Marine Biologists Solved a Wildlife Mystery From the Walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge: How the Harbor Porpoise Mates
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After spending hundreds of hours observing harbor porpoises from the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge, William Keener learned to say “porpoise” in a dozen languages. In German, it’s schweinswal, or “pig whale”; French uses marsouin, “sea pig”; and his favorite, Norwegian, is nise, from the word for “sneeze.” With these terms, he could explain to passing tourists why he was looking down at the water with binoculars.
Reported by 1 outlet — Smithsonian. See all sources ↓
After spending hundreds of hours observing harbor porpoises from the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge, William Keener learned to say “porpoise” in a dozen languages. In German, it’s schweinswal, or “pig whale”; French uses marsouin, “sea pig”; and his favorite, Norwegian, is nise, from the word for “sneeze.” With these terms, he could explain to passing tourists why he was looking down at the water with binoculars. Keener, a research biologist at the Marine Mammal Center of Sausalito, California, began standing on the bridge to watch the animals’ behavior. He didn’t intend to become an expert in harbor porpoise mating rituals.
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- What's the story?
- After spending hundreds of hours observing harbor porpoises from the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge, William Keener learned to say “porpoise” in a dozen languages. In German, it’s schweinswal, or “pig whale”; French uses marsouin, “sea pig”; and his favorite, Norwegian, is nise, from the word for “sneeze.” With these terms, he could explain to passing tourists why he was looking down at the water with binoculars.
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- 1 outlet, average source rating 7.0/10.
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- 12m ago.
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Marine Biologists Solved a Wildlife Mystery From the Walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge: How the Harbor Porpoise Mates
Sources1TypeCoverageSmithsonian