LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Whales (Ecotourism): Species
built 805 days ago
Whales are air-breathing and can dive to thousands of metres. Their blowhole (or blowholes as the case may be) is on the top of or left-hand side of the head. Breath is emitted under considerable pressure, sometimes reaching heights of 7 metres. Individual species of whales can be recognised by their characteristic blow.
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Australia has a long history with whales. From the days when people hunted them for their oil and blubber to the day in 1979 when the Australian Government did their own whale watching and bannedwhaling in favor of whale protection. At the time the ban was introduced almost all whale species had been hunted to the brink of extinction.
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The whales have been very forgiving of their earlier slaughter by humans. These days, thanks to their protected status, mother whales are not fearful and will often nudge their baby calves up to the edge of a human boat so that they can be petted. Whale watching is a very safe activity, and provides an incredible opportunity for two intelligent species to learn from each other.
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Taxonomy and nomenclature of the right whales are in flux, but there is no doubt that the populations in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans are completely isolated from each other and from the population in the Southern Ocean. Recent genetic evidence supports the recognition of three species, North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) and Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis).
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The sea of Okhotsk is ... the best place to see the last North Pacific right whales (B. japonica). Some difficult-to-see species, such as ribbon seal and bowhead whale (B. mysticetus), also occur here. But don't expect to find whalewatching tour operators in the area!
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Guidelines apply to all whales, dolphins and porpoises (all members of the Order Cetacea). This includes those predisposed to bow riding or close approaches, as the principles for allowing cetaceans to choose to interact apply equally to these species.
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