Mammalian best friends
One aspect of our colonial past was the way we were kept in ignorance of the richness of our biological life, especially of cetaceans, which we tend to think of collectively as “balyena” or whales, when in fact there’s much more. Besides whales, they also include dolphins and porpoises, for a total of some 90 species.
I was reminded of cetacean diversity, including a high degree of intelligence and social development, when reading recently about collective or social cooperation among whales to deliver their calves (yes, like cows). The calves cannot survive on their own early in life, and what the animals do is to lift an expectant mother for oxygen. Last March, National Geographic was able to film for the first time such a birth, with several females working as “midwives” in the rather bloody process.
(You can find several whale birthing and related videos on YouTube, including how the calves “breastfeed”–don’t forget that cetaceans are mammals and so they lactate but need a different mechanism to suck the milk. I have to say that all these videos can be touching in different ways, from the way humans and cows and other mammals breastfeed, showing nature’s many miracles.)
Sperm whales are among the largest of cetaceans, weighing from 15 to 45 tons each and measuring 40 to almost 60 feet in length.
Sperm whales have suffered from humans hunting them down for their “sperm,” an oily substance on their heads that seems to function to keep them focused. Sadly, humans also hunted them for the oil to be used in lamps and as lubricants. Hunting was most intensive in the 19th century and continues up to the present, even if whales are no longer needed for their oil. The Japanese hunt whales, with annual international protests.
Two years ago, British researchers found that sperm whales seemed to be using a phonetic (sound-based) alphabet to communicate when hunting squid. I haven’t been able to get full reports on the research, but I’ll share news if I get updates.
Some discoveries may not necessarily come from formal research. One example has been the observation that dogs and whales at sea seem to enjoy each other’s company (whales are happy to stay in the sea, and dogs on the boat). But should we be surprised by the growing number of reports of interspecies interactions?
There seems to be little interest in the Philippines in sperm whales and other cetaceans, except for some tourist whale-watching, which may be just as well since the animals may not be protected enough. Sperm whales flock in larger numbers during particular seasons, congregating around three islands in the Babuyan Islands.
There is a University of the Philippines (UP)-based group, Marine Mammal Research & Conservation Laboratory’s, which focuses on these marine mammals in coordination with the Philippine Marine Mammal Stranding Network Inc. based at the UP Diliman, that works on the protection of marine mammals in general, including rescue efforts when they are beached or stranded, which is happening with greater frequency due to marine pollution disorienting the animals. Others fall in harm’s way when they end up digesting human trash thrown into the ocean, including plastic. I’m hoping my alma mater, UP College of Veterinary Medicine, will produce graduates who will go into marine mammals as a specialization.
Since I’m discussing marine mammals, I may as well remind readers that there’s so much to explore during these warm months. Talk with local residents, especially fisherfolk, to learn about local folklore and knowledge.
Don’t forget that two of our beaches made it to the world’s best 50 this year: Entalula Beach in the El Nido archipelago made it globally as number one. Making it to number 25 was Kalanggaman Island, between Leyte and Cebu. Infrastructure is still not developed, which may be a good thing for now. The government needs to support more research into our natural resources, in part to boost our young people’s science literacy and awareness, including recognizing that animal intelligence is much broader than we think.
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michael.tan@inquirer.net
