Swimming With Whales
What's 13-feet long, weighs 1,700 pounds and gives kisses?
The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler found out when she
Syler observed that belugas' looks are deceiving, since they're very gentle creatures.
Since they're natives of the Arctic, the water in their tank is kept at a chilly 55-56 degrees, and took some getting used to, even with a wetsuit on.
SeaWorld's Jon Peterson put a beluga named Spooky through her paces.
Spooky "spoke," "kissed" Syler, snorted as Syler "played piano" on her head, splashed Syler with water, rested her head on Syler's knee, and even let Syler put her hand in Spooky's mouth. Syler was somewhat surprised to learn that belugas have dull teeth, and that Spooky enjoys when humans put their hands in her mouth. You could tell, because she came closer as Syler did it.
As much fun as Syler had, she did point out that all the fish Spooky has eaten in her 27 years on earth has left her with bad breath. "She could use a breath mint!" Syler exclaimed.
Peterson pointed out that SeaWorld spent a lot of time getting its belugas used to people, and only recently started the program that enables guests to swim with the massive creatures.
"People ask how (we) get whales to do … tricks," Peterson said. "It's not tricks. We're not making them do any tricks, we're just taking natural behaviors and putting them on a signal. And they know when they do it, they get something and if they don't want to do it, it's no big deal. We don't mind. If you want to swim all day, swim all day. Everybody needs time off!"
"It's a little unnerving swimming next to such a large mammal," Syler conceded, "but they're so docile and playful, you learn to trust them."
"they're very curious," Peterson added. "They're very interested in everything that's going on, so when you sit down, they're watching you."
Belugas, Syler says, are the only whales that can actually turn their heads, and at the top of their heads is a soft spot referred to as "the melon."
"You can squoosh it," Peterson says.