Posted
on February 14, 2015
While
many people are celebrating Valentine's Day, some folks are
celebrating whales. And it's not because we associate hearts with
Valentine's Day, and blue whales have the largest hearts of any
living creature...
Did you know that a blue
whale's heart is the size of a small car?
It can weigh over 1,500
pounds (680 kg)!
The aorta is large enough
for an adult human to crawl through!
The blue whale's huge heart often
beats just 5 or 6 times per minute – sometimes even fewer! –
whereas human hearts beat around 70 times per minute (while resting).
Anyway...
World
Whale Day occurs on the second Saturday of February. It just so
happens that THIS year, that falls on Valentine's Day!
In
Maui, World Whale Day is a big deal. Last year 23,000 visitors and
residents joined in with the Kalama Park Whale Day celebration. The
day honors the humpback whales that go to Maui every winter. There is
a Parade of Whales with costumed sea characters and floats of all
sorts created by local organizations and schools. There is a concert,
a dance party, tons of food booths, a carnival, an artisans' fair,
and an auction.
All
the proceeds of the auction go to the Pacific Whale Foundation. I'm not sure, but there
may be other ways that the parade and fair connect with...you know, actual whales!!!
- Check out Enchanted Learning's website about humpback whales.
- Here is a super-short video about a famous photo of humpback whales.
- And here is a longer video about the songs of the humpback.
Also
on this date:
Plan
ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
