Did you know that whales speak various languages and dialects, have specific choices of ‘cuisine’, host ‘American Idol-style’ annual singing competitions, and take vacations every year during summers?
Celebrated National Geographic photographer, Brian Skerry, who has lived among whales for years documenting their lives, revealed all these and much more during a delightful presentation titled ‘Secrets of the Whales’ at the Xposure International Photography Festival’s Conservation Summit on February 10.
“The one thing I’ve learnt from whales is that we need communities; we need to bond to survive because like them, humans are also social animals,” elaborated Skerry, detailing the many commonalities between whales and humans. In an absorbing session, Skerry regaled the Xposure audience at Expo Centre Sharjah with behind-the-scenes stories offering an intimate peek into the science of whale culture – and its startling human parallels – across different species.
“Right whales pass on stories from generation to generation; Humpback whales spend almost a year teaching their young ones everything they need to survive and pass on ancient traditions,” he explained, while touching upon the various species ranging from Orcas and Sperm whales to Belugas, humpbacks and the rare North Atlantic right whales.
“Humpback whales are about songs. It’s the males that sing in a heads down, tails up position,” he said, describing how he shot one particular humpback using the deep-sea as a natural amphitheatre for a performance that lasted almost 20 minutes. “It was almost like an American Idol session!”
“The Sperm whale is more elusive; they live in tightly knit groups, and are matriarchal,” said Skerry. “They are shy, highly social and have the largest brains of the species.” Some sperm whales also form clans united by languages and dialects, just like humans, he added.
Skerry also shared glimpses of the hunting techniques of orca pods and the multi-generational childcare systems of sperm whales while leading the audience on a journey with the charming beluga whales in Canada that travel each summer to a ‘vacation resort.’
"Behaviour is what we do, culture is how we do," explained Skerry as he elaborated on how our habits of eating with chopsticks in some places and with hands in certain other places are defined by our cultures, just like it is for the whales. “And knowing how they celebrate their identity and relationship could change our view of the ocean,” he added.
