Development & Aid, Environment, Tierramerica

Giants of the Sea

May 27 2001 (IPS) - Whales have captured the imagination of humans since time immemorial. Their size – truly colossal – leaves no room for doubt: whales are a wonder of nature.

Recent research has revealed complex social relations, disquieting sounds and intense cerebral activity in whales, which despite living in the cold waters of the oceans are warm-blooded mammals with lungs – not gills, like many of their fellow water-dwellers.

In scientific terms, whales belong to the Cetacean order, in which there are two sub-orders: the Mysticeti, those with baleen plates instead of teeth, and the Odontoceti, whales with teeth – which includes dolphins.

Within these categories is a family of whales that is bigger than one might think. There are more then 40 species, according to information available on the Internet.

These gigantic mammals are popular in cyberspace. But many of the sites dedicated to whales reveal their sad story – the webpages are motivated by the urgent need to save whales and their habitat.

Foundations and organizations are clamoring for a better relationship between whales and their predators: humans. Some countries continue to hunt whales, which are also victims of ocean contamination