Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Stamp of the Day: Blue whale (Blåval)

Balaenoptera musculus - muscular indeed are these giants of the Earth.  I have never seen one, but I would love to.  This stamp is a joint issue between Sweden and Canada from 2010.  Very few whales reach Swedish waters, only some lost ones come in between Sweden and Denmark.  The Baltic See is too sweetwaterish (brackish) for most sea creatures to survive well there, so it is only along the West Coast of Sweden you can really see any small dolphins or smaller whales.  So Sweden weren't really in the whaling business. We stuck to herring, timber, and mechanical innovations like the ball bearings, dynamite, and gauge blocks. I wonder what whales are thinking when they swim in the ocean these days.... wouldn't it be interesting to know?

3 comments:

Katie H said...

Apropå this, did you see the recent article in AB?

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article14172700.ab

LS said...

Ah - a killer whale in the ocean outside Smögen, Sweden. How unusual and great!

Katie H said...

yeah, my brother's sworn not to be dragged behind the sailboat on warm summer days anymore, since he saw that clip. He doesn't want to appear too seal-like!