WHY THE NAME tRAVELLING wHALE
Why the name Travelling Whale?
When coming up with our name, we knew we wanted to send an important message – that travelling more sustainably is possible and that supporting Great Whales could help the fight against climate change.
Here’s why!
THEY NATURALLY CAPTURE CARBON
Scientific research has recently discovered that Great Whales (those of a great size) naturally capture carbon when they feed and then store it in their bodies for the rest of their life. When they die, Great Whales sink to the bottom of the ocean, taking the carbon with them. One Great Whale’s carbon absorption is equivalent to 1,375 mature trees capturing carbon over a lifetime.
THEY HELP PHYTOPLANKTON GROW
Phytoplankton are microscopic plants which feed on whale faeces. They capture around 40% of all CO2 that is produced in the world and contribute to at least 50% of the world’s oxygen. A 1% increase in phytoplankton would capture hundreds of millions more CO2 a year – the equivalent of 2 billion mature trees appearing from nowhere!
ARE INTEGRAL TO THE OCEAN
Great Whales help regulate the flow of food by helping to maintain a stable food chain and ensuring that certain animal species do not overpopulate the ocean.
DANGERS WHALES FACE
Whaling, climate change, pollution, boats, and becoming accidentally trapped in nets are all dangers to these wonderful mammals.
GOOD TO KNOW
One Great Whale on average can capture 66,000 pounds of carbon over a lifetime compared to one tree that can capture 48 pounds of carbon over a lifetime.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The travel industry isn’t perfect but small ripples will make big waves. If you book a holiday with Travelling Whale, it’s guaranteed that the adventure will focus on sustainability, working with local suppliers and supporting the environment. Travelling Whale will also donate 1% of profits to Great Whale conservation.
our Top 10 Whale Facts
- Whales can get sunburnt – Recent research has shown that the blisters on the backs of whales are likely to be acute sunburn. Some scientists believe that the growing hole in the ozone layers may be to blame.
- The sperm whale has the largest brain in the world – It’s 9kg – about as heavy as a Dachshund. The rest of the head holds a lot of oil, some say you could fit a car in the cavity where the oil is stored. A whale head is ⅓ of its full body.
- Many expensive perfumes contain Sperm Whales vomit/poop – (undigestible bits of their diet) which is called Ambergris and is kept in their digestive tract which has an earthy scent once matured. It can go for a staggering £18 a gram.
- Blue whales can eat up to half a million calories in a single bite – Concluded by Jeremy Goldbogen at the University of British Columbia. We find it quite ironic that the largest animals in the world got so big by eating some of the smallest ones!
- Humpback Whales use ‘bubble nets’ to catch fish. – This cooperative feeding technique helps the whales drive the fish together before lunging through them with their mouths wide open to eat their tasty snack.
- The Antarctica Blue Whale is the largest animal on the planet – They can consume about 3,600kg of krill a day – now that’s a meal!
- Adult Males Narwhals spike is formed from it’s left tooth – Strangely Narwhals only have two teeth and the left tooth spirals out of its head to sometimes over 3 meters
- Killer whales (Orca Whales) are actually Dolphins – Orcas are the largest of the dolphin species.
- Blue whales create noises of 188 decibels that travel miles – making them one of the loudest creatures on earth.
