TPO 49 integrated essay

In the lecture, the professor discusses why the theories that humpback whales may be navigating by using the stars are not convincing. This opposes the reading, which states that humpback whales may be navigating by the stars as early human sailors did.

First, the lecturer asserts that there is no connection between intelligence and navigating by the stars. In fact, ducks use the stars for navigation despite the fact that they have moderate or ordinary intelligence. They use this method for navigation because they are born with this skill. This refutes the text, which claims that the whales' well-developed cognitive ability seems to provide a sound ability to use a complex, abstract system of sensory stimuli such as the night sky for direction.

Second, the speaker mentions that humpback whales migrate in straight lines due to the fact that they sense some kind of force that makes them form this kind of migration. Indeed, they have a small structure in their brains called biomagnetide, which supports the idea that they navigate through magnetic waves by using this part of their brains. On the other hand, the reading casts doubt on this point by proclaiming that humpback whales migrate in straight lines because they rely on stars at night to provide them with external signs.

Finally, the professor points out that the spy-hopping behavior of humpback whales is not related to star navigation. in fact, some sharks do the same behavior and they do not navigate through stars or migrate. Moreover, humpback whales do the same action even when there are no stars in the sky. This challenges the reading, which states that spy-hopping behavior can support the idea of star navigating because they look upward while they do so.