Tavener: The Whale - 1. Documentary

The whale, marine mammal of the order Cetacea. They comprise three groups, one Archaeoceti, Believed to have been derived from the Credonta, The primitive fossil members of the Carnivora. Their teeth consist of three incisors, One canine, four premolars, and three to two molars On either side of each jaw. A milk dentition is found. Two, Mysticoceti, or whalebone whales, In which the mouth contains fine plate-like Structures supported by the palate in place of Teeth. And three, Odontoceti, or toothed whales, Believed to have descended from the Archaeoceti, Which include sperm whales, dolphins, And porpoises. The most prized species is the blue Whale, the largest of all animals, which is found Chiefly in the Antarctic Ocean. It reaches a length of a hundred feet and A weight of at least a hundred and twenty Tons. Whales are migrant animals, the movements of which Are conditioned by surface temperatures and by their Search for food. Blue, fin, and humpback whales enter the Antarctic In summer and feed on vast shoals of southern Krill, an oceanic shrimp some two and a half Inches long, which feeds on a single-celled plant Called phytoplankton. In winter, they frequent the warmer latitudes to Breed. The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale. It attains a length of sixty feet, but the Male is much larger than the female and is Polygamous. Fin and humpback whales may reach Lengths of sixty-five and fifty feet respectively. Whales are warm-blooded, breathe air, and have Lungs. The skin is naked, but they conserve their Body heat by immense layers of blubber, from which Enormous quantities of whale oil are produced. The bulk of this oil is processed into margarine, But there are many useful by-products, for example, Frozen whale meat, meat meal, meat extract, Bone meal, liver oil, and vitamin extracts. Whales bear their young like lamb lambs. The breeding of whalebone whales takes place in low Latitudes in winter, and pregnancy lasts for about a Year. Only one calf is born, and this is Nursed for about seven months, after which the Female rests until the next breeding season. Statistics on the whaling industry are compiled Annually by the Norwegian Committee for Whaling Statistics. After World War II, the International Whaling Commission was formed, and most governments whose Nationals engage in whaling are members of it. The major field for whaling is the Antarctic, And here only a certain number of whales is Permitted to be caught in season. There are, however, also comprehensive regulations For whaling in all parts of the world. A recent development the industry is whale marking. This was begun in 1926 by the Discovery Committee, And prior to World War II, some 5,000 whales Have been marked in the Antarctic, chiefly the Williams Shore bitch, a vessel specially designed For the purpose. In 1953, a whale marking expedition was jointly Financed by the whaling Countries Of Norway