Interview interrupted by the largest animal to ever exist
September 2, 2015 8:08 PM Subscribe
That's astounding footage. Such a magnificent creature. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
posted by key_of_z at 8:15 PM on September 2, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by key_of_z at 8:15 PM on September 2, 2015 [8 favorites]
Watching that brought tears to my eyes. Whales are the most beautiful, wondrous animals. If it were up to me, we'd have Whale Week rather than Shark Week (heresy, I know).
posted by sallybrown at 8:18 PM on September 2, 2015 [23 favorites]
posted by sallybrown at 8:18 PM on September 2, 2015 [23 favorites]
Beautiful.
I never like hearing that a non-human animal has made a "comeback", however, because it means that a few years from now some vile agglomeration of people will suggest that they need "culling".
I hope I live to see 12 Monkeys become reality, I really do.
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:21 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I never like hearing that a non-human animal has made a "comeback", however, because it means that a few years from now some vile agglomeration of people will suggest that they need "culling".
I hope I live to see 12 Monkeys become reality, I really do.
posted by turbid dahlia at 8:21 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
because it means that a few years from now some vile agglomeration of people will suggest that they need "culling".
By all means! We don't need those people.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:24 PM on September 2, 2015 [23 favorites]
By all means! We don't need those people.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:24 PM on September 2, 2015 [23 favorites]
Very beautiful. I love watching her (?) surface and breathe, surface and breathe. A beautiful majestic rhythm.
Could do without the TV nattering, but great video.
posted by Miko at 8:25 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Could do without the TV nattering, but great video.
posted by Miko at 8:25 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Pretty cool. I wonder if the head is shaped just that way to create just that wave action that allows for those breaths.
posted by Trochanter at 8:42 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by Trochanter at 8:42 PM on September 2, 2015
Astonishingly beautiful. Not ashamed to say it made me cry.
posted by donnagirl at 8:46 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by donnagirl at 8:46 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Anyone know where they were? A guy spotted a humpback whale breaching off the coast of Milford, CT this weekend. Something that hasn't been seen in the Sound for decades.
posted by any major dude at 8:54 PM on September 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by any major dude at 8:54 PM on September 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
The whale is majestic, but the narrator's exuberance and encyclopedic knowledge were just as riveting for me. We're witnessing not only the appearance of an incredible cetacean but also the dreams come true of an obviously passionate and ecstatic human.
posted by vverse23 at 8:55 PM on September 2, 2015 [38 favorites]
posted by vverse23 at 8:55 PM on September 2, 2015 [38 favorites]
Totally turned off by the narrator who made the whole thing seem faked.
posted by stevil at 9:02 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by stevil at 9:02 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I muted him pretty quick. I wasn't going to watch it because of him.
posted by Trochanter at 9:09 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Trochanter at 9:09 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Wow. Just wow.
posted by benito.strauss at 9:10 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by benito.strauss at 9:10 PM on September 2, 2015
I loved the narrator. He was so appropriately blown away.
posted by lesbiassparrow at 9:11 PM on September 2, 2015 [17 favorites]
posted by lesbiassparrow at 9:11 PM on September 2, 2015 [17 favorites]
The BBC/PBS Big Blue Live has been filming in and around Monterrey Bay. The host mentions Moss Landing and says the blue whale was south of them.
posted by mountmccabe at 9:13 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by mountmccabe at 9:13 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I saw a half dozen humpback whales breaching off the coast in Big Sur a few weeks back, but didn't know that the region also had blue whales. Thanks for posting. This makes me want to learn more.
posted by dhammond at 9:28 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by dhammond at 9:28 PM on September 2, 2015
That was wonderful! I love seeing people get excited about something they're passionate about and he was definitely beside himself with joy.
posted by angelchrys at 9:29 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by angelchrys at 9:29 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
/moves whale-watching trip higher on the priority list for this fall
We went on a trip a couple years ago, right out of San Francisco Bay and out to the Farallones. We saw a killer whale, which was awesome. But when we got out to the Farallones there were humpbacks out there, and some came by the boat (the captain cut the engine) and I was standing kind of by myself on one side of the boat when three of them surfaced and they looked at me, and I could see them seeing me, the way I was seeing them, and I burst into tears. I would love to have that experience with a blue whale. (But if not, just thinking about what the humpbacks looked like, looking at and seeing me, makes me kind of weepy all over again, so I count that as good and feel greedy wanting more.)
> Anyone know where they were?
Moss Landing (Monterey Bay).
posted by rtha at 9:30 PM on September 2, 2015 [27 favorites]
We went on a trip a couple years ago, right out of San Francisco Bay and out to the Farallones. We saw a killer whale, which was awesome. But when we got out to the Farallones there were humpbacks out there, and some came by the boat (the captain cut the engine) and I was standing kind of by myself on one side of the boat when three of them surfaced and they looked at me, and I could see them seeing me, the way I was seeing them, and I burst into tears. I would love to have that experience with a blue whale. (But if not, just thinking about what the humpbacks looked like, looking at and seeing me, makes me kind of weepy all over again, so I count that as good and feel greedy wanting more.)
> Anyone know where they were?
Moss Landing (Monterey Bay).
posted by rtha at 9:30 PM on September 2, 2015 [27 favorites]
The obvious joy and enthusiasm of the narrator enhanced the experience for me. It wasn't at all like the idiotic laughter on that recent video game post.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:32 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:32 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Poor bastard had to keep talking through the whole thing. That footage should had been awe-silent, except for a faint "wow..." every third seconds or so.
posted by gottabefunky at 9:37 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by gottabefunky at 9:37 PM on September 2, 2015
Incredible! What a magnificent beast. Normally I'd agree about the blathering, but he did sound genuinely excited, amazed and thrilled so I can't really hold it against him.
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 9:45 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 9:45 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
> Anyone know where they were?
As rtha said they're in the Monterey Bay. The Seymour Marine Discovery Center here in Santa Cruz has a blue whale skeleton outside, not as glorious as the live animal of course, but quite amazingly large and worth a visit.
posted by anadem at 9:59 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
As rtha said they're in the Monterey Bay. The Seymour Marine Discovery Center here in Santa Cruz has a blue whale skeleton outside, not as glorious as the live animal of course, but quite amazingly large and worth a visit.
posted by anadem at 9:59 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Big Blue Live special on pbs online. (episodes linked on the right)
posted by ladyriffraff at 10:04 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ladyriffraff at 10:04 PM on September 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I hope I live to see 12 Monkeys become reality, I really do.
I don't. I happen to love my kids and my friends' kids. Grandchildren would be nice. Kids will do that to you I suppose. Mea culpa.
Anyway, when I was a kid they were still capturing Killer whales in Pedder Bay near here, and down in Pugest Sound. The whales were herded with helicopters and dynamite, and were generally feared and loathed as "blackfish."
40 years later, the Killer whales are hunted no more, but their numbers are gradually declining in the Gulf of Georgia because of, essentially, climate change. The salmon aren't coming back.
In recent years, however, the Humpbacks have returned to the Inside Passage, as well as Finbacks, Seis, and even Blue whales are spotted from time to time.
It's a bit of a paradox to me, since the ecology in this part of the world is very fragile, and I fail to see what the big whales are feeding on.
In years past pilchards and anchovy populations experienced a cyclical population explosion, but the fishery collapsed a few years ago, so the big whales aren't feeding on them.
I wonder if the warmer waters are helping jacks and mackerel come further north, which in turn is attracting baleen whales.
Any whale experts out there?
posted by Nevin at 10:05 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
I don't. I happen to love my kids and my friends' kids. Grandchildren would be nice. Kids will do that to you I suppose. Mea culpa.
Anyway, when I was a kid they were still capturing Killer whales in Pedder Bay near here, and down in Pugest Sound. The whales were herded with helicopters and dynamite, and were generally feared and loathed as "blackfish."
40 years later, the Killer whales are hunted no more, but their numbers are gradually declining in the Gulf of Georgia because of, essentially, climate change. The salmon aren't coming back.
In recent years, however, the Humpbacks have returned to the Inside Passage, as well as Finbacks, Seis, and even Blue whales are spotted from time to time.
It's a bit of a paradox to me, since the ecology in this part of the world is very fragile, and I fail to see what the big whales are feeding on.
In years past pilchards and anchovy populations experienced a cyclical population explosion, but the fishery collapsed a few years ago, so the big whales aren't feeding on them.
I wonder if the warmer waters are helping jacks and mackerel come further north, which in turn is attracting baleen whales.
Any whale experts out there?
posted by Nevin at 10:05 PM on September 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
Filmed just a few days ago just a ways North of where Nevin is: Orcas in Lagoon Cove hunting dolphins. Jump to the 5 minute mark for the action.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 10:20 PM on September 2, 2015
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 10:20 PM on September 2, 2015
Totally turned off by the narrator who made the whole thing seem faked.
I think that’s partly the difference between "nature documentary" and "live event.” The BBC has a long tradition of ad lib live event coverage, sometimes profound and sometimes unintentionally hilarious, e.g. Thomas Woodrooffe’s 1937 commentary on the Spithead Review (“The fleet's lit up.”). If you are used to only seeing animals with a measured, overdubbed narration from the likes of David Attenborough, then the excited and slightly rambling style of the host might seem too much like a sports broadcast.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 10:28 PM on September 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
I think that’s partly the difference between "nature documentary" and "live event.” The BBC has a long tradition of ad lib live event coverage, sometimes profound and sometimes unintentionally hilarious, e.g. Thomas Woodrooffe’s 1937 commentary on the Spithead Review (“The fleet's lit up.”). If you are used to only seeing animals with a measured, overdubbed narration from the likes of David Attenborough, then the excited and slightly rambling style of the host might seem too much like a sports broadcast.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 10:28 PM on September 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
Metafilter: Totally turned off by the narrator who made the whole thing seem faked.
posted by standardasparagus at 10:32 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by standardasparagus at 10:32 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
You want not-seeming-to-be-fake? Try Blue Whale's Perfect Comedy Timing.
(And if you ever get close to a whale you will discover its breath is super stinky.)
posted by ShooBoo at 10:58 PM on September 2, 2015 [13 favorites]
(And if you ever get close to a whale you will discover its breath is super stinky.)
posted by ShooBoo at 10:58 PM on September 2, 2015 [13 favorites]
That had me blubbering.
posted by chavenet at 2:55 AM on September 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 2:55 AM on September 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
Thank you so much for posting that. I would never have seen it otherwise. Beautiful.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:02 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:02 AM on September 3, 2015
I think the presenter was just excited / relieved that they had actually got some decent footage as these things are always a bit of a gamble.... I remember a live fossil hunting one that was literally a washout when one of the sites was flooded
But the BBC has been accused of dumbing down it's nature coverage - especially in similar shows to this one. And there was the Queen's Thames pageant thing which was an utter disaster.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:03 AM on September 3, 2015
But the BBC has been accused of dumbing down it's nature coverage - especially in similar shows to this one. And there was the Queen's Thames pageant thing which was an utter disaster.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:03 AM on September 3, 2015
I wonder if the warmer waters are helping jacks and mackerel come further north, which in turn is attracting baleen whales.
Baleen whales will sometimes eat schooling fish, but their primary diet is krill. They can't eat big fish because their throats are very small (comparable to ours, IIRC).
posted by Benny Andajetz at 5:41 AM on September 3, 2015
Baleen whales will sometimes eat schooling fish, but their primary diet is krill. They can't eat big fish because their throats are very small (comparable to ours, IIRC).
posted by Benny Andajetz at 5:41 AM on September 3, 2015
Lovely! I watched that show last night, it was so good to hear that blue whales are coming back from near extinction.
posted by mermayd at 5:50 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by mermayd at 5:50 AM on September 3, 2015
I was dying for the boat to pull up alongside it for scale. I assume the first rule of blue whale-watching, though, is to stay the hell away from them.
posted by GrapeApiary at 6:21 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by GrapeApiary at 6:21 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
Any kind of scale would have been outstanding. These creatures are amazing but without context you lose a lot. Superimpose a graphic of their boat for a second maybe?
posted by quadbonus at 6:24 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by quadbonus at 6:24 AM on September 3, 2015
I assume the first rule of blue whale-watching, though, is to stay the hell away from them.
No, the first rule of blue whale-watching: You do not talk about blue whale-watching
posted by bitteroldman at 6:48 AM on September 3, 2015
No, the first rule of blue whale-watching: You do not talk about blue whale-watching
posted by bitteroldman at 6:48 AM on September 3, 2015
MetaFilter: too much like a sports broadcast.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:29 AM on September 3, 2015
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:29 AM on September 3, 2015
Brings to mind this 2009 article on human-whale interaction in the New York Times Magazine
I read before my journey to Baja of what happens to people when they come in contact with a whale, how they tend to go, literally and figuratively, a bit overboard: nearly tipping over boats for a passing touch; spontaneously breaking into song; crying out in ecstasy; or just flatout crying. Frohoff herself warned me as we were first boarding Dolphin II that morning that she was given to doffing her scientist hat in the presence of a whale, and sure enough, there was Fluffy, her microphone, set down for a moment beneath her seat, Frohoff dangling far out over the boat’s prow, arms outstretched, cooing and trilling at the approaching mother and calf. Another watcher in our boat began singing Broadway show tunes. I joined in.posted by ultraviolet catastrophe at 9:49 AM on September 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
Amazing. The CA coast is such a magnificent wonder.
posted by persona au gratin at 10:52 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by persona au gratin at 10:52 AM on September 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Knock knock!
- Who's there?
Interrupting blue whale!
- Interrupting blue wh人◕ ‿‿ ◕人
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:56 AM on September 3, 2015 [18 favorites]
- Who's there?
Interrupting blue whale!
- Interrupting blue wh人◕ ‿‿ ◕人
posted by Metroid Baby at 10:56 AM on September 3, 2015 [18 favorites]
Miko: Could do without the TV nattering, but great video.
Since that nattering is very educational to most of the audience, I'd suggest your volume control isn't too difficult to master.
posted by IAmBroom at 12:37 PM on September 3, 2015
Since that nattering is very educational to most of the audience, I'd suggest your volume control isn't too difficult to master.
posted by IAmBroom at 12:37 PM on September 3, 2015
Eh, I'm done watching it. It's the whole style of the thing, like sports announcing. I am sure it plays well to a large audience that might not otherwise tune in to nature documentaries.
Doesn't make the video less awesome, though.
posted by Miko at 12:45 PM on September 3, 2015
Doesn't make the video less awesome, though.
posted by Miko at 12:45 PM on September 3, 2015
I loved the little flashback bit with the scientists trying to tag blue whales. Because they had to motor desperately to match speeds, wake foaming everywhere, because blue whales are *fast*.
posted by tavella at 12:49 PM on September 3, 2015
posted by tavella at 12:49 PM on September 3, 2015
Thanks for posting, excellent! Imagine what it would be like in a small fishing boat and one surfaces right by you..The announcers sincere coverage really made the video!
posted by Upon Further Review at 8:21 PM on September 3, 2015
posted by Upon Further Review at 8:21 PM on September 3, 2015
turbid dahlia: "I hope I live to see 12 Monkeys become reality, I really do."
The time travel part, sure. The 6,930,000,000 dead people, not so much.
But if you lived to see it happen, that would put you in the 1% of the population that survived! Sure, statistically it means you'd see everyone you ever loved killed off by disease, but on the other hand, if you met any MetaFilter survivors, you could relive old times by reviling each other for being part of "the one percent".
posted by Bugbread at 3:41 AM on September 4, 2015
The time travel part, sure. The 6,930,000,000 dead people, not so much.
But if you lived to see it happen, that would put you in the 1% of the population that survived! Sure, statistically it means you'd see everyone you ever loved killed off by disease, but on the other hand, if you met any MetaFilter survivors, you could relive old times by reviling each other for being part of "the one percent".
posted by Bugbread at 3:41 AM on September 4, 2015
the MOST PRIVILEGED 1% of all time, gasp!
posted by poffin boffin at 4:55 AM on September 4, 2015
posted by poffin boffin at 4:55 AM on September 4, 2015
Ecco The Dolphin taught me that the news reporter must now seek out the Asterite and travel back in time...
posted by sparkletone at 6:36 AM on September 4, 2015
posted by sparkletone at 6:36 AM on September 4, 2015
I wanted some sense of scale, too. I can't fathom how big they are (three school buses???).
posted by SassHat at 12:42 PM on September 4, 2015
posted by SassHat at 12:42 PM on September 4, 2015
There are loads of internet links about how big a blue whale is. I used to do a program where we shared these Nat Geo stats: tongue weighs as much as an elephant, heart is the size of a Volkswagen.
posted by Miko at 7:31 PM on September 4, 2015
posted by Miko at 7:31 PM on September 4, 2015
I'm always impressed by the one in the National History Museum in London the times I've visited (especially when I was a little kid and of course it was HUUUUUGE)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:03 AM on September 5, 2015
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:03 AM on September 5, 2015
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posted by Drinky Die at 8:11 PM on September 2, 2015 [2 favorites]