▶ Your Answer :
According to the reading, humpback whales
use stars to migrate long distances. If this is true, the mysteries how the
animals migrate could be solved. On the other hand, the lecturer brings up
several points which contradict this argument.
First of all, the speaker argues that
high-intelligence of humpback has nothing to do with their capability of using
stars. He uses an example of docks to illustrate this. Ducks' intelligence is
just on average among birds,but they know how to utilize stars in the sky by
instinct. This casts doubt on the reading passage which states that humpback
whales might able to use stellar for navigating since they are smart. The
writer maintains the whales' brains have a high degree of complexity, which
suggests they are intelligent and this might be linked to the ability to use
stars
Also, according to the lecturer, there are
other possibilities to explain how humpback whales go straightforward. The
whales actually have big magnitude in their brain, which can help them detect
the Earth's magnetic fields. In addition, these magnetic fields could be used
to migrate in straight lines. This refutes the reading passage's assertion that
humpback whales use stars to go directly to their destinations. The writer
insists there are some animals like birds which use external object to find a
way to go.
The
final point made by the lecturer is that there is no evidence that humpback
whales look at the stars. It is true that they float straight up for several
minutes, with their heads above the sea, which is called
"spy-hopping", but this does not indicate they are looking at stars.
Although this demeanor is performed throughout animals, sharks also do this.
Their purpose of this action is to find preys to eat. Furthermore, the time
when humpback whales do 'spy-hopping' is before the sun goes down. It means
they can't see the stars. This counters the writer's claim that spy-hopping
could be accepted as a proof that the whales actually see the stars in the sky. |