Graceful. Not an expected description for a creature that weighs 44 tons! However, seemingly weightless in the water, these great mammals can slip nearly silent under the surface of the ocean. Slow and steady, their "blow" is all that can be heard and sometime all that can be seen from a distance.
When they need to make noise, they certainly can! At about 50 feet long and 44 tons they make one heck of a splash when they breach! Why they breach is still a bit of a mystery. Some say it is playfulness, some say it it so knock parasites off, some say it is for communication. Maybe all of the above?
Individual Humpbacks can be identified by their fluke markings.
Humpback whales can easily be identified by their stocky bodies with obvious humps and black dorsal coloring. The long black and white tail fin, or fluke, and the pectoral fins have unique patterns, which make individual whales identifiable. Several hypotheses attempt to explain the humpback's pectoral fins, which are proportionally the longest fins of any cetacean. The two most enduring mention the higher maneuverability afforded by long fins, and the usefulness of the increased surface area for temperature control when migrating between warm and cold climates.
There are four global populations, all under study. The Indian Ocean population does not migrate, stopped by that ocean's northern coastline, however, North Pacific, Atlantic, and southern ocean humpbacks have distinct populations which complete a migratory round-trip each year.
Join us to see humpback Whales on one of our small-group cruises!
ALASKA: Whales, Bears and Birds :: June 23 - July 2, 2010
MAINE: Puffin Adventure :: May 30 - June 6, 2010
ANTARCTICA :: December 10 - 20, 2010
photos and text (with some facts from Wikipedia) © Kevin Loughlin
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