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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

What You Might See While Whale Watching In Boston

By Megan Edwards


Whales are one of the few large mammals that are not regularly kept in zoos or aquaria, with the exceptions of a few of the smaller species. This means that many people go their entire lives never setting eyes on one, personally. Whale watching Boston offers a chance to remedy this sad fact. whale watching Boston

In the Atlantic ocean on the eastern US coast, there are many different species of whales. However, some do not spend much time near the surface, or close enough to the shore to be seen. This means that there is a predictable set of species that can be seen on most cruises, with the occasional surprise animal popping in.

The most common sightings are of humpback whales. These animals seem to be unafraid of boats and people, and will come right up to see what is going on. Migratory animals are on their way north or south, and generally pass through the area during the same time each year. Animals may be identified by the patterns if they come through the area on a regular basis.

As an endangered animal, humpbacks number about 8 percent of what their population was before they were sought for meat, oil, and bone in the 18 and 1900's. They have longer fins than any other baleen whale for their size, and they filter-feed most on fish. They are most famous for their songs, which the males sing to impress females during the breeding season.

There are other whales seen regularly on the Atlantic coast, too. Two relatives of the humpback, who are also baleen whales, are the fin and minke whales. Both are seen relatively regularly on cruises. Minkes are small whales that eat mostly fish, while fin whales are the second largest mammal on the earth, and filter-feed mostly on zooplankton.

On your whale watching Boston excursion, you may also see dolphins. The Atlantic white-sided dolphins that are native to the area are often seen in groups called pods, which are made up of families. Sometimes, huge groups with numbers in the thousands gather for feeding or breeding.




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