Saturday, January 4, 2020

Whales sleeping



The sperm whale is the largest toothed predator on Earth and perhaps the most gentle of all the whales we have had the pleasure of spending time with. @mitty is beautifully positioned to capture a peaceful moment of a sleeping mother. Able to dive to depths of over 6,000 feet, they are the second deepest diving animals on the planet. They travel to these unfathomable, perpetually inky depths to feed on squid. A lot of the whales we are encountering still have squid tentacles hanging out of their mouths as you can see here. After continuously diving to such extreme depths, the whales then park themselves vertically in the water column and go to sleep. What a privilege it is to have a tiny glimpse into the complex lives of these gentle giants. We are here in #dominica observing what it means to have a #blueeconomy. Stay tuned for more. Taken on assignment for @sealegacy Thank you @perniero__spermwhales #Captain Dave @kevin.joseph.3110 and @silvioscagliahaart. With @zodiacwatches @aqualungdivers and @sonyalpha #marvelsofnature #whale #spermwhale #naturelovers #explore #bw
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Fine Art Friday! Here are two completely different fine art photographs of the same situation and I appreciate them both equally. In the first photograph, you get an intimate glimpse into the world of “Soursap", the mother sperm whale and her calf, “Ariel” as they sleep vertically in the water column. The mother can sleep for up to two hours at a time between breaths. With a belly full of deep sea squid and their tentacles draped down her side, she lies there motionless as if in a trance. The only thing inhibiting this encounter is my own inability to hold my breath for longer periods of time. In the second photograph, it is nice to have Cristina (@mitty)in the photograph for scale and to demonstrate a peaceful and respectful interaction with a whale. On behalf of all of the wild creatures, we at @sealegacy thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your incredible support in 2019. Thank you for being part of our family in ocean conservation. 2020 is shaping up to be a very busy year and we are very proud to have you on this journey with us. #fineart #love #family #bw #blackandwhite #gratitude #nature #whale #spermwhale. Please contact Lauren at fineart@paulnicklen.com to inquire about any fine art. 🙏
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