Like many creatures, humpback whales migrate long distances for feeding and mating purposes. How animals manage to migrate long distances is often puzzling. In the case of humpback whales, we may have found the answer: they may be navigating by the stars, much as early human sailors did. What we know about humpback whales makes this a distinct possibility.
First, humpback whales seem to be intelligent enough to use stars to navigate by. Whales' brains have a high degree of complexity'a common determiner of intelligence. This suggests that the whales' brain power far exceeds that of most other animals. The whales' well-developed cognitive ability seems to provide a sound basis for the ability to use a complex, abstract system of sensory stimuli such as the night sky for orientation.
Second, humpback whales migrate in straight lines. Animals can maintain movement in a straight direction for long distances only if they orient themselves by some external objects or forces. Many birds and other terrestrial creatures, for example, use physical landmarks to help them stay on track as they migrate. Whales, which swim in the open ocean, cannot rely on land features; they could, however, rely on stars at night to provide them with external signs by which to maintain direction over long distances.
Third, humpback whales exhibit an unusual behavior: they are sometimes observed floating straight up for minutes at a time, their heads above the water as though they were looking upward. The behavior is known as spy-hopping, and it is very rare among marine animals. One explanation for the function of spy-hopping is that the whales are looking at the stars, which are providing them with information to navigate by.
Both the reading and speaking passage talk about the possibility of the humpback whales migrate long distances by navigating from the stars. The author proposes three explanations of the topic. However, the lecturer holds these points questionable.
First, the reading passage mentions that the humpbacks whales are intelligent to be navigated by stars. However, the professor argues that there is no relationship between intelligence and the ability to navigate using the stars. To be specific, some birds like ducks, also be navigated by the stars but their cognitive ability is just average. Their ability to locate themselves and move solely depends on their instincts rather than the recognization of stars.
Therefore, one can't assume that whales also use navigation since they are intelligent.
Second, the text states that humpback whales migrate in straight lines. Nonetheless, the speaker disputes that the straight-line navigation is mainly based on some external force or sign which the animals can sense. For instance, the brain in the humpback whales including a special substance called biomagnetic tide, which can interact with the earth's magnetic field. Therefore, the humpback whale may be navigated by the magnetic field on earth rather than by the stars.
Third, the writer suggests that the humpback whales utilize spy-hopping to look at the stars when they floating on the ocean. Nevertheless, the speaker points out that other animals also have this kind of behavior. For example, the sharks do not migrate but they use spy-hopping to hunt their prey. In addition, humpback whales also migrate in the daytime without any stars can be seen. Therefore, this explanation is not so convincing.
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Comments
Essay evaluations by e-grader
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 3, column 46, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'humpbacks'' or 'humpback's'?
Suggestion: humpbacks'; humpback's
..., the reading passage mentions that the humpbacks whales are intelligent to be navigated ...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 4, column 16, Rule ID: CANT[1]
Message: Did you mean 'can't' or 'cannot'?
Suggestion: can't; cannot
...recognization of stars. Therefore, one cant assume that whales also use navigation ...
^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, however, if, look, may, nevertheless, nonetheless, second, so, therefore, third, for example, for instance, in addition, kind of
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 11.0 10.4613686534 105% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 4.0 5.04856512141 79% => OK
Conjunction : 6.0 7.30242825607 82% => OK
Relative clauses : 10.0 12.0772626932 83% => OK
Pronoun: 18.0 22.412803532 80% => OK
Preposition: 32.0 30.3222958057 106% => OK
Nominalization: 8.0 5.01324503311 160% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1454.0 1373.03311258 106% => OK
No of words: 269.0 270.72406181 99% => OK
Chars per words: 5.40520446097 5.08290768461 106% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.0498419064 4.04702891845 100% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.7521197063 2.5805825403 107% => OK
Unique words: 151.0 145.348785872 104% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.561338289963 0.540411800872 104% => OK
syllable_count: 441.9 419.366225166 105% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.55342163355 103% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 2.0 3.25607064018 61% => OK
Article: 11.0 8.23620309051 134% => OK
Subordination: 0.0 1.25165562914 0% => More adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 0.0 1.51434878587 0% => OK
Preposition: 2.0 2.5761589404 78% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 17.0 13.0662251656 130% => OK
Sentence length: 15.0 21.2450331126 71% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 31.2129642128 49.2860985944 63% => OK
Chars per sentence: 85.5294117647 110.228320801 78% => OK
Words per sentence: 15.8235294118 21.698381199 73% => OK
Discourse Markers: 8.58823529412 7.06452816374 122% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 4.09492273731 122% => OK
Language errors: 2.0 4.19205298013 48% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 7.0 4.33554083885 161% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 3.0 4.45695364238 67% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 7.0 4.27373068433 164% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.325019956749 0.272083759551 119% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0988482366042 0.0996497079465 99% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.083415002117 0.0662205650399 126% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.16763275638 0.162205337803 103% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0500265826885 0.0443174109184 113% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.0 13.3589403974 90% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 56.25 53.8541721854 104% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 5.55761589404 158% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 9.1 11.0289183223 83% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.8 12.2367328918 113% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.37 8.42419426049 99% => OK
difficult_words: 68.0 63.6247240618 107% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.0 10.7273730684 75% => OK
gunning_fog: 8.0 10.498013245 76% => OK
text_standard: 8.0 11.2008830022 71% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 85.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 25.5 Out of 30
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 3, column 46, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'humpbacks'' or 'humpback's'?
Suggestion: humpbacks'; humpback's
..., the reading passage mentions that the humpbacks whales are intelligent to be navigated ...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 4, column 16, Rule ID: CANT[1]
Message: Did you mean 'can't' or 'cannot'?
Suggestion: can't; cannot
...recognization of stars. Therefore, one cant assume that whales also use navigation ...
^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, however, if, look, may, nevertheless, nonetheless, second, so, therefore, third, for example, for instance, in addition, kind of
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 11.0 10.4613686534 105% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 4.0 5.04856512141 79% => OK
Conjunction : 6.0 7.30242825607 82% => OK
Relative clauses : 10.0 12.0772626932 83% => OK
Pronoun: 18.0 22.412803532 80% => OK
Preposition: 32.0 30.3222958057 106% => OK
Nominalization: 8.0 5.01324503311 160% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1454.0 1373.03311258 106% => OK
No of words: 269.0 270.72406181 99% => OK
Chars per words: 5.40520446097 5.08290768461 106% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.0498419064 4.04702891845 100% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.7521197063 2.5805825403 107% => OK
Unique words: 151.0 145.348785872 104% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.561338289963 0.540411800872 104% => OK
syllable_count: 441.9 419.366225166 105% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.55342163355 103% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 2.0 3.25607064018 61% => OK
Article: 11.0 8.23620309051 134% => OK
Subordination: 0.0 1.25165562914 0% => More adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 0.0 1.51434878587 0% => OK
Preposition: 2.0 2.5761589404 78% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 17.0 13.0662251656 130% => OK
Sentence length: 15.0 21.2450331126 71% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively short.
Sentence length SD: 31.2129642128 49.2860985944 63% => OK
Chars per sentence: 85.5294117647 110.228320801 78% => OK
Words per sentence: 15.8235294118 21.698381199 73% => OK
Discourse Markers: 8.58823529412 7.06452816374 122% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 4.09492273731 122% => OK
Language errors: 2.0 4.19205298013 48% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 7.0 4.33554083885 161% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 3.0 4.45695364238 67% => OK
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 7.0 4.27373068433 164% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.325019956749 0.272083759551 119% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0988482366042 0.0996497079465 99% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.083415002117 0.0662205650399 126% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.16763275638 0.162205337803 103% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0500265826885 0.0443174109184 113% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 12.0 13.3589403974 90% => Automated_readability_index is low.
flesch_reading_ease: 56.25 53.8541721854 104% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 5.55761589404 158% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 9.1 11.0289183223 83% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.8 12.2367328918 113% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.37 8.42419426049 99% => OK
difficult_words: 68.0 63.6247240618 107% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 8.0 10.7273730684 75% => OK
gunning_fog: 8.0 10.498013245 76% => OK
text_standard: 8.0 11.2008830022 71% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 85.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 25.5 Out of 30
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.