19th-Century Weapon Found in Whale
BOSTON (AP) - A 50-ton bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month had a weapon fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt - more than a century ago. Embedded deep under its blubber was a 3 1/2-inch arrow-shaped projectile that has given researchers insight into the whale's age, estimated between 115 and 130 years old.
"No other finding has been this precise," said John Bockstoce, an adjunct curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
Calculating a whale's age can be difficult, and is usually gauged by amino acids in the eye lenses. It's rare to find one that has lived more than a century, but experts say the oldest were close to 200 years old.
The bomb lance fragment, lodged in a bone between the whale's neck and shoulder blade, was likely manufactured in New Bedford, on the southeast coast of Massachusetts, a major whaling center at that time, Bockstoce said.
It was probably shot at the whale from a heavy shoulder gun around 1890. The small metal cylinder was filled with explosives fitted with a time-delay fuse so it would explode seconds after it was shot into the whale. The bomb lance was meant to kill the whale immediately and prevent it from escaping.
The device exploded and probably injured the whale, Bockstoce said.
"It probably hurt the whale, or annoyed him, but it hit him in a non-lethal place," he said. "He couldn't have been that bothered if he lived for another 100 years."
Replies
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Beach Fanatic
Amazing story, imagine if we lived to be 130 😱
Beach Fanatic
HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!!!:yikes:
Admin
Who's killing 50 ton whales?
Darlene is my middle name, not my nickname
Who's killing 50 ton whales?
I wondered the same thing when I heard this on the news this morning. Why would they kill it? :idontno:
Moderator
Who's killing 50 ton whales?
This version of the story has been shortened. The original that I saw had a picture of the actual lance. The whale was taken by Alaskan Eskimos as part of their yearly quota. They found the tip when they were processing the whale.
Beach Fanatic
:scratch: :cuss:
Admin
This version of the story has been shortened. The original that I saw had a picture of the actual lance. The whale was taken by Alaskan Eskimos as part of their yearly quota. They found the tip when they were processing the whale.
How many eskimos does it take to eat a 50 ton whale? Is their quota more than one? Can't we give them casinos instead?
SoWal ExpertAuthor
Terms of the quota state that 51 bowheads may be hunted by the member villages of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, which comprises the Inupiat and Siberian Yupik tribes, and that five whales may be hunted by the Chukotkan Inuit in Russia.
See entire article here:
http://www.physorg.com/news100884005.html
See entire article here:
http://www.physorg.com/news100884005.html
Beach Lover
I wonder if they have a ''BlubberFest''? Nothin' better than some good blubber all deep fried and crunchy..... ....best costume made of blubber contest....Miss Blubber 2007 pageant...a little Bjork concert goin' on......a Blubber Toss......blubber spittin' contest........must be the mushrooms I had on my pizza......
Beach Comber
Speaking of whales ...
I'm sitting at the bar of the Venice Whale in Venice Beach, Cali last night and the guy next to me strikes up a conversation. He's SoCal-raised and bred and hasn't spent much time back east. He tells me he's always wanted to go to Myrtle Beach and says, "Myrtle Beach is in Kentucky, right?"
Damn near blew my quesadillas across the bar trying to keep from laughing.
I'm sitting at the bar of the Venice Whale in Venice Beach, Cali last night and the guy next to me strikes up a conversation. He's SoCal-raised and bred and hasn't spent much time back east. He tells me he's always wanted to go to Myrtle Beach and says, "Myrtle Beach is in Kentucky, right?"
Damn near blew my quesadillas across the bar trying to keep from laughing.
hmmmm......can't remember
Speaking of whales ...
I'm sitting at the bar of the Venice Whale in Venice Beach, Cali last night and the guy next to me strikes up a conversation. He's SoCal-raised and bred and hasn't spent much time back east. He tells me he's always wanted to go to Myrtle Beach and says, "Myrtle Beach is in Kentucky, right?"
Damn near blew my quesadillas across the bar trying to keep from laughing.
And yet, if you send a Southerner to SoCal, they'll make fun of our genteel accents and talk about how ignorant we are. Sheesh...:blink:
Beach Comber
NoHall, you're right about that. I've spent a fair amount of time in SoCal but this week I've come to the conclusion that the drivers here are equal to (or worse than) drivers in NYC. I'm not saying they're bad drivers or out of control, just that they never miss the slightest opening as they dash from lane to lane, stomp on the gas when the light turns green, and slam on the brakes one block later when the next light turns red. And, of course, everyone -- and I mean everyone -- is a one-handed driver. One hand on the wheel and the other one on the cell phone. I wonder how the local cell providers manage the signal traffic in this town.
Having said that, SoCal is wonderful for people watching.
Having said that, SoCal is wonderful for people watching.
Beach Lover
Speaking of whales ...It's pretty darn close.....NOT! some people.......never get out of their own backyard......oh well......to each his own.
I'm sitting at the bar of the Venice Whale in Venice Beach, Cali last night and the guy next to me strikes up a conversation. He's SoCal-raised and bred and hasn't spent much time back east. He tells me he's always wanted to go to Myrtle Beach and says, "Myrtle Beach is in Kentucky, right?"
Damn near blew my quesadillas across the bar trying to keep from laughing.
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