The other day, I stuck my hand into a whale's mouth and patted her firmly on the tongue. Really.
Being a travel writer is always an adventure. Here in New England, I've seen seals up close, stalked moose, hiked with llamas and watched teddy bears have stuffing shot into their bellies at 100 miles per hour. But now that I have patted a Beluga whale on the tongue, I have truly done it all.
The 1,100-pound beluga actually seemed to enjoy having her tongue slapped vigorously, so when the trainer encouraged me to reach my hand in once again and tickle the roof of Kela's mouth to see what sound she would make, I was happy to give it a go... and even happier to hear a delightful "squeak" rather than something like, "chomp chomp."
Beluga whales, also known as white whales, are classified as toothed whales, after all. I had already had an opportunity to touch Kela's blunt teeth and to learn that her suck is worse than her bite by making an "O" with my fingers and allowing the beluga to demonstrate what some fishies' and squids' final moments must feel like. Yow!
By now, I know you must be wondering: "Kim, how on Earth did you wind up in a tank with a beluga and, more importantly, how can I do this, too?"
Next Page: Mystic Aquarium's Beluga Contact Program
