Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

flotte morte

English translation:

floats when dead

Added to glossary by liz askew
Apr 3 09:23
1 mo ago
27 viewers *
French term

flotte morte

French to English Science Zoology Description of a North Atlantic Right Whale
Paragraph describing a North Atlantic Right Whale. The text reads "Nage lente, flotte morte. Capable de plonger a 180m..."" I know that whales can fill with gas when dead and float on the surface for a while, so does this mean "floats when dead" or is it another more specific aspect?
Proposed translations (English)
4 +1 floats when dead
References
see
Change log

Apr 15, 2024 10:04: liz askew Created KOG entry

Discussion

Mpoma Apr 5:
Poetry not zoology Flotte morte is clearly "dead (i.e. stagnant) water". So "It has a slow swim... and this confers a morbid quality on the water around it...".
Bourth Apr 4:
It's true, the structure makes things confusing, with nage as a noun, followed by flotte as a verb. Maybe they should have said Nage lentement, flotte mortement or Nage lente, mort flottante ;-) ;-) ;-) Or maybe they are saying these whales swim slowly when the fishing fleet is dead in the water. gd&r

Proposed translations

+1
1 hr
Selected

floats when dead


https://defenders.org/wildlife/north-atlantic-right-whale

The species got its name as the “right” whale to hunt: these animals swim slowly close to shore and are so blubber-rich they float when dead. They have a ...
Peer comment(s):

agree philgoddard : Maggie: it's right whale, not Right Whale.
1 hr
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks very much"

Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

see

https://lactualite.com/environnement/vie-et-mort-dune-balein...

Les Basques ont découvert comment abattre ces énormes mammifères marins pour en tirer de l’huile au XIIe siècle. D’autres ont suivi, notamment les colons européens en Amérique du Nord. L’épaisse couche de graisse de la bête la rendait intéressante, mais aussi le fait qu’elle nage près des côtes et**** flotte une fois morte****, ce qui facilitait sa capture — d’où son nom en anglais, the right whale, « la bonne baleine ». De plus, en harponnant un petit, un baleinier était sûr d’attraper la mère, férocement protectrice.
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