Wildlife - Norway - page 883

Possibly the largest animal to ever inhabit the earth, the longest blue whale ever caught
measured 33.58m; 50 people could fit on its tongue alone.
Marine Mammals
Whales
The seas around Norway are rich fishing grounds, due to the ideal summer conditions for
the growth of plankton. This wealth of nutrients also attracts fish and baleen whales, which
feed on the plankton, as well as other marine creatures that feed on the fish. Sadly, centur-
ies of whaling in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans have reduced several whale species
to perilously small populations. Apart from the minke whale, there's no sign that the num-
bers will ever recover in this area. Given this history, the variety of whale species in Nor-
way's waters is astonishing.
Minkehval (minke whales), one of the few whale species that is not endangered, meas-
ure around 7m to 10m long and weigh between 5 and 10 tonnes. They're baleen whales,
which means that they have plates of whalebone baleen rather than teeth, and migrate
between the Azores area and Svalbard.
Between Ålesund and Varangerhalvøya, it's possible to see knolhval (humpback
whales), baleen whales that measure up to 15m and weigh up to 30 tonnes. These are
among the most acrobatic and vocal of whales, producing deep songs that can be heard
and recorded hundreds of kilometres away.
Spekkhogger (killer whales), or orcas, are the top sea predators and measure up to 7m
and weigh around 5 tonnes. There are around 1500 off the coast of Norway, swimming in
pods of two or three. They eat fish, seals, dolphins, porpoises and other whales (such as
minke), which may be larger than themselves.
The long-finned grindhval (pilot whales), about 6m long, may swim in pods of up to
several hundred and range as far north as Nordkapp. Hvithval (belugas), which are up to
4m long, are found mainly in the Arctic Ocean.
The grey and white narhval (narwhal), which grow up to 3.5m long, are best recognised
by the peculiar 2.7m spiral ivory tusk that projects from the upper lip of the males. This
tusk is in fact one of the whale's two teeth and was prized in medieval times. Narwhal live
mainly in the Arctic Ocean and occasionally head upstream into freshwater.