Curious About Whales

PODCAST 121: CURIOUS ABOUT WHALES
RELEASE DATE:  JANUARY 24TH, 2021

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.  IT’S GOING TO BE HUGE, AND BY HUGE I MEAN MASSIVE, AND BY MASSIVE I MEAN ENORMOUS.  OLIVIA, AM I MISSING ANY WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW BIG THIS EPISODE IS GOING TO BE?

O:  IT’S GOING TO BE GIGANTIC AND HUMUNGOUS.

D:  NICELY DONE.  EVEN THE BIGGEST PODCASTS NEED TO START SOMEWHERE, SO WHAT BETTER WAY TO START THIS EPISODE THAN A DOUBLE MAILBAG.  WE HAVE TWO LISTENERS THAT ARE VERY CURIOUS ABOUT THE SAME TOPIC.

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“HELLO OLIVIA,
I RECENTLY STARTED LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST AND I LOVE IT.  MY FAVORITE EPISODE SO FAR IS THE ONE ON WATERFALLS.  IT WAS NEAT TO LEARN THAT WATERFALLS COULD FULLY FREEZE.  I HAVE A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR UPCOMING EPISODES.  I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU WOULD GET CURIOUS ABOUT ELIZABETH THE FIRST, WHALES, AND ROBOTS.  THANK YOU FOR KEEPING US CURIOUS. 

ELISE OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.”

O:  THANKS FOR THE E-MAIL, ELISE.  WE GOT CURIOUS ABOUT ROBOTS 2 WEEKS AGO, AND THIS WEEK WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT WHALES FOR YOU!

D:  THAT’S RIGHT.  WE RECEIVED THIS E-MAIL AFTER WE RECORDED THE EPISODE ON ROBOTS, BUT WE JUST HAPPEN TO BE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT 2 OF ELISE’S TOPICS THIS MONTH.  ONE OTHER THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT.  ELISE’S FAVORITE EPISODE OF CURIOUS KID PODCAST IS CURIOUS ABOUT WATERFALLS.  WHEN WE HEAR FROM OUR LISTENERS BY E-MAIL OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA, MANY OF THEM TELL US ABOUT THEIR FAVORITE EPISODES.  IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT MORE PEOPLE TELL US THEY LOVE CURIOUS ABOUT WATERFALLS THAN ANY OTHER EPISODE WE’VE DONE BEFORE, SO IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD IT YET, GO BACK AND LISTEN TO EPISODE 64 ON WATERFALLS.

O:  OUR SECOND E-MAIL COMES FROM OUR HOME STATE OF NEW JERSEY.  

D:  “HI OLIVIA AND JACOB,
MY NAME IS JONAH, AND I LIVE IN WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY.  I AM SIX YEARS OLD AND JUST GRADUATED KINDERGARTEN.  MY SISTER ABBY AND I ARE HUGE FANS OF THE PODCAST.  WE HAVE LISTENED TO EVERY SINGLE ONE.  WE CAN’T WAIT UNTIL SUNDAYS TO LISTEN TO THE NEWEST SHOWS.  I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU CAN HAVE AN EPISODE ABOUT WHALES.  MY FAVORITE WHALE IS THE BLUE WHALE.  WHALES ARE SO INTERESTING, AND I LOVE TO READ AND LEARN ABOUT THEM.  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND STAY SAFE.  WE LOVE YOU.

JONAH FROM WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY”

O:  THANKS FOR THE AWESOME E-MAIL, JONAH, AND CONGRATS ON YOUR GRADUATION.  I ALSO GRADUATED FROM KINDERGARTEN IN THE SPRING.  

D:  THERE WAS SOMETHING I FOUND REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT THIS LISTENER SUGGESTION.  AN AWESOME LITTLE MAN NAMED JONAH REQUESTED AN EPISODE ABOUT WHALES.  I’M NOT SURE IF YOU KNOW THIS, BUT THERE IS A FAMOUS STORY FROM THE BIBLE ABOUT JONAH AND THE WHALE.  YOUR LITTLE BROTHER IS NOAH, AND OF COURSE, THERE IS A FAMOUS BIBLICAL STORY ABOUT A MAN NAMED NOAH TOO.

O:  YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT NOAH’S ARK.  NOAH BUILT AN ARK TO PROTECT HIM AND TWO OF EACH ANIMAL FROM A TERRIBLE STORM.

D:  THAT’S RIGHT.  IN FACT, NOAH’S ARK WAS THE THEME FOR NOAH’S SECOND BIRTHDAY PARTY… OUR LITTLE NOAH LOVES ANIMALS.  NOW, THE STORY ABOUT JONAH AND THE WHALE MIGHT NOT BE QUITE AS WELL KNOWN AS THE ONE ABOUT NOAH’S ARK, BUT IT’S A GREAT STORY AND IT TEACHES A NICE LESSON, SO LET’S LEARN MORE ABOUT IT BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR WHALE OF A TOPIC.  

O:  THERE WAS A MAN NAMED JONAH THAT LIVED A LONG TIME AGO.  ACCORDING TO THE STORY, GOD TOLD JONAH TO GO TO A TOWN AND TELL THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE TO STOP BEING BAD.

D:  THE NAME OF THE TOWN WAS NINEVEH, AND THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED THERE WERE BAD, SO GOD WANTED JONAH TO TELL THEM TO KNOCK IT OFF.  THERE WAS ONE PROBLEM THOUGH.  JONAH DIDN’T WANT TO GO TO NINEVEH.  INSTEAD, HE WANTED THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE TO BE PUNISHED FOR BEING BAD.

O:  SO, INSTEAD OF GOING TO NINEVEH LIKE GOD ASKED, JONAH TRIED TO TAKE A SHIP TO ANOTHER CITY.  

D:  WELL, JONAH BOARDED A SHIP WITH LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE ON IT, BUT THE SHIP WAS NOT GOING TO NINEVEH.  BAD THINGS STARTED TO HAPPEN ONCE THE SHIP LEFT THE SHORE.  A TERRIBLE STORM CAME OUT OF NOWHERE AND ROCKED THE BOAT ALL OVER THE PLACE.

O:  THE PEOPLE ON THE BOAT THOUGHT IT WAS JONAH’S FAULT THAT THE TERRIBLE STORM WAS HAPPENING.

D:  JONAH EVEN AGREED THAT THE STORM WAS HIS FAULT.  NOT WANTING TO HURT JONAH, THE OTHER PEOPLE ON THE SHIP TRIED THEIR BEST TO ROW THE BOAT TO SAFETY, BUT THE STORM JUST GOT WORSE AND WORSE.  THEY FINALLY DECIDED THE BEST THING TO DO WOULD BE TO THROW JONAH INTO THE SEA.  

O:  THE STORM CLEARED RIGHT AFTER JONAH WAS THROWN FROM THE SHIP.

D:  AND, THIS IS WHERE THINGS GET INTERESTING.  A WHALE CAME UP AND SWALLOWED JONAH.  THE WHALE WAS SENT BY GOD TO PROTECT JONAH AND MAKE SURE HE DOESN’T DROWN.

O:  JONAH LIVED IN THE WHALE FOR THREE DAYS.

D:  CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE LIVING IN A WHALE FOR THREE DAYS?

O:  I’M GUESSING I WOULD BE ABLE TO WATCH ANY TV.

D:  THAT’S A PRETTY SURE BET.  SO, HOW DID JONAH SPEND THE TIME SINCE HE COULDN’T WATCH TV?  HE TOLD GOD HE WAS SORRY FOR RUNNING AWAY AND HE THANKED GOD FOR SENDING THE WHALE TO PROTECT HIM FROM DROWNING IN THE SEA.

O:  AFTER THREE DAYS, THE WHALE SPIT JONAH OUT ON LAND.

D:  THEN, GOD ASKED JONAH, WHO AT THIS POINT WAS PROBABLY PRETTY SMELLY AFTER BEING INSIDE A WHALE FOR THREE DAYS, TO GO TO NINEVEH AND DO WHAT HE HAD ALREADY ASKED… TELL THE PEOPLE THERE TO STOP BEING BAD.   

O:  THIS TIME, JONAH LISTENED TO GOD.  HE WARNED THE PEOPLE THAT GOD WOULD DESTROY THEIR CITY IN FORTY DAYS IF THEY DON’T STOP BEING BAD.

D:  AND GUESS WHAT?  AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE STORY OF JONAH AND THE WHALE, THE PEOPLE OF NINEVEH BELIEVED WHAT JONAH WAS TELLING THEM, AND THEY STARTED BEING GOOD.  BECAUSE THEY WERE GOOD, GOD DID NOT DESTROY THE CITY OF NINEVEH.  UNFORTUNATELY, JONAH DIDN’T LEARN HIS LESSON YET.  HE LEFT NINEVEH SAD, BECAUSE HE WANTED GOD TO PUNISH THEM FOR BEING BAD.  THAT’S WHEN GOD TOLD JONAH THAT HE LOVES EVERYONE AND THAT HE WOULD RATHER SEE PEOPLE TRY TO BE BETTER THAN PUNISH THEM.

O:  THAT’S A REALLY NICE STORY THAT TEACHES ALL OF US SOMETHING IMPORTANT.

D:  I AGREE.  EVEN THOUGH THE STORY DIDN’T REALLY TEACH US MUCH ABOUT WHALES, I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS AWESOME THAT JONAH REQUESTED WE GET CURIOUS ABOUT WHALES, AND FIGURED IT WOULD BE NICE LEARNING ABOUT THE BIBLICAL STORY.  NOW, LET’S GET STARTED LEARNING ABOUT WHALES.  WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT IS THE CLOSEST RELATIVE OF THE WHALE?

D:  OKAY, YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO PAY ATTENTION, BECAUSE WE WILL GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF CLUES THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE TO HELP YOU NARROW DOWN THE ANSWER.  OKAY, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHALES, THERE IS ONE THING WE KNOW ABOUT THEM THAT USUALLY COMES TO MIND FIRST.

O:  THE ARE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BIG.

D:  THAT’S NO JOKE.  THEY ARE SERIOUSLY GIGANTIC.  THE BLUE WHALE, WHICH IS THE LARGEST OF THE WHALES, IS ALSO THE LARGEST ANIMAL TO EVER ROAM THE EARTH.

O:  DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THE BLUE WHALE IS BIGGER THAN DINOSAURS?

D:  THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I’M TELLING YOU.  BLUE WHALES ARE BIGGER THAN ANY OF THE DINOSAURS.  BLUE WHALES CAN GROW TO A SIZE OF 100 FEET LONG AND 300,000 POUNDS.  

O:  THE HEART OF A BLUE WHALE IS THE SIZE OF A SMALL CAR.
D:  CHECK THIS OUT… A BLUE WHALE’S TONGUE IS SO BIG THAT THERE IS ENOUGH ROOM ON THERE FOR ABOUT 50 PEOPLE TO STAND.  IT TURNS OUT JONAH MIGHT HAVE BEEN PRETTY COMFORTABLE WITH THAT MUCH SPACE.

O:  ANOTHER CRAZY FACT COMING AT YOU… WHALES ARE NOT FISH, THEY ARE MAMMALS.

D:  THAT’S RIGHT.  WHALES ARE MAMMALS, LIKE US.  THAT MEANS THAT THEY ARE WARM-BLOODED, THEY HAVE HAIR, THEY BREATHE AIR, AND THEY FEED THEIR BABIES MILK MADE FROM THEIR BODIES.  SO, IF YOU ARE STILL THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER TO OUR QUESTION OF THE WEEK, THAT’S A CLUE.  WHALES ARE NOT FISH, THEY ARE MAMMALS.

O:  SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT WHALES USED TO LIVE ON LAND.

D:  SO, BEFORE ALL OF YOU START WONDERING WHAT IN THE WORLD WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK OUT THE EPISODE WE DID ON EVOLUTION.  IT WAS EPISODE NUMBER 38.  IN THAT EPISODE, WE LEARNED THAT SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT HUMANS CAME FROM APES MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.  

O:  MANY SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT WHALES EVOLVED FROM HOOFED MAMMALS.

D:  PERHAPS SOMETHING LIKE A COW, BUT DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT LIVED ON LAND.  THEN, AT SOME POINT, THESE ANIMALS LIVED ON THE LAND AND IN THE SEA, KIND OF LIKE SEA LIONS.  THEN, AT SOME POINT, THEY TRANSITIONED TO SPENDING THEIR ENTIRE LIVES IN THE SEA, WITH NO NEED FOR THEIR FUR OR LEGS ANYMORE.  OVER THE MILLIONS OF YEARS, THE LEGS VANISHED FROM WHALES BECAUSE THEY WERE NO LONGER NEEDED IN THE SEA.  THERE IS SOME EVIDENCE THAT THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED.  PALEONTOLOGISTS HAVE FOUND FOSSILS THAT RESEMBLE WHALES WITH TINY LEGS.  

O:  SCIENTISTS THINK THAT WHALES WENT FROM LAND TO SEA LOOKING FOR FOOD.

D:  THE SEA IS FULL OF YUMMY FISH FOR WHALES TO ENJOY, AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WHALES HAVE A REALLY BIG APPETITE.  

O:  SINCE WHALES ARE MAMMALS, THEY NEED TO BREATHE AIR.  HOW DO THEY DO THAT IN THE SEA?

D:  GREAT QUESTION.  WHALES HAVE A BLOWHOLE ON THE TOP OF THEIR HEADS.  IN ORDER TO TAKE A BREATH, THE WHALE NEEDS TO SWIM UP TO THE SURFACE AND INHALE AIR THROUGH THE BLOWHOLE.  

O:  WHALES DON’T SQUIRT WATER OUT OF THEIR BLOWHOLES EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE THEY DO.

D:  WHEN A WHALE COMES UP TO THE SURFACE, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE SPITTING WATER UP FROM THEIR BLOWHOLES, THEY ARE ACTUALLY JUST EXHALING, OR BREATHING OUT THE AIR IN THEIR LUNGS.  BECAUSE THE EXHALED AIR IS WARMER THAN THE SURROUNDING AIR, IT QUICKLY CONDENSES TO BECOME A LIQUID, SO IT LOOKS AS THOUGH WHALES ARE SQUIRTING WATER, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE REALLY JUST BREATHING OUT.  

O:  UNLIKE HUMANS, WHALES HAVE CONSCIOUS BREATHING.

D:  THIS IS A FASCINATING FACT.  CONSCIOUS BREATHING MEANS THAT WHALES HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHEN TO TAKE THEIR BREATHS BECAUSE THEY CAN’T INHALE IF THEY ARE DEEP UNDERWATER.  IT’S VERY DIFFERENT FROM HUMANS.  ALL YOU LISTENERS OUT THERE ARE BREATHING AS YOU LISTEN TO THE PODCAST.  THAT’S AUTOMATIC. YOU DON’T NEED TO THINK ABOUT BREATHING.  WHALES, ON THE OTHER HAND, NEED TO THINK ABOUT BREATHING.         

O:  WHALES DON’T NEED TO TAKE AS MANY BREATHS AS HUMANS.

D:  A PERSON MIGHT TAKE ABOUT 15 BREATHS PER MINUTE.  MANY WHALES CAN GO ONE OR TWO HOURS ON A SINGLE BREATH.  

O:  HOW DO WHALES SLEEP IF THEY NEED TO MAKE SURE TO BREATHE EVERY HOUR OR TWO?

D:  WELL, THEY DON’T REALLY SLEEP LIKE HUMANS.  LIKE YOU SAID, EVEN THOUGH THEY ONLY TAKE ONE BREATH EVERY HOUR OR TWO, IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THEY GET THAT BREATH, OR THEY COULD DIE.  IN ORDER TO BE SAFE, WHALES ARE NEVER FULLY UNCONSCIOUS.  WHAT WHALES DO IS THEY LET HALF OF THEIR BRAINS SLEEP AT A TIME, SO IT’S KIND OF LIKE THAT GROGGY STATE YOU MIGHT BE IN RIGHT BEFORE YOU FALL ASLEEP, WHEN YOU’RE NOT TOTALLY AWAKE BUT ALSO NOT ASLEEP.  

O:  WHALES ALSO HAVE A WAY TO ADAPT TO THE VERY COLD TEMPERATURES IN THE SEA.

D:  WHALES HAVE A THICK LAYER OF FAT, ALSO CALLED BLUBBER, THAT SURROUNDS THEIR MUSCLES AND HELPS KEEP THEIR BODIES WARM.  

O:  ALL WHALES ARE CARNIVORES, SO THEY EAT MEAT.

D:  DIFFERENT WHALES HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING THIS.  THERE ARE TOOTHED WHALES, LIKE THE SPERM WHALE, THAT HUNT THEIR PRAY THE SAME WAY THAT A SHARK WOULD.  THERE ARE ALSO BALEEN WHALES (BUH-LEEN) THAT ARE TOOTHLESS.  INSTEAD OF TEARING INTO THEIR FOOD WITH TEETH, BALEEN WHALES HAVE HUNDREDS OF BLADES IN THEIR MOUTH MADE OF KERATIN… THAT’S THE SAME STUFF IN OUR FINGER AND TOENAILS.  THOSE BLADES ARE USED AS A FILTER.  THESE WHALES EAT SMALL PREY LIKE CRUSTACEANS (SUCH AS CRABS AND SHRIMP), PLANKTON, AND SMALL FISH BY FILTERING THEIR FOOD USING THE BLADES IN THEIR MOUTH AND SWALLOWING THEIR FOOD WHOLE.  BALEEN WHALES INCLUDE BLUE WHALES AND HUMPBACK WHALES.      

O:  WHALES ARE VERY SMART AND CAN COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER.

D:  WATER CONDUCTS SOUNDS VERY WELL.  WHALES ARE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER WHALES FROM HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY… NO TELEPHONE NEEDED.  

O:  WHALES ARE VERY LOUD.  BLUE WHALES ARE THE LARGEST, AND LOUDEST ANIMALS ON EARTH.

D:  JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW LOUD BLUE WHALES ARE, THEIR CALLS CAN GET UP TO 185 DECIBELS.  A JET PLANE ISN’T EVEN AS LOUD, GETTING UP TO 140 DECIBELS.  AND, BECAUSE WATER CONDUCTS SOUND SO WELL, THE CALL OF A BLUE WHALE IS MANY TIMES LOUDER THAN A JET PLANE.  

O:  WHALES ARE VERY GOOD TRAVELERS.  WHALES ARE EVEN CAPABLE OF SWIMMING AROUND THE ENTIRE EARTH. 

D:  WHALES OFTEN SWIM CLOSE TO THE EQUATOR WHERE IT IS WARMER DURING THE COLD WINTER MONTHS.  THEN, IN THE SUMMER, THEY SWIM UP TO THE ARCTIC, WHERE THERE IS USUALLY LOTS OF YUMMY FOOD FOR THEM TO ENJOY.  WHALES CAN BE FOUND IN EVERY OCEAN ON EARTH.     
          
O:  MALE WHALES ARE CALLED BULLS, FEMALES ARE CALLED COWS, AND BABIES ARE CALLED CALVES.  

D:  THEY ALSO LIVE IN FAMILIES CALLED PODS.  WHALES ARE BORN TAIL FIRST TO LIMIT THE RISK OF DROWNING.  GET READY FOR THIS CRAZY STATISTIC.  BABY BLUE WHALES, OR CALVES, DRINK ABOUT 50 GALLONS OF MILK EVERY DAY.

O:  I WAS A BIG MILK DRINKER A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT IT TOOK ME A COUPLE OF DAYS TO GO THROUGH A GALLON.

D:  BLUE WHALES ARE ALSO CAPABLE OF PUTTING ON 10 POUNDS AN HOUR AS THEY GROW.  

O:  AND THEY AREN’T SMALL TO BEGIN WITH.  A NEWBORN CALF WAYS MORE THAN A GROWN UP ELEPHANT.  

D:  THAT’S INCREDIBLE!  LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  WHICH ANIMAL IS THE CLOSEST RELATIVE OF THE WHALE?

O:  THE CLOSEST WHALE RELATIVE IS THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.

D:  ISN’T THAT CRAZY?  IF YOU HEARD OUR EPISODE ON DINOSAURS,  EPISODE 16, WE LEARNED WHICH CURRENTLY LIVING ANIMAL IS THE CLOSEST RELATIVE TO THE DINOSAUR, AND THE ANSWER WAS EXTREMELY SHOCKING.  THIS ONE IS ALSO UNEXPECTED.  IT IS BELIEVED THAT WHALES AND HIPPOS SHARE A COMMON ANCESTOR ABOUT 50 MILLION YEARS AGO BEFORE WHALES STARTED TO ADAPT THEMSELVES TO LIVE IN THE SEA.      

O:  BEFORE WE GO, CHECK OUT THIS AWESOME REVIEW WE GOT FROM A LISTENER IN AUSTRALIA.

D:  IT SAYS “HELLOOOOOO… I AM SAM AND I AM 7 YEARS OLD.  I LIVE IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA AND I AM CURIOUS ABOUT DOGS.”

O:  THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW, SAM.

D:  THANKS.  WE TRULY APPRECIATE IT WHEN ANY OF OUR LISTENERS TAKE A MINUTE OR TWO TO LEAVE US A REVIEW.  IT HELPS US OUT MORE THAN YOU KNOW.  AND IT WAS VERY CLEVER TO TELL US WHAT YOU WERE CURIOUS ABOUT IN THE REVIEW.  WE ARE TOTALLY GOING TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT DOGS FOR YOU IN JUST A FEW WEEKS, SO STAY TUNED. WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  121 - WHALES

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB ELISE AND JONAH FOR THE FANTASTIC TOPIC SUGGESTION AND TO SAM FOR THE REVIEW.  IF YOU WANT TO LET US KNOW WHAT YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT, SEND AN E-MAIL TO CURIOUSKIDPODCAST@GMAIL.COM, OR BETTER YET, LEAVE US A 5 STAR REVIEW, SO WE CAN GET CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR TOPIC AND YOU CAN HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT CURIOUS KID PODCAST AT THE SAME TIME.  THIS IS THE LONGEST EPISODE OF THE SEASON, AND WHY SHOULDN’T IT BE… IT’S ABOUT WHALES!  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE GET CURIOUS ABOUT DRONES FOR LISTENERS IN PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.