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#whaling
werewolfetone · 10 months
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Do you think that there were any ships that went out whaling out of New England and missed the entire american civil war
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jenny-jinya · 10 months
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TW: Animal Death
“Story of a Mother”
WEBTOON  - THREADLESS
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ltwilliammowett · 4 months
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Scrimshawed whale bone ring with whaling scenes, made by a sailor, 19th century
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crippledgiraff · 2 months
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Worked up some fresh Concepts for Mekka Miniatures , a pile of Pirate Orc Chompa Riders! Astride their fisty aquatic beasts, these mean boyz will chase you down and gut you like a fish!
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katesheridanart · 7 months
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some visual development pieces for my Whaling Era horror comic anthology, Whalebones 🐋🦴
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letmeinimafairy · 3 months
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A new experiment - whalebone arch. These things lived in my mind for quite some time
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ganymedian · 2 months
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Congrats on @focsle bringing the ghost of all time
(You somehow manage to cut his hair tie out, making the already losing fight not only more difficult, but 15% more homoerotically charged as well)
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coolnessgraphed · 6 months
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pensiveant · 4 months
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Looking at historical paintings of whaling scenes and shaking my head the entire time so Ishmael knows I disagree with the anatomical inaccuracies in how whales are portrayed.
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goddamnshinyrock · 2 months
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the most annoying thing about that 'what if they mistook a molting sperm whale for a white whale?' idea is that it apparently assumes 19th century whalers were all fools instead of people who had repeated very close contact with whales (especially sperm whales) and therefore knew perfectly well what a normal variation in color would be for each species.
for modern photos of albino or leucistic sperm whales I believe we only have one pretty distant video recording from a few years ago (x), but if you take a look at the much better documented humpback Migaloo vs a typical humpback you'll see the white color is not a subtle easy-to-mistake difference. (Sperm whales do have generally paler coloration than humpbacks, but still.)
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That is not 'slightly paler than normal, maybe due to peeling skin, idk?' that is 'Holy shit, what is up with that whale?!'
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vintagepromotions · 5 months
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Soapine Soap trade card (c. 1800).
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bethanythebogwitch · 6 months
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All of my recent Wet Beast Wednesday posts have been about relatively small animals, so this time let's go big. This week's topic is on the sperm whale, a winner of multiple size-based records, including being the largest toothed predator and largest of the toothed whales. These absolute units are known for their famous rivalry with giant squid and their history with the whaling industry.
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(image id: a mother sperm whale and her calf. They are both large, long, grey animals with squarish heads. The calf is behind the mother and about half the size. The calf also appears to have multiple remoras attached to it)
First of all, why is it called a sperm whale? When I started researching for this post, I thought it must be a quirk of translation or a word that changed meaning over time and surely couldn't be named after THAT sperm, right? Well, I'm sad to say that's not the case. It really is the cum whale. More specifically, it is named after spermaceti, a substance inside the whale's head, that was believed to be semen. Spermaceti even translates to "whale semen". Yeah I'm not happy about that either. Sperm whales are also called chacalots and nobody really knows why. There are suggestions that it comes from old French words for "big teeth" or the vulgar Latin word for a sword hilt. At least it's not sperm this time. Its scientific name is Physeter macrocephalus, which means "blowhole big head", which is also fortunately lacking in references to sperm.
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(image id: a sperm whale seen from the font and left. It is just under the surface of the water, with the tip of its snout touching the surface.)
Sperm whales are big even by whale standards, though there are still baleen whales that are bigger. In an extreme example of sexual dimporhism, males can be 30 - 50% larger and three times as heavy as females. An average adult male reaches an average of 16 meters (52 ft) and 45000 kg (100000 lbs) while females reach an average size of 11 meters (36 ft) and 15000 kg (34000 lbs). The average sizes of sperm whales has decreased since record were first kept. This is likely a result of the largest individuals being targeted heavily by whalers, resulting in only the smaller animals being able to pass on their genes. Some recent studies suggest that trend may be beginning to reverse itself now that the animals are no longer actively hunted.
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(image: two sperm whales seen from above. They are at the surface of the water, with their backs avome the surface. One of them is releasing a spout of water vapor from its blowhole)
Possibly the most notable feature of a sperm whale is that giant, square head. Cetacean heads contain melons, organs filled with oily or fatty tissue that are used in echolocation. Unlike other cetaceans, the sperm whale has two such organs: the spermaceti organ and the junk, the latter of which is analogous to the melons of other whales. The spermaceti organ is a sac filled with the spermaceti, a waxy substance composed largely of wax esters. Harvesting of the spermaceti was the main reason sperm whales were hunted as it could be used for lubrication and as candles and lamp oil. Spermaceti is liquid when within the whale and solidifies at around 30 degrees C. A single whale can hold up to 1,900 liters of spermaceti. An air tube runs through the head and ends in a pair of phonic lips (the sperm whale has a single pair while all other toothed whales have two pairs). The lips produce the clicks used in echolocation and that sound travels through the spermaceti and reflects off another organ called the frontal sac, which acts as a sound mirror. Think those satellite dishes that you can whisper into and people standing way away from you can hear it. The frontal sac reflects most of the sound through the junk, which amplified it further. The sound that does not go to the junk is reflected back and forward through the spermaceti organ to create multiple clicks with each vocalization. The spermaceti organ and junk amplify the sound of the clicks to such an extent that the sperm whale is the loudest animal on earth, capable of making 230 decibel clicks. That's louder than a jet engine at takeoff. Side note, why is a jet engine the default comparison for loud things? In addition to echolocation, sperm whales also use vocalizations to communicate with each other. Types of vocalizations are learned from parents, creating multiple distinct "dialects" of sperm whale sound. The Spermaceti organ and junk are also believed to add protective padding to the head. One hypothesis says that the spermaceti is also used in buoyancy regulation. The idea is that before a dive, the whale would pump cold water through tis head, cooling and solidifying the spermaceti to reduce buoyancy. Then on the dive, body heat and heat transfer would melt the spermaceti again, increasing buoyancy for the trip back to the surface. This hypothesis is considered poor due to a lack of evidence and the fact that solidifying the spermaceti would impede echolocation right when the whale would need it the most.
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(image id: a diagram showing a side cross-section of a sperm whale's head. Most of the head is taken up by the spermaceti organ (top) and junk (below). Below the junk are the upper and lower jaw bones)
Sperm whales are master divers. They hunt in the deep ocean and of all marine mammals, only the elephant seal and Cuvier's beaked whale dive deeper. Their dives can reach up to 2,250 meters (7,382 ft) deep and can stay underwater for up to 2 hours, though most dives last around 45 minutes. To accommodate for such deep dives, special adaptations are needed. Their lungs can collapse under the pressure and their ribcages will close to protect them. The lung collapse reduced excess nitrogen intake (which can lead to nitrogen narcosis) and they can slow their metabolisms to reduce oxygen usage. Their muscles contain more myoglobin (which stores oxygen) and they more red blood cells than most animals. When oxygen levels get low, they can redirect blood flow to the brain and other essential systems. Their eyes are the largest of all toothed whales and they have good vision and sensitivity to light, helping them see in the deep ocean. Their jaws are also adapted to hunt their prey. The jaw is very skinny and has teeth only on the lower mandible. The teeth grow rings like trees, allowing them to be used to age whales. The teeth do not seem to be essential for feeding as toothless whales have been found still well-fed. They are carnivores who feed primarily on squid but will also eat octopi, bony and cartilaginous fish, and salps. While sperm whales are famous for eating giant squid, most of their diet is composed of medium-sized squid weighing between 12 and 650 grams (0.026 and 1.43 lbs). We do know they eat giant and colossal squid both from finding squid beaks in the stomachs of beached specimens and from the scars left by the suckers and hooks of the squid on the whales' skin. While classic depictions of the hunts depicted a titanic struggle between two equals, with the squid eating the whales just as the whales ate the squid. Now its believed that the fights are entirely one-sided with the whales winning the vast majority of encounters. Tagging has shown that the whales swim upside-down as they hunt. They are likely looking for the silhouettes of prey against the surface or for bioluminescence. They also hunt with echolocation. While it has been suggested that their sonar clicks are powerful enough to stun prey, recent research has show this is likely not the case. Sperm whales eat about 3% of their body weight every day. Sperm whales, as well as other deep-diving predators, help circulate nutrients in the ocean. They consume nutrients in the deep ocean, then defecate in surface waters, releasing those nutrients where they can fertilize plankton. This also helps carbon sequestration as phytoplankton fertilized by the feces remove carbon from the atmosphere and carry it to the deep sea when they die. It is calculated that whaling in the Southern Ocean resulted in a release of 2 million tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere each year.
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(image id: a pod of sperm whaled beginning their descent into the deep sea. There are 8 individuals, three of which remain parallel to the surface of the water. The rest and aimed downward)
Like other cetaceans, sperm whales are social animals. Females and juveniles live in groups called pods while adult males live outside the pods either alone or in small groups of other bachelors. Sperm whales who live together do so in groups called social units that are often, but not always, the same as their pod. Leaving and joining social groups is rare, leaving their membership very stable. When socializing, sperm whales use unique patterns of clicks called codas. It was formerly thought that codas were used as names, not it is now known that whales will use multiple codas. They also spend time nuzzling each other. They are also believed to use group hunting tactics to herd prey. The only predator of adult sperm whales is the orca, and they prefer to target calves or weaker adults. Orca pods will attack sperm whale pods to try to isolate a vulnerable member. Pod members will protect these vulnerable members by circling them, usually facing tail-out. The tails are capable of delivering powerful blows that could kill an attacking orca. This formation is called a marguerite formation. Lone males may come to the defense of a nearby pod under attack. On some occasions, sperm whales will swim alongside other cetations and there is a recorded instance of a pod adopting a bottlenose dolphin with a spinal deformity for unknown reasons. Sperm whales sleep together, suspended vertically just under the surface. While most cetaceans only sleep half of their brain at a time, it is possible that sperm whales can sleep their entire brain at once.
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(image id: a pod of sperm whales sleeping. There are six positioned vertically in the water, with their head facing up. A seventh members remains horizontal and appears to be awake)
An individual whale can live for up to 70 years. Females reach sexual maturity at age 9 and bear a single calf at a time. The calf will nurse for an average of 19 - 42 months, but sometimes significantly longer. Sperm whale milk is extremely fatty, consisting of 36% fat (compare to 6% fat in cow milk) and has a texture like cream cheese. This high fat content helps the juvenile develop its blubber and its thickness keeps it from dissolving the the water. While giving birth, a mother will be protected by other members of her pod. After birth, other pod members sometimes jostle and bite the newborn. Most females give birth every 4 to 20 years and these rates were higher during the peak of whaling years. Females seems to become infertile in their 40s. Older, post-fertile females will lead the pods and provide assistance to younger mothers. Males provide no parental care. A male will mate with multiple females and they do fight each other for dominance and access to mates, but do not form harems. Fights seem to involve ramming each other and biting.
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(image id: a sperm whale calf nursing. The mother is positioned vertically and her front half extends beyond the picture's frame. The calf is suckling at her side near the ventral surface. A cloud of white milk is around its mouth)
Like other whales, sperm whales were highly affected by whaling. While the spermaceti was the main target of whalers, they were also hunted for their blubber, teeth, and ambergris. Ambergris is a substance that forms in the intestines in response to irritants. The sperm whale can't digest the squid beaks and while it can vomit out a lot of them, some pass into the intestines. To prevent the sharp beaks form damaging the intestines (which can reach 300 meters/948 ft long and are the longest of any animal), the bile duct secretes the ambergris to surround the beak and ease its passage. It can be considered analogous to an oyster forming a pearl around a grain of sand. Ambergris is a think, waxy substance known for its extremely pungent, fecal smell. It was famously used as a fixative in perfume recipes and was therefore incredibly valuable. Now that whaling is much rarer, most ambergris is found when it floats to shore and perfume companies have switched over to artificial fixatives. The teeth were used for their ivory and were often carved into ornamental pieces called scrimshaw. Sperm whales were notable for their ability to fight back against the whalers, often by ramming the boats. At least a few whaling ships were sunken by their would-be targets. Famously the sinking of the whaling ship Essex inspired the writing of the novel Moby Dick. Large whales, including sperm whales, were nearly driven to extinction by whaling. The International Whaling Commission gave the species legal protection in 1985, though Japan still hunts them and has caught an reported 51 individuals since 2000.The peak of sperm whaling happened in the 1960s, causing the population to drop dangerously low. Since then, the population has been recovering and is currently estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Sperm whales have recovered from whaling better than many other species and are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. Threats include illegal whaling, global climate change, and noise from ships that appears to increase beaching numbers.
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(image id: a chunk of ambergris. It is an irregular object with multiple lumps. It is a pale orange color. Part of a squid beak is visible at the side, appearing as a smooth surface with a dark orange color)
jizz whale
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ltwilliammowett · 9 months
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Document box used on a whaler to store all important documents, including the muster book, watch bills and log books, as well as possible invoices and shipments of whale oil. American, mid 19th century
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christinedepizza · 1 year
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Whale, Inuit, 1830–60 
Walrus Ivory, H. ⅞  x W. 1 x D. 2 ⅞  inches
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captainsvscaptains · 4 months
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Round 1 Part 7 Poll 8
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Propaganda
what is a captain tournament without ahab tbh? moby dick (whale) bit his leg off in true dick fashion and ahab ditches all efforts of actually whaling to kill him for it. (well not ALL efforts but like. quite a few.) the pettiest bitch ever. had a new leg made out of whale bone SPECIFICALLY. has a hole in the deck where he just. pivots from. loser. has gay tension with his first mate starbuck also i don't know if that matters
(bear in mind i haven't actually finished the book yet ^^ so this may be slightly inaccurate)
Setzer is a roguish gambler who lives life on his own terms. He's the only known airship captain of his time, after the loss of Darill, and his skills in navigating such a machine are vital to the cause of the heroes. He meets the main characters by trying to kidnap an opera singer.
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The tragedy-of-the-commodity logic is built on political-economic theorizing that recognizes that elite capitalists, most notably, corporations, have the power to create and manipulate markets rather than simply respond to preexisting demand. Although people have some enduring demand for resources to meet their basic needs, such as for food and water, the vast majority of consumption in modern economies is not to meet basic needs. Before the modern era, there was typically no perception of need for most of the commodities that industrial capitalism would later provide. In fact the insatiable consumer desire that is taken for granted in capitalist societies was not even conceived of before consumerism as a way of life was constructed over the past two centuries by the concerted efforts of private industry. Recognizing this helps to make sense of why petroleum and other fossil fuels did not lead to an end to whaling. If demand for a commodity, like whale oil, was limited by need, then a potential substitute, like petroleum, could reasonably be expected to push it out of the market. However, demand for resources is not fixed at a “natural” level. Rather, demand can expand as established uses increase in frequency, such as using abundant oil of various types to have more lighting, and as innovation leads to new uses for resources, such as how whale oil came to be used for margarine, in paint, and so forth. In pursuit of profits, capital clearly has it in its interest to work to continually expand consumption and develop new products for sale. Therefore, increasing the supply of new resources, like fossil fuels, does not necessarily displace consumption of other resources. New resources can be added to, rather than used in place of, others in the market as new ways are found to make commodities (and profits) from all available resources.
Richard York, Why Petroleum Did Not Save the Whales
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