Archive image from page 837 of The depths of the ocean;. The depths of the ocean; a general account of the modern science of oceanography based largely on the scientific researches of the Norwegian steamer Michael Sars in the North Atlantic depthsofoceange00murr Year: 1912 782 DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN the cachalot is the principal, if not the only, large species which has been the object of man's exertions in these parts. The distribution of whales, here roughly outlined, seems to agree very well with what I have previously stated in regard to the distribution of pelagic animals. In boreal, and pr
Archive image from page 837 of The depths of the ocean;. The depths of the ocean; a general account of the modern science of oceanography based largely on the scientific researches of the Norwegian steamer Michael Sars in the North Atlantic depthsofoceange00murr Year: 1912 782 DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN the cachalot is the principal, if not the only, large species which has been the object of man's exertions in these parts. The distribution of whales, here roughly outlined, seems to agree very well with what I have previously stated in regard to the distribution of pelagic animals. In boreal, and probably also in antarctic, waters the abundance of minute pelagic animals (plankton) in the upper layers is particularly character- istic of certain seasons of the year, and for this reason the whalebone whales have their habitat in these waters. In coast waters the plankton is equally rich in many places, along with quantities of small pelagic fishes, herrings, sprats, pilchards, etc., which are the food sought by humpback whales. Whether the various right whales, like Balcena biscayensis, in Fig. 574. Balcena biscayensis. (From Guldberg.) southern waters eat the small herring species besides the plankton is unknown to me ; in boreal waters I am only aware that plankton has been found in their stomachs. In the open ocean the plankton is scarce in the upper layers, but the deeper layers contain multitudes of large crustaceans and squids, and here only squid-hunting whales like the cachalot are found in numbers. Enormous diving power is peculiar to the cachalot and its ally, the bottle-nose. One of our most experienced bottle-nose whalers has told me how the whale 'sounds' when struck by the harpoon, very often diving straight down, taking out as much as 400 fathoms of line in a perfectly vertical direction. It is very interesting to note that on our Atlantic cruise we found many proofs of the existence of quantities of squid in vast areas of the open ocean, partly belonging t
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