OT: London urcs

In article <[email hidden]>,

wafflycat (w*a*ff£y£cat*@£btco*nn£ect.com) said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

a whale is swimming up the Thames. Kid you not!

Spotted near Westminster bridge, according to the Ministry of Lies and
Filth.

"Some people think it has lost its way or is not feeling well" said a
professional stater of the bleeding obvious.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative.

wafflycat said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

It obviously misread the subject line as "London orcas" and has come
looking for its mates

wafflycat said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

a whale is swimming up the Thames. Kid you not!

Is there a problem with entering fresh water for whales?
Shame I missed it, off work today. The only times I have seen wild
dolphins were from ferries (once in the channel and once in the Shannon)

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

wafflycat said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

a whale is swimming up the Thames. Kid you not!

Is there a problem with entering fresh water for whales?
Shame I missed it, off work today. The only times I have seen wild
dolphins were from ferries (once in the channel and once in the Shannon)

Are you sure its not the deputy PM out for a swim?

He could have come down the North Sea from Hull.

Rusty Spokes said:

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

wafflycat said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

a whale is swimming up the Thames. Kid you not!

Is there a problem with entering fresh water for whales?
Shame I missed it, off work today. The only times I have seen wild
dolphins were from ferries (once in the channel and once in the Shannon)

Are you sure its not the deputy PM out for a swim?

He could have come down the North Sea from Hull.

Naah, he's probably in the Maldives

wafflycat said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

a whale is swimming up the Thames. Kid you not!

It's trying to find its way to the Japanese Embassy in Berlin >🙂

MartinM said:

wafflycat said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

a whale is swimming up the Thames. Kid you not!

Is there a problem with entering fresh water for whales?

dunno, but the Thames is still salty at that point

best wishes
james

MartinM said:

wafflycat said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

a whale is swimming up the Thames. Kid you not!

Is there a problem with entering fresh water for whales?

They wouldn't have the same swim-bladder problems that fish have, since
they breathe air. Their skins seem pretty water-tight in a way
different from fish, too.

So my guess would be - "no".

But I'm a physicist, not a biologist, so what do I know?

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

wafflycat said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

a whale is swimming up the Thames. Kid you not!

Is there a problem with entering fresh water for whales?

At that point in the river it may well have a high salt content, depending
upon whether the tide is coming in or going out!

Alan

Quoted message said:

Shame I missed it, off work today. The only times I have seen wild
dolphins were from ferries (once in the channel and once in the Shannon)

Alan Holmes said:

"MartinM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

wafflycat said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

a whale is swimming up the Thames. Kid you not!

Is there a problem with entering fresh water for whales?

The problem for fish is keeping their gills functioning - like lungs
their blood comes within a few cell walls of the otside water. That's
bad news if there's a big osmotic pressure between the two.

As whales are air-breathing mammales, albeit waterproof ones I'd guess
fresh water wouldn't be a problem.

Alex

MartinM said:

Is there a problem with entering fresh water for whales?
Shame I missed it, off work today. The only times I have seen wild
dolphins were from ferries (once in the channel and once in the Shannon)

One of the most magical moments of my life was spending half an hour
scuba diving with two schools of wild dolphins. They were clearly
showing off to this ungainly air-creature invading their environment

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

Sorry to report it died at approx 1900 while being taken downstream.

"wafflycat" <w*a*ff£y£cat*@£btco*nn£ect.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

If you pop along to the Thames this lunchtime, you may catch sight of
something not often seen in the capital...

a whale is swimming up the Thames. Kid you not!

Cheers, helen s

Nothing new in that!
I watched one (not sure what type but longer than 5 metres) almost exactly
50 years ago as it swam up the Nene past Sutton Bridge.
If it's going to happen regular as clockwork every 50 years or so then it
could be commoner than some bus services.

Paul