Rediscovering Wonder #2

Reconnecting to a sense of wonder through thinking about probably the most awe-inspiring animals of our time, the whales.

A whale vertebra (left) compared to some petrified wood and an elephant’s skull. Picture taken by myself at the Bell Museum in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Rediscovering Wonder #2

K.L. Orion

Have you ever just thought about whales for a second? No, I mean really. Right now, right this very instant, stop reading for a second and truly think about whales. 

Okay, I assume you’ve thought about whales now. If you have, I hope you’ve learned to appreciate them. If you didn’t learn to appreciate them, you thought about them wrong. It’s time to think again. This time, I don’t want you to think about whales. I want you to think about the creatures I describe to you. 

Think about titans who dive into the darkest depths of the ocean, hunting and battling the elusive giant squid of the deep. These monsters are not only capable of echolocation, but are in fact the loudest animals on the planet. They can vocalize louder than a rocket taking off. They are so loud that some believe they could vibrate a human being to death just by being noisy. Now really think about that. 

Think about hundred foot long leviathans who scoop up thousands of creatures in a single bite, then filter them out of the water to consume them. These enormous nomads are among the largest animals in all of the Earth’s history. They dwarf their modern land counterparts, making elephants look like mice in comparison. I want you to think about that hard. 

Think about crafty hunters of the deep with minds comparable to that of a human’s. Giants in their own right, their size isn’t the most impressive thing about them. With an almost perfect hunting success rate, these animals are among the greatest predators of all time. Each group has developed unique hunting strategies and even primitive forms of culture. They have learned their prey’s greatest weaknesses, exploiting them with deadly accuracy. They even have dominion over the infamous great white shark. Now think about that. Think. 

Without any context, you would agree that the animals I just described to you sound like fictional monsters that belong in myths or science fiction films. Of course, these are fairly factual descriptions of real whales. The first description detailed a sperm whale, the second was about a blue whale, and the third characterized the orca whale. Those three descriptions don’t even scratch the surface. What about the famous unicorn of the sea, the narwhal? What about the bowhead whale that can potentially live for over two hundred years? What about the majestic humpback whales who propel themselves out of the water in spectacular displays? Whales are simply incredible. 

Whales and dolphins collectively belong in the cetacean family. Cetaceans themselves are sort of an offshoot of a very strange animal group. Whales’ closest living relatives are hippopotamuses, which makes some sense. I mean, they’re both large mammals with huge mouths that have a lifestyle dependent on water. Still though, they are not the most obvious of cousins. What’s even stranger is the fact that both hippos and whales pull up to the same family reunion as cows, giraffes, deer, and sheep. Cetaceans are an offshoot of the even-toed ungulate family, which includes buffalo, antelope, okapis, goats, pigs, and all of their relatives. Basically, it’s easier to tell you what’s not in the even-toed ungulate group. Horses (donkeys and zebras by extension), rhinoceroses, and tapirs are odd-toed ungulates. Other than those three groups, every living hoofed mammal you can think of belongs to the even-toed family. And oddly enough, the cetaceans are a single branch on this wild family tree. 

Just think about a sperm whale the next time you see your average beef cow. Think about how those two are technically cousins. You will never see these two animals the same way again. Trust me, I’ve done it and I’ve never been able to eat a hamburger the same way again. This whole relation to land animals brings me to my next point about them. Whales are descended from land based mammals. Their ancestors once frolicked through forests with legs. There was a time when whales walked. And back then, they weren’t nearly as big as they are now. They converted back to the water and grew absolutely massive. Few things rival them in size, even the dinosaurs. 

Then there’s the rabbit hole of prehistoric whales. One of my favorites has to be the Livyatan. A giant sperm whale named after the biblical Leviathan, it was the only known competitor and potential predator of the infamous megalodon shark. Yeah, that megalodon. The potentially sixty foot long shark with teeth larger than a grown man’s hand, considered to be among the greatest predators of all time. Livyatan not only competed with it but also potentially preyed on it. Then there was the recently described Perucetus colossus which might be the largest animal ever. I urge you to look up Perucetus because it is definitely a sight to behold. 

Modern whales are just as interesting. Whales and dolphins are super freaking intelligent. They have levels of intelligence that can not only compare to primates but humans. I am not even exaggerating. Both baleen (any whale that filter feeds with baleen) and toothed whales (sperm whales, orcas, dolphins, porpoises, any cetacean with teeth basically) have been shown to have extraordinary smarts. They have many learned behaviors. They have complex communication. They have even been observed trying to communicate with humans. 

As a matter of fact, whales have been interacting with humans a lot more recently. I remember hearing the epic stories of the whaling days when man battled sea monsters in a glorious duel for oil. So many fascinating and riveting tales come from that time. Tales about men hunting monsters. Even better tales about the monsters striking back. Unfortunately, as fascinating as the era was, whaling was a horrible industry that slaughtered millions of these incredible creatures. Even now, their populations are struggling to recover. But recently, their recovery has been drawing attention. Gray whales in certain places have been going up to boats and allowing people to pet them. These interactions with these gentle giants have been positive and joyous, but not all of them are so peaceful. 

I believe we are all somewhat aware of the orcas who have been pushing around and even sinking boats recently. From what I’ve read, this isn’t the orca revolution (unfortunately). Actually, it seems as though they are only trying to play with the boats rather than sink them. I also haven’t heard anything about the whales preying on the humans they knock from the boats, so it seems as if they are more interested in the vessels themselves than the humans aboard them. It is also not uncommon for orcas to start a trend, which is only another testament to their crazy intelligence. Yes, they start trends, just like teenagers who do TikTok dances in the Walmart parking lot or eat laundry detergent for some odd reason…as a matter of fact, orcas might actually be smarter than people now that I think about it. The point is trends have been recorded in orcas. One example of this being when an orca once put a dead fish on its head. Next thing you know, its whole pod is imitating the strange fashion statement.

However, this trend ended within a month or so. This “trend” of attacking the boats has been going on for quite some time now. What’s even more interesting about this whole situation is that out of all the animals orcas prey upon, which is basically everything (seals, sharks, polar bears, other whales, even moose are on the menu), humans were the only thing the orcas not only didn’t try to eat but left alone. For whatever reason, humanity’s wild encounters with orcas were rarely much more than the two species looking at each other. Orcas have never really tried to interact with people in the wild. Now, however, this boat attack trend has put an end to that. Whatever the cause, be it revenge or just a newfound fascination in maritime technology, orcas have ended their long held avoidance of humans. That I find extremely fascinating. 

The whale news doesn’t stop there. Perucetus wasn’t the only whale to be recently identified. A new species of living whale was described in the last few years. Yes, a living species. How could a species so big go unnoticed for so many years? Simple: it technically didn’t. The individuals within this species were long believed to have been members of another already identified species, but recent genetic studies have proven it to be a species of its own. It’s called Rice’s whale, and it is unfortunately endangered. That is the horrible fact facing almost every cetacean species. They are all in danger with a changing climate and a difficult human-ruled world. They all need protection. 

What I find so fascinating about whales is the way they demand respect. They are so majestic and bizarre, from their strange beginnings, to their peculiar looks, to even their mysterious songs, whales are incredible. They are essentially the real-world equivalent of kaiju like Godzilla, which makes my nerdy heart fill with immeasurable admiration. If I told you there was a race of hyper intelligent giants in the ocean, you’d think I’m mad. But I’m telling you right now. There is indeed a race of hyper intelligent giants in the ocean. They’re called whales, and they fill humans with wonder that few other things can do. So next time when you’re feeling like there’s no joy in the world, think about the ground you stand on. That ground is connected to rocks that make up a planet. On that planet are oceans. Within those oceans are roaming titans whose songs echo through the waters. Think about whales, friend. Really think about them. Through them, rediscover a sense of wonder.