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Fin Whale
Formerly known Know as the Finback whale, Common rorqual, Herring whale, or Razorback whale, the Fin whale is the second largest whale on the planet. Its glamorous and slender shape make it one of the fastest rorquals despite its size. It was heavily hunting during the whaling times in the XX century but was able to recover and their numbers are somehow stable. Over 725,000 fin whales were reportedly taken from the Southern Hemisphere between 1905 and 1976. For this reason, the Southern Fin Whale is closer to extinction than the Northern Fin Whale. The North Pacific population is believed to be a third subspecies according to experts, however, more studies need to be done to validate this information. The Fin Whale is more related to the Humpback Whale and the Grey Whale. It is strange because these two rorquals belong to a different genus each.
The Bryde's Whale has been a kind of puzzle for scientists because three species use to fall into its category. This is called complex in taxonomy. In other words, three (or maybe four) species of whales were thought to be subspecies, (or just the same species) as the Bryde's whale.
I wonder why not just name all four species the same if they are so closely similar? The devil is in the details. Those little differences that make one species become different from others can be the starting point for a completely new animal in million years. On the other hand, those tiny changes also may be the ones that make the animal adapt better than its relatives and therefore survive the changes of the environment.
So if is similar in appearance, as it seems in the cetaceans, there are movements and changes that are only perceptible in millions of years of evolution.
Can I suppose that the Balaenopteridae family is a young one, therefore many of its members are closely similar? Could be...
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Plastic whales || ballenas de pástico || balenes de plàstic (2019)
ESP || Si no cuidamos nuestro planeta quien lo hará? Siempre he sido una enamorada de la naturaleza por este motivo ha sido un placer aportar mi granito de arena para intentar concienciar sobre el importante problema que generan los plásticos sobretodo cuando acaban en el mar destrozando todo el ecosistema marino. Evitemos los plásticos de un solo uso para tener un océano limpio y lleno de vida, un pequeño gesto puede hacer mucho! 🐋💙
ENG || If we don't take care of our planet who will do it? I have always loved nature for this reason it has been a pleasure to try to raise awareness about the important problem that plastics generate, especially when they end up at sea destroying the entire marine ecosystem. Let's avoid single-use plastics to have a clean and full of life ocean. A small gesture can do a lot! 🐋💙
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BALLENAS DE PLÁSTICO || PLASTIC WHALES || BALENES DE PLÀSTIC (2019)
ESP || Este pasado 8 de Junio fue el día mundial de los océanos y la semana del boicot al plástico, un gesto necesario que se tendría que llevar a nuestro día a día, reducir el consumo de plástico. Una semana al año no es suficiente para la salud del planeta tierra y sobretodo para salvar la vida marina. Cada año hasta 12 millones de toneladas de basura, llegan a los océanos y mares donde los plásticos representan entre un 60% i un 80% de los residuos marinos. Todos estos plásticos perjudican seriamente la salud de los ecosistemas acuáticos y la supervivencia de las especies que los pueblan. Particularmente perjudiciales son los microplasticos (fragmentos inferiores a 5mm) que se pueden generar a partir de la rotura de trozos grandes de plásticos, como los generados con el desgaste de las camisetas, o haber sido fabricados directamente así, como en el caso de las microesferas presentes en productos de higiene y limpieza (exfoliantes, pasta de dientes, etc.), ya que al ser ingeridos por los animales marinos provocan bloqueos gastrointestinales y alternaciones en sus patrones de reproducción y alimentación. Además hay estudios que evidencian que estos microplasticos se van transfiriendo a lo largo de la cadena alimentaria. Entre un 21% y un 54% de estas partículas en el mundo se encuentran en la cuenca del mar Mediterráneo. Por otro lado, los macroplasticos (fragmentos mayores de 25mm) como bolsas de plástico, redes de pesca, botellas, etc. También impactan la vida marina incluyendo los mamíferos marines, las aves marinas y la fauna sésil (corales), ya que son causantes de enredos, asfixia, estrangulación y malnutrición. Es destacable que, aproximadamente, un 17% de las especies que ingieren o se enredan con desechos marinos aparecen en la lista roja de especies amenazadas de la unión internacional para la conservación de la naturaleza. Detalle de la ilustración “ballenas de plástico” realizada para la campaña #artistsagainstplastics de @byebyestraws
ENG || This past June 8 was the #worldoceansday and it has been all about reducing plastic consumption, a necessary gesture that should be taken to our day to day. One week a year is not enough for the health of the planet earth and above all to save marine life. Every year up to 12 million tons of garbage reach the oceans and seas. Plastics represent between 60% and 80% of marine waste. All these plastics seriously damage the health of aquatic ecosystems and the survival of the species that inhabit them. The microplastics are fragments of plastic smaller than 5mm that can be generated from the breakage of large pieces of plastics or manufactured directly like this, as in the case of microspheres present in hygiene and cleaning products (exfoliants, toothpaste, etc.). this type of plastics are particularly harmful since when ingested by marine animals it causes gastrointestinal blockages and alternations in their reproduction and feeding patterns. In addition there are studies that show that these microplastics are being transferred along the food chain. Between 21% and 54% of these particles in the world are found in the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore macroplastics (fragments larger than 25mm) such as plastic bags, fishing nets, bottles, etc. also impact marine life including marine mammals, seabirds and sessile fauna (corals), as they cause entanglement, suffocation, strangulation and malnutrition. It’s noteworthy that, approximately, 17% of the species that ingest or become entangled with marine waste appear on the red list of endangered species of the international union for the conservation of nature. Detail of the illustration “plastic whales” made for the campaign artistsagainstplastics from byebyestraws
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