whale could live this long, and that the bowhead whale is the oldest living mammal on Earth. I have mixed feelings about the whale's death. First if the whale had lived, it might have survived for many more years, possibly even reaching the age of 200. On the other hand this whale's death has possibly led us to a better understanding of how long these creatures can live. To me it is surprising that the whale could have lived after the harpoon blew up inside its body. It’s really fortunate for both the whale and us that the harpoon hit the whale in a nonlethal spot and that it stayed lodged in its body so we would have some kind of time marker to help measure the lifespan of the animal. This article also shows that we really need to do a better job of studying the world around us. You would think we would know simple things like how how long other mammals live, but sadly we don't. Sometimes we need to kill the animals to find that that out.
I think that this is an intriguing article. It is amazing that the whale could survive so long. I don't understand why these whales live so much longer than us humans do. Today, humans are far more progressed in many technologies than whales, so how does the whale survive so long? In the article, it is suggested that bowhead whales have adapted to survive in their environment better. For example, they have lower metabolism, which helps them to live longer in the cold climates they dwell in. However, humans in California don't need lower metabolism to keep warm, and we still don't live as long as them. Also, it was lucky that the whale was hit in that particular spot. With 1 foot of blubber, I wonder if the harpoon really did much damage at all. One thing that puzzled me in this article was how the bowhead whale was endangered if they lived so long and had only two predators-humans and orca whales. I concluded that this must be because the mothers only have one baby every so often. When I researched on this subject, I discovered that this type of whale has a baby only every 3 or 4 years. On the other hand, humans can have a baby within a year of another one. I expect they only have one because babies are born as 6 pounds and therefore would consume a lot of energy. However, this still confuses me. A female that lives up to 200 years could have 50 babies. Perhaps they don't always have a baby, like humans, or maybe a large percentage of their babies get killed. Anyhow, I thought this was a great article. It really helped me to recognize some of the amazing animals of this world.
I think that it is amazing that a mammal can live for 130 years after being shot by harpoons many times. Some of the harpoons exploded and the whale was a little hurt. I wonder if the whale suffered any infections after it was shot by the harpoons, and if it did get infected why did it live a long life?
I'm really surprised that something living can live up to 200 years. In this whale what helps it live up to 200 years. I always though that the oldest thing that could live was a human that lived to 113. I agree with Jake that it is really a shame that whalers hunt these animals down because they are truly amazing animals.
I agree with jake f. because it interesting that and any creature can survive that long. Since the whale's blubber protected it it survived 100 years instead of dying on the spot. It is sad that alaskan whalers killed it before it could live longer.
I am surprised (like everyone else) that this whale lived for so long with an explosive in its body! If you think about it, if the whale had no blubber then it would be pretty much the same as a human with a harpoon in the shoulder. But of course, the whale had blubber, so luckily it did not suffer. I am also very sad that these whales are being killed in Alaska because I have a soft spot for all animals.
After reading, I was curious about how bowhead whales got their name. I did some research and before long found results. Apparently, the name "Bowhead" comes from their lower jaw that looks like an archer's bow. Also, the scientific name, Balaena mysticetus, means "mustached whale". Bowhead whales are also called Greenland right whales.
Overall I enjoyed reading the article and my heart feels for the whales, the intriguing animals who are sadly still being killed today.
If you want to read more about bowheads, here is where I got my info:
We are mammals, whales are mammals. The oldest human, as mentioned in this article, was 122 years old. I think that a 130 year old whale isn't that surprising. There isn't much of a gap between 122 and 130. We, as humans, should be able to live to 130. If we have commonalities with whales, then why shouldn't they be able to live that long? The old age doesn't surprise me, it's more the global climate changes and harpoon bomb that surprise me.
I think it's pretty cool that the whale lived to be 130! I was surprised at how long whales live. I thought they lived to about 70 or 80 and that the tortoise was the longest living mammal (200). Then again, I now realize that is impossible because 1) tortoises are reptiles and 2) the bowhead whale is known to live the same amount of years. I feel sad that they killed the whale and super sad about them cutting it up with a chainsaw! I understand that nothing else would be strong enough to cut it, but a chainsaw? It seems a bit too...cruel. I think the importance of the knife was to show how old the whale was, not to show that it hurt or even annoyed it a bit. I disagree with Yvette. You don't have to kill something to find out how old it is. If the whale was washed up, they could have called some marine biologists to come and help it back into the ocean, after dislodging the knife. Maybe they could even have slipped a tag in it, so we could track it. They could take photos for proof as well as the knife. They could also run some tests on the knife like they do with bones to see how old it is. That way, they could discover the longest living mammal, save a poor, helpless whale's life, and get an artifact from the Victorian era. Who knows, maybe something similar to Moby Dick happened and we end up with a cool story. I think it would also be cruel to send an animal who has survived in the wild so long into captivity, like an aquarium. Sure, it would be good publisizing, but think of the animal. It has spent 130 YEARS living in frozen water, peaceful and alone. Who knows what would happen to it in captivity. In conclusion, I thought this was an interesting story, and I don't think it's quite over yet.
I think that it is amazing that this bowhead whale survived for so long after being hit by a harpoon. The harpoon in question was made around 1880, which was in Victorian times. This particular model of harpoon was soon replaced by a less bulky darting gun in the next few years. If this whale was actually killed, that would be very bad because there are between approximately 8,000 and 12,000 bowhead whales alive today. This makes them an endangered species.
I think that this article was really interesting. I did not know that a creature could live that long considering that a harpoon had exploded in its body. One thing I was wondering about was bacteria. It is harder for bacteria to survive in cold temperatures such as the Alaskan coast, so I was wondering if that had anything to do with the longevity of the lives of whales which are consistently longer than that of humans. Also, the article mentioned that six other harpoon points have been found in whales. Why were those not as publicized as this one is? Why did the article mention that this finding is the most precise finding if other harpoons have also been found? In response to Charlotte's comment, the article mentions that the whale was already dead when they cut it up with a chainsaw. I don't think they could have stopped its death and tagged it. However, I do not think they should have killed the animal in the first place. I think that another reason why this article is so interesting is because it makes us ask a question: Was it worth it to kill that bowhead for us to gain knowledge of the world, or should we have let it remain in the ocean?
I thought it was an unexpected. I would have thought that it would be a sea turtle, but not a whale. It was more than a whale however. It was a whale that had been attacked by arrows and harpoons. I wonder how and who attacked it. Perhaps an Alaskan tribe because it was found in Alaska. This is what I thought about the 130 year old whale.
Before I started reading this article, i thought that the whale probably just faked its death or looked dead. Then I read that it survived a shot out of a shoulder cannon AND the explosion after it made contact with the whales throat. Finally, I was amazed that, after the battle with the harpoon, it still could live be be the world's oldest mammal, which was about 17 years older than most other whales.
I always thought humanity was the living thing that typically survives the longest, so when I saw this I was absolutely shocked. I mean 130 years is from the Sacremento Gold Rush to the 80's! And also, this whale had a harpoon in its shoulder and it could survive! Agreeing with Jai, I don't think they should keep on killing whales for their meat. They have gone from Least Concern to Endangered. These animals set the record of the oldest species, so I think that we should definitely preserve them.
I always thought humanity was the living thing that typically survives the longest, so when I saw this I was absolutely shocked. I mean 130 years is from the Sacremento Gold Rush to the 80's! And also, this whale had a harpoon in its shoulder and it could survive! Agreeing with Jai, I don't think they should keep on killing whales for their meat. They have gone from Least Concern to Endangered. These animals set the record of the oldest species, so I think that we should definitely preserve them.
130 years old is one tough whale. I wasn't so shocked however when the harpoon was in his shoulder blade and he was still alive. Whales have a massive amount of blubber ant that can protect them. Also, the spear was from the 1800's and that looked like it was a hand thrown spear, so I am not so sure that the spear in the shoulder blade was really a big deal. But still, to be named the longest living mamal iis pretty cool. And for it to be a whale! One man lived 120 and I thought that was the longest living, but I was wrong about that. Overall, this article is amazing, and I would like to find out more about it.
After reading this article it really amazed me. It is so shocking how a whale could survive a harpoon attack and be livind still. 130 years is preety amazing for a whale to still being alive after being attacke. CLyde your articles are really good. I would rate this a 10.
18 comments:
First of all, I'm surprised that the whale was 130 years old. It makes it even more surprising that it survived that long with a harpoon stuck in its shoulder, especially one that exploded soon after it stuck in the whale. As Mr. Bockstoce says towards the end of the article, it obviously couldn't have bothered the whale that much, since it survived for another good hundred years. It is really too bad that the Alaskan whalers killed it recently, because it could have probably survived longer.
If this whale was 130 years old, there are most likely more whales this old or even older than this. I hope that these endangered whales keep on surviving, because they have set a record and should be recognized and preserved for as long as they naturally live.
When I first read this article, I was surprised to learn that a whale could live this long, and that the bowhead whale is the oldest living mammal on Earth. I have mixed feelings about the whale's death. First if the whale had lived, it might have survived for many more years, possibly even reaching the age of 200. On the other hand this whale's death has possibly led us to a better understanding of how long these creatures can live. To me it is surprising that the whale could have lived after the harpoon blew up inside its body. It’s really fortunate for both the whale and us that the harpoon hit the whale in a nonlethal spot and that it stayed lodged in its body so we would have some kind of time marker to help measure the lifespan of the animal. This article also shows that we really need to do a better job of studying the world around us. You would think we would know simple things like how how long other mammals live, but sadly we don't. Sometimes we need to kill the animals to find that that out.
I think that this is an intriguing article. It is amazing that the whale could survive so long. I don't understand why these whales live so much longer than us humans do. Today, humans are far more progressed in many technologies than whales, so how does the whale survive so long? In the article, it is suggested that bowhead whales have adapted to survive in their environment better. For example, they have lower metabolism, which helps them to live longer in the cold climates they dwell in. However, humans in California don't need lower metabolism to keep warm, and we still don't live as long as them. Also, it was lucky that the whale was hit in that particular spot. With 1 foot of blubber, I wonder if the harpoon really did much damage at all. One thing that puzzled me in this article was how the bowhead whale was endangered if they lived so long and had only two predators-humans and orca whales. I concluded that this must be because the mothers only have one baby every so often. When I researched on this subject, I discovered that this type of whale has a baby only every 3 or 4 years. On the other hand, humans can have a baby within a year of another one. I expect they only have one because babies are born as 6 pounds and therefore would consume a lot of energy. However, this still confuses me. A female that lives up to 200 years could have 50 babies. Perhaps they don't always have a baby, like humans, or maybe a large percentage of their babies get killed. Anyhow, I thought this was a great article. It really helped me to recognize some of the amazing animals of this world.
I think that it is amazing that a mammal can live for 130 years after being shot by harpoons many times. Some of the harpoons exploded and the whale was a little hurt. I wonder if the whale suffered any infections after it was shot by the harpoons, and if it did get infected why did it live a long life?
I'm really surprised that something living can live up to 200 years. In this whale what helps it live up to 200 years. I always though that the oldest thing that could live was a human that lived to 113. I agree with Jake that it is really a shame that whalers hunt these animals down because they are truly amazing animals.
I agree with jake f. because it interesting that and any creature can survive that long. Since the whale's blubber protected it it survived 100 years instead of dying on the spot. It is sad that alaskan whalers killed it before it could live longer.
I am surprised (like everyone else) that this whale lived for so long with an explosive in its body! If you think about it, if the whale had no blubber then it would be pretty much the same as a human with a harpoon in the shoulder. But of course, the whale had blubber, so luckily it did not suffer. I am also very sad that these whales are being killed in Alaska because I have a soft spot for all animals.
After reading, I was curious about how bowhead whales got their name. I did some research and before long found results. Apparently, the name "Bowhead" comes from their lower jaw that looks like an archer's bow. Also, the scientific name, Balaena mysticetus, means "mustached whale". Bowhead whales are also called Greenland right whales.
Overall I enjoyed reading the article and my heart feels for the whales, the intriguing animals who are sadly still being killed today.
If you want to read more about bowheads, here is where I got my info:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/education/kids_times_whale_bowhead.pdf
We are mammals, whales are mammals. The oldest human, as mentioned in this article, was 122 years old. I think that a 130 year old whale isn't that surprising. There isn't much of a gap between 122 and 130. We, as humans, should be able to live to 130. If we have commonalities with whales, then why shouldn't they be able to live that long? The old age doesn't surprise me, it's more the global climate changes and harpoon bomb that surprise me.
I think it's pretty cool that the whale lived to be 130! I was surprised at how long whales live. I thought they lived to about 70 or 80 and that the tortoise was the longest living mammal (200). Then again, I now realize that is impossible because 1) tortoises are reptiles and 2) the bowhead whale is known to live the same amount of years. I feel sad that they killed the whale and super sad about them cutting it up with a chainsaw! I understand that nothing else would be strong enough to cut it, but a chainsaw? It seems a bit too...cruel. I think the importance of the knife was to show how old the whale was, not to show that it hurt or even annoyed it a bit. I disagree with Yvette. You don't have to kill something to find out how old it is. If the whale was washed up, they could have called some marine biologists to come and help it back into the ocean, after dislodging the knife. Maybe they could even have slipped a tag in it, so we could track it. They could take photos for proof as well as the knife. They could also run some tests on the knife like they do with bones to see how old it is. That way, they could discover the longest living mammal, save a poor, helpless whale's life, and get an artifact from the Victorian era. Who knows, maybe something similar to Moby Dick happened and we end up with a cool story. I think it would also be cruel to send an animal who has survived in the wild so long into captivity, like an aquarium. Sure, it would be good publisizing, but think of the animal. It has spent 130 YEARS living in frozen water, peaceful and alone. Who knows what would happen to it in captivity. In conclusion, I thought this was an interesting story, and I don't think it's quite over yet.
I think that it is amazing that this bowhead whale survived for so long after being hit by a harpoon. The harpoon in question was made around 1880, which was in Victorian times. This particular model of harpoon was soon replaced by a less bulky darting gun in the next few years. If this whale was actually killed, that would be very bad because there are between approximately 8,000 and 12,000 bowhead whales alive today. This makes them an endangered species.
I think that this article was really interesting. I did not know that a creature could live that long considering that a harpoon had exploded in its body. One thing I was wondering about was bacteria. It is harder for bacteria to survive in cold temperatures such as the Alaskan coast, so I was wondering if that had anything to do with the longevity of the lives of whales which are consistently longer than that of humans. Also, the article mentioned that six other harpoon points have been found in whales. Why were those not as publicized as this one is? Why did the article mention that this finding is the most precise finding if other harpoons have also been found? In response to Charlotte's comment, the article mentions that the whale was already dead when they cut it up with a chainsaw. I don't think they could have stopped its death and tagged it. However, I do not think they should have killed the animal in the first place. I think that another reason why this article is so interesting is because it makes us ask a question: Was it worth it to kill that bowhead for us to gain knowledge of the world, or should we have let it remain in the ocean?
I thought it was an unexpected. I would have thought that it would be a sea turtle, but not a whale. It was more than a whale however. It was a whale that had been attacked by arrows and harpoons. I wonder how and who attacked it. Perhaps an Alaskan tribe because it was found in Alaska. This is what I thought about the 130 year old whale.
Before I started reading this article, i thought that the whale probably just faked its death or looked dead. Then I read that it survived a shot out of a shoulder cannon AND the explosion after it made contact with the whales throat. Finally, I was amazed that, after the battle with the harpoon, it still could live be be the world's oldest mammal, which was about 17 years older than most other whales.
I always thought humanity was the living thing that typically survives the longest, so when I saw this I was absolutely shocked. I mean 130 years is from the Sacremento Gold Rush to the 80's! And also, this whale had a harpoon in its shoulder and it could survive! Agreeing with Jai, I don't think they should keep on killing whales for their meat. They have gone from Least Concern to Endangered. These animals set the record of the oldest species, so I think that we should definitely preserve them.
I always thought humanity was the living thing that typically survives the longest, so when I saw this I was absolutely shocked. I mean 130 years is from the Sacremento Gold Rush to the 80's! And also, this whale had a harpoon in its shoulder and it could survive! Agreeing with Jai, I don't think they should keep on killing whales for their meat. They have gone from Least Concern to Endangered. These animals set the record of the oldest species, so I think that we should definitely preserve them.
Oops, sorry about the post twice. That was just a glitch or something.
130 years old is one tough whale. I wasn't so shocked however when the harpoon was in his shoulder blade and he was still alive. Whales have a massive amount of blubber ant that can protect them. Also, the spear was from the 1800's and that looked like it was a hand thrown spear, so I am not so sure that the spear in the shoulder blade was really a big deal. But still, to be named the longest living mamal iis pretty cool. And for it to be a whale! One man lived 120 and I thought that was the longest living, but I was wrong about that. Overall, this article is amazing, and I would like to find out more about it.
After reading this article it really amazed me. It is so shocking how a whale could survive a harpoon attack and be livind still. 130 years is preety amazing for a whale to still being alive after being attacke. CLyde your articles are really good. I would rate this a 10.
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