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Humpback whales
can be seen from the lounge room in months May to October
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They migrate
north to give birth in warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef in winter.
They migrate back to the rich feeding waters of Antarctica in spring
with their newly born calves (thus avoiding exposing the new generation
to the cold waters until at least a few months old).
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Conveniently for
whale watchers, humpbacks “hug the coastline” as
they migrate both north and south and are thus readily seen from many
coastal locations. They are rarely more than a few kilometres off shore
and often approach to within a few hundred metres of the shore.
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Also conveniently
for whale watchers, humpbacks exhibit an amazing and breathtaking array
of behaviours including breaching (jumping clear out of the water and
flopping down on their side to make a deliberately massive splash),
tail slapping (hanging head-down in the water and repeatedly bashing
their 4m wide tails onto the surface), fin slapping (similarly achieved
by lying on surface and using pectoral rather than tail fin), and
spy-hopping (raising the head vertically out of the water to look at
objects on the surface).
- It does
of course help to have binoculars but they are certainly not necessary
to see these awe-inspiring creatures. Even with the naked eye, they are
often close enough not just to see the above behaviours but even to
tell the young calves from the older and much larger adults.
Humpback
Facts:
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These majestic
creatures are the size of a large bus, weighing up to 45 tonnes and
measuring up to 18m in length. Their huge pectoral fins are up to 5
metres in length. Even a calf is huge. The newborn weigh over 2 tonne
(that’s about 2 times the weight of a small car) and measure
up to 5 metres in length. Being mammals just like humans, they nurse
the young from mammary glands. Their milk that has the highest fat
content of any known natural milk (47%) and on this diet, the young
gain weight at the phenomenal rate of up to 50kg per day, weighing
around 10 tonnes by their first birthday.
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Even a calf is
huge. The newborn weigh over 2 tonne (that’s about 2 times
the weight of a small car) and measure up to 5 metres in length. Being
mammals just like humans, they nurse the young from mammary glands.
Their milk that has the highest fat content of any known natural milk
(47%) and on this diet, the young gain weight at the phenomenal rate of
up to 50kg per day, weighing around 10 tonnes by their first birthday.
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They swim up to
12 000 kilometres each year during their round trip from Antarctica to
the GBReef and back. They do not eat during the trip!
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Humpbacks are
famous for their “songs”. They have a range that
covers eight octaves, from a bass so low that humans can’t
hear it to a magnificent soprano. Their highly structured songs include
multiple themes or elements that are constantly repeated. Songs
“evolve” from year to year with some elements being
retained and new ones being improvised into the new song.
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The Humpback
population on Australia’s east coast was estimated at 27 000
individuals but was almost wiped out by whaling after WWII. Humpback
whaling ceased when it became uneconomical as the population was down
to between 300-600 animals. With protection, the population is slowly
recovering and is estimated at 4 800 individuals.
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Japan is resuming
commercial whaling under the shameful pretence of “scientific
research” . This year Japan will kill approximately 800 Minke
whales, and, is proposing to once again begin killing Humpbacks.
