Like many creatures, humpback whales migrate long distances for feeding and mating purposes. How animals manage to migrate long distances is often puzzling. In the case of humpback whales, we may have found the answer: they may be navigating by the stars, much as early human sailors did. What we know about humpback whales makes this a distinct possibility.
First, humpback whales seem to be intelligent enough to use stars to navigate by. Whales' brains have a high degree of complexity'a common determiner of intelligence. This suggests that the whales' brain power far exceeds that of most other animals. The whales' well-developed cognitive ability seems to provide a sound basis for the ability to use a complex, abstract system of sensory stimuli such as the night sky for orientation.
Second, humpback whales migrate in straight lines. Animals can maintain movement in a straight direction for long distances only if they orient themselves by some external objects or forces. Many birds and other terrestrial creatures, for example, use physical landmarks to help them stay on track as they migrate. Whales, which swim in the open ocean, cannot rely on land features; they could, however, rely on stars at night to provide them with external signs by which to maintain direction over long distances.
Third, humpback whales exhibit an unusual behavior: they are sometimes observed floating straight up for minutes at a time, their heads above the water as though they were looking upward. The behavior is known as spy-hopping, and it is very rare among marine animals. One explanation for the function of spy-hopping is that the whales are looking at the stars, which are providing them with information to navigate by.
In the reading passage, the author hypothesizes that humpback whales may navigate by the stars and with 3 supporting evidence. However, the speaker contradicts that the reasons in the reading are not convincing and refutes them one by one.
Firstly, the author claims that humpback whales are quite intelligent due to its well-developed brain, allowing great cognitive ability to orient by stars. On the contrary, the speaker refutes that great intelligence does not form a close connection with the ability to navigate by stars. There are other animals using stars to navigate, like ducks. However, ducks' intelligence is just average. The ability to navigate by stars is more related to natural instinct rather than high intelligence.
Secondly, the author states that humpback whales , without the assistance of physical landmarks can still migrate in straight lines indicates they use stars to keep on track. Whereas, the speaker defends that the reason that keeps humpback whales swim in straight line is they can sense the Earth magnetic field. Humpback whales' brains contain biomagnetic substance, allowing them become sensitive to the Earth magnetic field and orient themselves.
Lastly, the author points out that the rare spy-hopping behaviour that humpback whales usually act suggests that they are looking at the stars to navigate. On the opposite, the lecturer argues that the spy-hopping has nothing to do with the stars. Many other animals possess that ability, like sharks. Chances are that sharks conduct spy-hopping neither for migration nor looking at stars, but looking for the preys.
Besides, the spy-hopping usually happen in the day time, when stars cannot be seen. Therefore, this evidence does not stand either.
| Post date | Users | Rates | Link to Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-01-28 | Amin1990 | 85 | view |
| 2019-12-19 | jewel | 80 | view |
| 2019-11-26 | shrjhn1234 | 73 | view |
| 2019-11-03 | jinjingcarol | 81 | view |
| 2019-11-01 | Seema Modak | 73 | view |
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Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 5, column 49, Rule ID: COMMA_PARENTHESIS_WHITESPACE
Message: Put a space after the comma, but not before the comma
Suggestion: ,
..., the author states that humpback whales , without the assistance of physical land...
^^
Line 5, column 176, Rule ID: SENTENCE_FRAGMENT[1]
Message: “Whereas” at the beginning of a sentence requires a 2nd clause. Maybe a comma, question or exclamation mark is missing, or the sentence is incomplete and should be joined with the following sentence.
...icates they use stars to keep on track. Whereas, the speaker defends that the reason th...
^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 412, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...owing them become sensitive to the Earth magnetic field and orient themselves. ...
^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
besides, but, first, firstly, however, lastly, look, may, second, secondly, so, still, therefore, well, whereas, on the contrary
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 9.0 10.4613686534 86% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 4.0 5.04856512141 79% => OK
Conjunction : 5.0 7.30242825607 68% => OK
Relative clauses : 14.0 12.0772626932 116% => OK
Pronoun: 21.0 22.412803532 94% => OK
Preposition: 34.0 30.3222958057 112% => OK
Nominalization: 9.0 5.01324503311 180% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1472.0 1373.03311258 107% => OK
No of words: 272.0 270.72406181 100% => OK
Chars per words: 5.41176470588 5.08290768461 106% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.06108636974 4.04702891845 100% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.6227668973 2.5805825403 102% => OK
Unique words: 152.0 145.348785872 105% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.558823529412 0.540411800872 103% => OK
syllable_count: 441.0 419.366225166 105% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.55342163355 103% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 1.0 3.25607064018 31% => OK
Article: 10.0 8.23620309051 121% => OK
Subordination: 1.0 1.25165562914 80% => OK
Conjunction: 1.0 1.51434878587 66% => OK
Preposition: 6.0 2.5761589404 233% => Less preposition wanted as sentence beginnings.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 16.0 13.0662251656 122% => OK
Sentence length: 17.0 21.2450331126 80% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 39.9106423777 49.2860985944 81% => OK
Chars per sentence: 92.0 110.228320801 83% => OK
Words per sentence: 17.0 21.698381199 78% => OK
Discourse Markers: 8.0 7.06452816374 113% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 4.09492273731 122% => OK
Language errors: 3.0 4.19205298013 72% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 10.0 4.33554083885 231% => Less positive sentences wanted.
Sentences with negative sentiment : 2.0 4.45695364238 45% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 4.0 4.27373068433 94% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.194485059523 0.272083759551 71% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0599454715654 0.0996497079465 60% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0444327338023 0.0662205650399 67% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0947679845911 0.162205337803 58% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0419793519349 0.0443174109184 95% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.6 13.3589403974 94% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 54.22 53.8541721854 101% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 5.55761589404 56% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 9.9 11.0289183223 90% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.8 12.2367328918 113% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.37 8.42419426049 99% => OK
difficult_words: 67.0 63.6247240618 105% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.5 10.7273730684 79% => OK
gunning_fog: 8.8 10.498013245 84% => OK
text_standard: 9.0 11.2008830022 80% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 81.6666666667 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 24.5 Out of 30
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.