Whale Watching : Whale Watching Australian Whale Watching
Maggi Carstairs
http://activeenglishspeaking.com 1 http://activeenglishspeaking.com
Whale Watching : Whale Watching Australia is fortunate to have many sites around our coastline
that are ideal for whale and dolphin watching.
Whale and dolphin watching is a growing
industry in Australia and as of 2003 was estimated
to be worth close to $300 million* a year to the Australian economy.
During the past five years the industry has grown by 15 per cent
per year. 2 http://activeenglishspeaking.com
Whale Watching Sites : Whale Watching Sites There are numerous whale and dolphin watching operations
around Australia that offer excellent opportunities
to see animals in the wild. There are also many
land-based sites where whales and dolphins
come within meters of the coastline.
Land-based whale and dolphin watching is an
inexpensive way of seeing these magnificent
animals in their natural environments. 3 http://activeenglishspeaking.com
Whale Watching Hervey Bay : Whale Watching Hervey Bay http://activeenglishspeaking.com 4 Hervey Bay is known as the whale watch capital of the world.
Here the whale's don't just pass,
they enter the bay and stay for a
couple of days to rest and play. Come to Hervey Bay
and enjoy these magnificent creatures yourself
using one of the Hervey Bay whale watching vessels.
Departing Fraser Island also.
Tours to see the whales : Tours to see the whales http://activeenglishspeaking.com 5 View the whales live through our underwater camera.
If you miss the underwater action,
you can always view it on the way home.
You can also experience the
live whale song that is amplified through the
vessels P.A. system as the whales
are beside and beneath the vessel.
This is all possible with state
of the art hydro phone equipment.
Humpback Whales : Humpback Whales http://activeenglishspeaking.com 6 Humpback Whales belong to the group of whales
known as rorquals, a group that includes the Blue Whale,
Fin Whale, Bryde's Whale, Sei Whale, and Minke Whale.
Rorquals have two characteristics in common: dorsal
fins on their backs, and ventral pleats running for the tip
of the lower jaw to the navel area. They are characterised
by the possession of baleen plates for sieving the krill upon
which they feed. Humpback Whales are regular visitors to
the coastal waters off southern Queensland.
Each year, during winter, humpback whales migrate from
Antarctic waters, pass through South Island New Zealand ,
to the warm waters of the tropics for calving.
Humpback Whale Facts : Humpback Whale Facts http://activeenglishspeaking.com 7 The humpback whale takes its name from the habit of breaking the water surface
with a large area of its back when diving.
Approximately 3,000 Humpback whales will migrate this season between Antarctica
and the Great Barrier Reef
Humpbacks are still the third most endangered species of all the big whales,
but now their numbers are increasing 13% each year.
They are the fifth largest animal on this planet, growing up to 15 metres in
length with a weight of up to 45,000kg (99,000lbs) - equivalent to 11 elephants or
600 persons each!
Humpbacks are the most acrobatic of all of the great whales
The species displays a wide variety of leaping, rolling and breaching movements which
provide fascinating viewing for whale watchers.
The humpback whale is also well known for its complex underwater vocalisations or
whale songs particularly during breeding.
Adult whales have been seen to breach 20 - 30 times within 5 minutes, displaying
awesome grace and power.
Whales are mammals : Whales are mammals http://activeenglishspeaking.com 8 Although they have the general shape of a fish, Humpback Whales are mammals.
They are warm blooded, breath air and bear live young and nurse them with milk.
The humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae is aptly named from the Greek megas
meaning great and pteron, a wing, because of its huge wing like flippers.
The pectoral fins of the Humpback Whale are up to 5 metres (15 feet) in length,
one third of the animals total length.
Endangered Species : Endangered Species http://activeenglishspeaking.com 9 They are the third most endangered whale species in the world,
after the bowhead and right whales and are totally protected.They grow up to 15m (50 feet) long and can weigh up to 45,000kg
(99,000lbs) - equivalent to 11 elephants or 600 persons each.
Color and Shape : Color and Shape http://activeenglishspeaking.com 10 Color is generally blackish with a white area covering
the throat grooves.
They have up to 22 throat grooves
running along the belly from the chin to the navel.
The flippers are almost pure white
below and mottled black and white above.
Underside of the Whale : Underside of the Whale http://activeenglishspeaking.com 11 The underside of the tail flukes is marked with a
variable pattern of white, making each whale
recognizable at the surface as it throws
its tail into the air before sounding.
Knobby Head : Knobby Head http://activeenglishspeaking.com 12 A series of knobby protuberances on the head,
jaws and flippers often have large barnacles
growing on their summits.
Each bump has a long coarse hair growing
from its centre.
These are believed
to act as sensors.
Whale Migration Routes : Whale Migration Routes http://activeenglishspeaking.com 13
Whale Calving Sites Australia : Whale Calving Sites Australia http://activeenglishspeaking.com 14
Satellite Tracking Whales : Satellite Tracking Whales http://activeenglishspeaking.com 15
Whale behaviors : Whale behaviors http://activeenglishspeaking.com 16 http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/baby-whales-first-breath-the-treat-of-a-lifetime-20090723-dujt.html
http://activeenglishspeaking.com : http://activeenglishspeaking.com http://activeenglishspeaking.com 17 A Content based English lesson by Maggi Carstairs http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladymaggic/sets/72157621952989541/
Whale watching Photos Hervey Bay