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.
In the reading passage, the author concentrates on several reasons why some scientists think that humpback whales can navigate their route by the stars. However, the lecturer casts doubt on these reasons and respectively points out the problems with all author's assertions.
Firstly, the author argues that humpback whales appear to be intelligent enough to navigate using stars. By contrast, the lecturer challenges this idea and states that there is no connection between animals' intelligence and their ability to use stars for navigation. Some birds that use stars to navigate don't seem very intelligent and their intelligence proves to be average. Therefore, taking advantage of intelligence doesn't necessarily make them able to use stars for navigation.
Secondly, the author argues that the fact that humpback whales migrate in straight lines suggests that they can orient themselves by external objects or forces. Nevertheless, the lecturer brings up the fact that animals that use external objects and forces have the special magnetic sense to feel the Earth's magnetic field. Thus, these whales' brain has so well developed that they can navigate through sensing the Earth's magnetic field, not using stars.
Finally, the author asserts that humpback whales sometimes float straight up for minutes at a time and maintain their heads above the water to look at stars. Conversely, the lecturer refutes this claim and clarifies that this behavior, known as spy-hopping, is very rare, and animals exhibiting that are looking at stars when hunting other animals. Therefore, this claim also seems like a speculation.
- A little over 2 200 years ago the Roman navy attacked the Greek port city of Syracuse According to some ancient historians the Greeks defended themselves with an ingenious weapon called a burning mirror a polished copper surface curved to focus the Sun s 80
- Some people believe that human needs for farmland industry and are more important than saving lands for endangered species Agree disagree 73
- tpo35 3
- Who would you choose to build a statue in your country 73
- Brendan the Navigator was an Irish priest who lived in the 6th century He is most famous for embarking on a voyage in search of the mythical Island of the Blessed The details of Brendan s voyage recorded as stories in old manuscripts suggest to some that 62
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 2, column 305, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: don't
.... Some birds that use stars to navigate dont seem very intelligent and their intelli...
^^^^
Line 2, column 421, Rule ID: EN_CONTRACTION_SPELLING
Message: Possible spelling mistake found
Suggestion: doesn't
...efore, taking advantage of intelligence doesnt necessarily make them able to use stars...
^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, conversely, finally, first, firstly, however, if, look, nevertheless, second, secondly, so, therefore, thus, well
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 5.0 10.4613686534 48% => More to be verbs wanted.
Auxiliary verbs: 3.0 5.04856512141 59% => OK
Conjunction : 9.0 7.30242825607 123% => OK
Relative clauses : 14.0 12.0772626932 116% => OK
Pronoun: 27.0 22.412803532 120% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 27.0 30.3222958057 89% => OK
Nominalization: 7.0 5.01324503311 140% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 1368.0 1373.03311258 100% => OK
No of words: 252.0 270.72406181 93% => More content wanted.
Chars per words: 5.42857142857 5.08290768461 107% => OK
Fourth root words length: 3.98428260373 4.04702891845 98% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.65078176977 2.5805825403 103% => OK
Unique words: 143.0 145.348785872 98% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.56746031746 0.540411800872 105% => OK
syllable_count: 412.2 419.366225166 98% => 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: 8.0 8.23620309051 97% => OK
Subordination: 0.0 1.25165562914 0% => More adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 1.0 1.51434878587 66% => OK
Preposition: 2.0 2.5761589404 78% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 12.0 13.0662251656 92% => OK
Sentence length: 21.0 21.2450331126 99% => OK
Sentence length SD: 35.8573562885 49.2860985944 73% => OK
Chars per sentence: 114.0 110.228320801 103% => OK
Words per sentence: 21.0 21.698381199 97% => OK
Discourse Markers: 9.91666666667 7.06452816374 140% => OK
Paragraphs: 4.0 4.09492273731 98% => OK
Language errors: 2.0 4.19205298013 48% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 9.0 4.33554083885 208% => Less positive sentences wanted.
Sentences with negative sentiment : 2.0 4.45695364238 45% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 1.0 4.27373068433 23% => More facts, knowledge or examples wanted.
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.172235724231 0.272083759551 63% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0678539488357 0.0996497079465 68% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.044134671107 0.0662205650399 67% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.0979433587501 0.162205337803 60% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0243617654658 0.0443174109184 55% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.6 13.3589403974 109% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 50.16 53.8541721854 93% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 5.55761589404 158% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 11.5 11.0289183223 104% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 14.21 12.2367328918 116% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.37 8.42419426049 99% => OK
difficult_words: 59.0 63.6247240618 93% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 11.5 10.7273730684 107% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.4 10.498013245 99% => OK
text_standard: 12.0 11.2008830022 107% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Rates: 80.0 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 24.0 Out of 30
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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.