Discover more about the world’s biggest mammals
海中巨人：鯨 , 一同來探索更多全球最大型哺乳 類動物的奧祕
"There she blows!"
That famous line from Herman Melville's famous 1851 novel, Moby Dick, evokes images of Captain Ahab and his sailors on their search for the great white whale. Today people still go in search of the great whales, hoping for a glimpse of them in their natural habitat.
A mystery
These giant marine mammals have always fascinated humans because of their enormous size as well as their mysterious ways.
The sperm whale, for example, is an elusive creature that lives in remote waters and has rarely been tagged with long-distance tracking devices by researchers. For that reason, not much is known about these whales. Researchers have discovered that sperm whales are the largest toothed animal, reaching 18 meters, and that they have the largest brain of any animal. It is believed that while foraging they can dive to a depth of 3200 meters and stay under water for at least 90 minutes.
Squid is their favorite food, and sperm whales have been known to fight fierce battles with giant squid. Battle scars in the form of permanent squid sucker marks provide evidence of deep-sea battles.
Blue whales
Blue whales are the largest animal in the world, many weighing up to 180,000 kilograms and reaching lengths of over 30 meters. They are long and slender with a bluish-gray color and a heart that weights as much as a small car.
These sea giants are baleen whales, meaning they have a comb-like ridge on the top and bottom of their mouths where teeth are normally found. These whales take in water as they swim, and the baleen, equipped with bristles, filters the water and catches small ocean creatures called krill. These whales eat around 40 million krill per day, totaling over 3,600 kilograms.
Blue whales once numbered in the hundreds of thousands, but over-hunting has nearly driven them to extinction; today it is believed that only a few thousand remain.
Gray whales
Gray whales are another kind of baleen whale. They typically swim along the ocean bottom, using their mouths to suck up mud and their baleen to filter their prey.
With heads usually covered in barnacles gray whales are easy to recognize and not shy, often swimming alongside boats and watching the people aboard.
Orcas
These stylish black and white mammals are probably the most easily identifiable whales in the sea. Also called "Killer whales" because of their aggressive predatory style, orcas prey on seals, sharks and even other whales. Orcas often travel, live and hunt in groups called "pods," which are somewhat similar to a pack of wolves. Killer whales can be found in every ocean around the world and have no natural predator except humans.
Whale-watching locations
Here are some of the best places to catch sight of these giant mammals:
Canada
Some of the world's best whale-watching can be done in British Columbia. Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, Canada. Orcas, gray whales, blue whales, sperm whales and others can all be spotted from May through October.
Hawaii
Another great location is Hawaii, where more than 6,000 humpback whales migrate to the islands' warm waters to mate and give birth. Whale-watching season runs from November through early May.
Alaska
With a season that begins in April and almost never ends, you'll spot orcas, minke and gray whales.
Other places like Mexico, Iceland, Britain, Norway and the Arctic will also afford you once-in-a-lifetime views of these astonishing creatures of the sea.
Grammar Gym:
.....while foraging they can dive to a depth of 3200 meters...
"While + verb(1) -ing, subject + verb(2).
While shopping for grocery, Betsy looks for discounts.
While cleaning the house, Sam keeps his TV on.
Vocabulary Tips:
evoke -bring it out, bring it out of someone, bring it out to your mind, memory of childhood....引起，挑起，唤起，使想起。
*The music and decorations of the cafe' evoke a feeling of the 70s.
*The smell of apple pie evokes fond memories of time spent with my grandparents.
elusive -very difficult to catch or to find it.难以捉摸的，神出鬼没的。
*This rare and elusive species of bird is sold at a very high price.
*The novelist is elusive and can only be contacted by email.
forage - seeking food.觅食。
*A brown bear was discovered foraging in the backyard of a residence.
forage - seeking.搜寻，寻找。
*The homeless children foraged for scraps of food on the streets.
scar (v), (n) - something stay on skin after healed from wound.伤疤，伤痕。疤痕。
*The car accident left him with a large scar on his forehead.
scarred -。疤痕，留下伤痕的
*Nick's face was scarred by a piece of glass.
ridge - the edge of something, the top of the mountain. the door edge that easy to tape people to fall.崇起的部分，山脊。
*Trying to fix the antenna, Dad sat on the ridge of the root.
*The mountaineers finally reached the mountain ridge at 4 p.m.
filter (v) -screen out.过滤，滤除。
*The water in the pool was filtered before it was recycled.
*All the boss' emails are filtered by his secretary.
filter (n)-过滤器，（过）滤网。
*The AC filter needs to be cleaned periodically.
prey -a target food that animal searches and catch. 掠物。动物捕食的 掠物。
*Spiders catch their prey with their elaborate webs.
*An eagle is hovering above looking for its prey.
prey - a target for fishing. 作为伤害或愚弄的对象。
*Many burglars or robbers see old people as easy prey.
alongside -beside of something. 并排，沿着。。。，
*I rode my bike alongside my brother's 并排
*Many tourists strolled alongside the River Seine.沿着。。。
alongside - with someone together.和某对象一起。
*Jessie has been working alongside Jeff ten years. 和。。一起工作了十年。
enormous - very big, huge.
believe - something you are not 100 percent sure.
mammal - female animals can produce milk.
habitat - where animal lives.
take in something (by or from your eyes, mind, mouth or nose).
bristle (n)-刚毛，猪鬃，植物的刺毛。(vi) 发怒，林立，毛发竖立。
bristled (adj) - 有刚毛的，多刺毛的，倒立的，竖立的。
drive to -cause. drive me to anger; the car break down all the time drive me to buy a new one.
predatory -hunt fro prey. 掠食性的，肉食性的。
*Many predatory mammals have sharp teeth and strong jaws.
predator -An animal that need to eat other animals and hunt animals for food.掠食者。
*Antelopes run extremely fast so they can escape from their predators.
wolf (n) - wolves.狼
*You can hear wolves crying during the night.
wolfed (adj) -狼吞虎咽。
*My son's soccer-team friends wolfed down eight large pizzas after the game.
migrate -move from one place to another. 迁移，迁徙 'migra' -“漂泊”之意。
*Canadian Geese migrate between Canada and United States.加拿大的飞雁。。
migrating /migration (n) -迁移，迁徙
*The massive migration of farmers to cities has caused a lot of social problems. 大量的农夫迁移到。。。
astonishing -惊人的，令人惊讶，讶异的。
*The circus performance is astonishing. ( astonishing performance)
astonish (adj) -使人惊讶的，令人惊心的。
*The couple's sudden breakup astonished many of their friends.
have no natural predator except human - No predator hunt Orcas for food except human.
catch sight of something - to spot of something, see, enjoy and share a short of moment.
run from ....through.....- start at the certain date, continue a period of time and end at a certain date.
prey on animal- seek for food on animals, not people.
Language Tips:
rule-规则。
guidelines -规则，大方向。
double negative -双重否定法，在英文中不建议多用，是比较粗俗的英文，但运用的当，更显得特别。同样的，英文中有个规则，一段中要有五个句子。但是本文作者并未如此作，是因为英文是活的，太拘泥于形式，规则，会令文章显得呆板，挥洒不开，了无新意。
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baleen whales - 鬚鲸。鲸的一种。baleen (n) -鲸鬚
fine-tooth comb -齿牙很密的梳子，古时人用来移除头发上，头虱的卵子。
“go over something with a fine-tooth comb”.彻底的，仔细地检查，寻找。。如编辑仔细校对文稿。
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beached - 搁浅在沙滩上的。
beach -沙滩，海滩。
a beached whale -被搁浅在沙滩上的鯨鱼。
I feel like a beached whale -被搁浅在沙滩上的鯨鱼，（是鯨鱼最不喜欢的事）如果一个人‘在进退维谷，动弹不得的窘境，就可以说“I feel like a beached whale”。
whale (adj) - huge, very big.
a whale of something. - very big of something/very good of something.
There's a big difference. -很大的不同。= There is a whale of difference. (口语 )
There is a whale of problem. -很大的问题
whale - very good. 很棒，很好。
a whale of something - very big of something/very good of something。
you did a whale of a job.-表现的很棒。
I had a whale of a time.超开心的。很愉悦的时光。
Taking notes of StudioClassroom
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