Terrifying, but vulnerable

Whales have long intrigued, but equally terrified men. These large mammals were a reflection of the immensity of the ocean depths and the fear they inspired. Today, the image of the beast has led way to fascination. Cetaceans amaze with their remarkable social behavior and their divine majesty. Unfortunately, because of intensive hunting of which they have long been victims, some species are now threatened with extinction, while others have simply disappeared.

In the past, the sometimes mysterious cetacean behavior would terrorize seamen. Indeed, one can easily see why they would have been more frightened than awestruck by a humpback whale making colossal jumps out of the water...

Or by a sperm whale herd heading directly towards their boat!

Cetaceans do not spontaneously attack humans and boats . However, like any trapped animal, they could inherit aggressive tendencies when pursued or injured. A right whale feeling threatened, could easily obliterate a canoe with a flick of its tail, or a sperm whale could crush a rowboat whole in its powerful jaws.

Until the beginning of the 20 century, people thought that whales posed a serious threat to ships. According to a popular newspaper, a German liner was attacked in the Atlantic Ocean in 1913 by a herd of right whales, yet known to be supposedly harmless.

Despite its "monstrous" size, the North Atlantic right whale has been surnamed as such, because they were the "right" whales to hunt; they moved slowly and their high-fat carcass tended to float after death.

16^th and 17^th century books depicted large cetaceans in their own ways. The sperm whale, with its terrifying teeth, was considered to be the Devil of the Sea. For a long time, naturalists believed in the existence of several hundred meter long whales. In fact, the blue whale, which is the largest cetacean, rarely exceeds 33 meters (108 ft) in length.

A GIGANTIC RIGHT WHALE

This romantic engraving shows a giant right whale. In fact, right whales and North Atlantic right whales can reach up to 20 meters long.

Narwhals have long contributed to land unicorn legends. In the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance period, these long tusks were sold at exorbitant prices, as the horn of the legendary unicorn.

Narwhals were also considered to be sea monsters. People believed that they could pierce the hulls of ships with the tusks on their foreheads.

The Narwhales

For thousands of years, narwhals were hunted by native Canadian and Greenland inhabitants of the Arctic regions. Meat, fat, skin and organs were consumed. Sculptures and artistic works were made from their tusks and bones.

The orca or killer whale is the largest member of the dolphin family. Its common name (killer whale) is due to its predator instinct. It often waits until its prey is vulnerable before attacking. It is the only cetacean that hunts other marine mammals.

THE KILLER WHALE

This Renaissance engraving depicts an orca – with its tall dorsal fin – attacking a – very stylish – right whale feeding its young.

Orcas have no natural predators since humans stopped hunting them. Orcas feed on a wide variety of prey, including squid, fish, turtles, marine birds, sea lions, penguins, dolphins, and even other cetaceans, like the blue whale.

With its pointed teeth, the sperm whale (Physeter catodon), also called Physeter macrocephalus, was considered the devil of the sea in the past. However, we know today that it is not the monster we thought it to be. On the other hand, it is a very active predator that can eat about a ton of food every day, and chase large sharks. Giant squid are one of its favorite prey, against which it struggles violently.

Sperm whales are among the champions of apnea. Its dives can last anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, at depths ranging from 1500 to 3000 meters!

Apart from having the biggest brain in the animal kingdom, the sperm whale is the largest toothed cetacean. Adults measure between 11 and 20 meters (36 and 65 ft) long and weigh up to 55 tons.

Moby Dick is the name given to the albino sperm whale depicted in the 1851 novel by Herman Melville.br/>
The story is about life aboard a whaling vessel in the mid 19^th century. It was inspired by the true story of the American whaling ship, the Essex, which sank in 1820 after being attacked by a harpooned sperm whale.