According to the kind of whale you want to spot, you may need to go to a different country. If you are interested in watching whales, a lot of the fun is experiencing the areas they live in and call home. Whales are mammals, just like humans, but they don’t need warm water to survive. In fact, they feed on food like plankton, which are found in cold water. Therefore you can find whales in regions as cold as the Arctic Ocean. Due to their distribution of blubber, larger whales almost exclusively live in very cold waters. The natural habitat of different whales is several diverse places. Whales also move around, primarily for reproductive purposes. When they are ready to mate they move to warmer regions.
Migration and its effect on whales’ location
Migration is a way of life for whales, an urge that is driven by the need for food, to avoid predators when it’s time to mate, or for no reason at all. Humpback whales are the most prolific migratory whales. They can be found in warm areas close to the Equator around mating and feeding time. As the seasons are opposite on either side of the Equator, many populations may never meet since they are in different hemispheres at different times.
Killer whales, on the other hand, like colder waters. However, they can actually be found in nearly all of the world’s large oceans. They are hunters, so they go wherever their prey or food source goes. With sperm whales, the habits of the male and female of the species are markedly different. A female sperm whale tends to stick to her mating area so she can give birth in a warm environment.
Males tend to travel much further and for a longer period. They can live up to 70 years, so that’s a lot of travelling! The male of this species of whale does not have any noticeable pattern to their migration. In general, they stay alone for much of their life except for when it comes time to mate. As they grow older, they forge their own path, literally. The Narwhal whale’s habitat is the Arctic, close to Canada and Greenland. As the weather grows colder in fall and winter, they move away from the coasts. Once spring and summer comes, they will move back. Beluga whales like shallow Arctic waters, and are usually found near the coast. Their migration patterns vary, as some move by season and others stick to a small local area.
Humans’ effect on where whales live
Unfortunately, we humans influence where whales can be found. The usual natural habitat of these beautiful animals may change due to our behavior. The reasons are climate change, military activity, and the decline of their sources of food in some areas.
If you choose a good whale watching tour there may be information given on threats to the local whale life.
