Inside a Humpback Whale Nursery
In Inside a Humpback Whale Nursery, narrator Sir David Attenborough discovers what a whale nursery is like. Explore the shallow seas where humpback whales sing to attract a mate, birth calves, and teach them to swim. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Lesson Express
Q: What are the world’s shallow seas like?
A: They lie on continental shelves; they’re rarely more than 650 feet (roughly 200 meters) deep; they can stretch for hundreds of miles; they make up just 8% of oceans but contain the vast majority of marine life.
Q: Why are huge humpback whales in the shallow seas?
A: This is their breeding ground; they’re looking for mates and raising calves.
Q: What type of environment does a humpback whale calf need? How is this environment different from what the mother whale needs?
A: A calf needs warm, calm, shallow water with few predators. There isn’t any plankton there to support food chains, so the mother is starving near the equator; she has to return to water near the poles where she can find food.
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