The Arctic World : $b Its plants, animals, and natural phenomena. With a historical sketch of Arctic discovery, down to the British polar expedition: 1875-76.Anonymous
Science
The Arctic World : $b Its plants, animals, and natural phenomena. With a historical sketch of Arctic discovery, down to the British polar expedition: 1875-76.
Anonymous
Arctic regions; Arctic regions -- Discovery and exploration -- British
The black dolphin (_Globicephalus globiceps_) is also an
inhabitant of the Polar seas, both beyond Behring Strait, and between
Greenland and Spitzbergen. It is, however, frequently met with in
waters further south. Its length averages about twenty-four feet, and
its circumference ten feet. Its smooth oily skin is bluish-black on the
upper, and an obscure white on the lower, parts of the body. Twenty-two
or twenty-four strong interlocking teeth in each jaw form its
formidable apparatus of offence and defence; its dorsal fin is about
fifteen inches high; its tail five feet broad; the pectoral fins are
long and narrow, and well adapted to assist their owner in its rapid
movements. It consorts with its kind in herds of several hundreds,
under the guidance of some old and wary males, whom the rest follow as
docilely as a flock of sheep their bell-wether; hence the Shetlanders
term it the “ca’ing whale.” Large shoals are frequently stranded on the
shores of Norway, Iceland, and the Orkney, Faroe, and Shetland Isles,
furnishing the inhabitants with a welcome booty.
* * * * *
To the same latitudes belong the ferocious orc or grampus (_Delphinus
orca_), the tiger of the seas, which not only attacks the porpoise
and dolphin, but even the colossal whale. Its broad deep body is black
above and white beneath; the sides are marbled with black and white.
There are thirty teeth in each jaw, those in front being blunt, round,
and slender, while those behind are sharp and thick; and between each
is a space fitted to receive those of the opposite jaw when the mouth
is closed. The back fin of the grampus is of great size; sometimes
measuring as much as six feet in length, from the base to the tip.
The grampus generally voyages in small squadrons of four or five
individuals, following each other in single file, and alternately
rising and sinking in such a manner as to resemble the undulatory
motions of a huge kraken or sea-serpent.
* * * * *
Among the inhabitants of the Polar Ocean must certainly be included the
Polar bear (_Thalassarctos maritimus_), since it swims and dives
with great dexterity, and, moreover, is often found on the drifting
ice-floes at a distance of eighty to one hundred miles from land. It
is a creature of great strength, great fierceness, and great courage,
though we may not accept the exaggerated accounts of it which enliven
the narratives of the earlier voyagers.
[Illustration: POLAR BEARS.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account