1. WATCHING WHALES

2. Becca’s my best friend. That’s why I said that I would go with her on a ship. To whale watch.

3. “How exciting can it be to watch big fish swim?” I asked Becca as we headed to the ship. “It’s thrilling!” Becca said. “But whales aren’t fish. They’re mammals.

4. Whales are mammals. “They’re the biggest mammals on Earth. They are twenty times larger than elephants!”

5. “But they’re not as interesting as elephants,” I said. “Did you ever watch elephants take a shower by spraying water from their trunks?”

6. “Yes,” Becca replied as we got on the ship. “But whales spout water through their blowholes. Some spouts are 30 feet high!”

7. “Whales can even leap out of water,” Becca told me as the ship started to move.

8. Leap out of the water?” I asked as we found a place to stand by the railing. “Do you mean they leap through the air like monkeys?” “Well, not like monkeys,” Becca said.

9. “But whales sometimes jump into the air. Or they’ll push their tails into the air. Did you know that every whale’s tail is different – just like every zebra’s stripes are different?”

10. “Look at that,” someone shouted as the ship glided farther out into the sea. “A whale tail! See it over there?” “WOW!” Becca yelled. “WOW!” I yelled. “Ocean animals are exciting!”