Humpback Whales

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Humpbacks at Noosa...

When I told my physio
yesterday
about seeing whales
he offered me his photographs
taken last week in his boat
off the Noosa Headland
and said
I was welcome to post them




Not only is he a Physiotherapist
extraordinaire
he is a very generous
and kind man





Humpback whales migrate
from the cold waters of the Antarctic
via the South Island of New Zealand
to the warm waters of Hervey Bay,
at the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef
about a two hours drive north of Noosa




They arrive late July for calving
and remain until November
giving birth in the sanctuary of Hervey bay
before returning to the Antarctic





About 3000 Humpbacks
make this annual pilgrimage
and although they are an endangered species
their numbers are increasing





While Humpbacks
are the size of eleven elephants
they are the most acrobatic
of the big whales
They leap and roll and breach
with amazing grace and power
Adult whales have been seen
to breach 20-30 times
within the space of five minutes




The humpback whale
is classified as a rorqual
which means that
he has a dorsal fin on his back
and ventral pleats running
from the tip of his lower jaw
to the navel area

Humpbacks feed on krill
which are small thumb sized
prawn like animals
and also crustacea




They can eat 1-8 tonnes of krill per day
but they only eat in the summer
in the feeding grounds of Antarctica
25% of their summer intake
is stored as fat
for the great winter migration





Mating and birthing
occur in the warm waters of Hervey Bay
Gestation takes 11-12 months
the calves are 5m long at birth
and weigh 1.5 tonnes




The cow's milk has a high fat content of 35%
and 600 litres is produced per day
by the mothers

Whales have the longest
and most varied songs
in the animal world
The sounds are made
by the movement of air
through the body passages




Sounds are organised into sequences
of 10-15 minutes duration
and repeated without pause for hours
The sequences are arranged in cycles
characteristic of each population of whales
so that all of the humpbacks in one area
sing only the local song




Only male humpbacks sing
and only in the breeding season




The songs evolve over time
and each year it is a little different
but every change is picked up
and incorporated into the current sequence




The songs may function as a sexual display
advertise the presence of a breeding mate
and keep the family group together
but the complexity of the songs
suggest that there is more to it than that...





This year
with my broken ankle
I saw no whales heading North
save for a distant glimpse yesterday




I am hoping for some good sightings
in November



One year I was out very early
at 5.30 am
with Beloved,
being put through our fitness paces
on a little rocky outcrop
overhanging a tiny bay
on the headland
when our P.T. noticed
a mother and calf sheltering
directly below us
in the shallow waters...




so I am hopeful...





~

Photographs by Peter Hogg
Information gathered from Discover Hervey Bay
HerveyBay.com.au





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