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  • This is milk that escaped from the mouth of a female humpback whale calf (a very white one that I nicknamed Snow White) after nursing from her mother. Calves often open their mouths and appear to gulp water after they nurse, possibly to flush excess milk. Note that the milk was thick and coagulated in the seawater. This makes sense, as the milk has a high fat content in order to support the high caloric demand of a growing calf.
    humpback-whale-milk-from-calf-201509...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) nursing from her mother, with escort partially visible in the background. The calf, her mother, and the escort were all quite white. I nicknamed the calf Snow White.
    humpback-whale-female-calf-nursing-t...tif
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) spyhopping and twirling around with his pectoral fin.
    humpback-whale-spyhop-pectoral-fin-t...tif
  • An adult humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) splashing lots of water with its fluke and posterior. Note the redness on the ventral area of the whale. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-splashing-water-tonga...tif
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera noavaeangliae) nursing in dark water with low visibility. Humpback whale females with calves seem to have an affinity for resting in areas of low visibility around the islands of the Vava'u island group in the Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-nursing-megapter...tif
  • Researchers measuring humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season. Members of the science community recording measurements for Japan's cetacean stranding database.
    dead-humpback-whale-calf-beached-in-...jpg
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season.
    dead-humpback-whale-calf-beached-in-...jpg
  • Researchers assessing humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season. Members of the science community recording measurements for Japan's cetacean stranding database.
    dead-humpback-whale-calf-beached-in-...jpg
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season.
    baleen-of-dead-humpback-whale-calf-b...jpg
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) executing a reverse tail slap, with dorsal surface hitting the surface of the ocean. This was an adult female with an accompanying calf. The mother and baby spent several hours playing together, slapping the ocean surface with their tails, breaching, and engaging in other activities. The calf was Orion, the 13th calf I counted during the 2007 season in Vava'u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-reverse-tail-slap-meg...tif
  • This is Poto, a little female humpback whale calf, resting under her mother's chin. The tender, loving bond between humpback whale mothers and their babies is unmistakeable. Poto was the 19th calf I identified during the 2010 humpback whale season in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-resting-under-mo...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) engaged in play while his mother rests at the ocean surface. Young calves often rub against and roll on top of their mothers’ rostrum when the females and calves are at the surface.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-mothers-...tif
  • This is a view of the rostrum of a humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) with a substantial infestation of whale lice (Cyamus boopis). This species of parasite is endemic to humpback whales. Infestations like this are common among humpbacks.
    humpback-whale-calf-lice-infestation...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) at rest while her calf was playing at the ocean surface. Note the small stream of bubbles coming from her blowholes. From this angle, the pattern and array of tubercles on the whale’s head is clearly visible, as are the barnacles (Coronula diadema), whale lice (Cyamus boopis), and hairs on the whale’s jaw.
    humpback-whale-adult-female-resting-...tif
  • A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that had an unusual dorsal fin, one that was split into three sections. It was not possible to determine whether this split dorsal was present from birth, or whether it was the result of an accident such as a propellor strike. This whale was one of eight or nine that engaged in bubble net feeding together during an overcast day.
    unusual-dorsal-fin-humpback-whale-al...tif
  • Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in bubble net feeding.
    humpback-whales-bubble-net-feeding-a...tif
  • Southern right whale (Eubalena australis) with mouth open at the ocean surface, baleen clearly visible. Photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.
    southern-right-whale-baleen-mouth-op...tif
  • Close-up view of an adult female humpback whale’s fluke at the ocean surface, with acorn barnacles (Coronula diadema) and whale lice (Cyamis boopis) visible.
    humpback-whale-fluke-surface-close-u...tif
  • Young southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) breaching. Photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.
    southern-right-whale-breaching-eubal...tif
  • One of a pair of socializing male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), extending his pectoral fins into the air
    humpback-whale-pectoral-fins-sociali...tif
  • This photograph is from my third of nine encounters with injured humpback whale calf Tahafa (201114). Here, the calf’s wounds are clearly visible, dorsal fin nearly severed and multiple scars from attempted bites. The calf’s mother is visible below. There was an escort with the pair during this encounter. With the presence of an escort, the mother became noticeably more relaxed than in the two earlier encounters when there was no escort present. The calf was energetic and playful during this encounter. My best guess is that the wounds resulted from a coordinated attack by false killer whales.
    humpback-whale-calf-injuries-tonga-2...tif
  • This is the fluke of a female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that had a penchant for resting head-down in the water with her fluke at the surface, as pictured here. She was with a male humpback whale. The two whales seemed to be paired up. At the end of the encounter, the two dived together, the male with his penis extended. I was able to photograph the pair as they dived in this manner.
    humpback-whale-female-resting-upside...tif
  • This humpback whale’s dorsal fin has both a split and a unique bump at the frontal end, making it easy to identify. Split dorsal fins are both easy to spot and relatively uncommon. This whale was one of a pair of whales traveling together, probably both male, though I was unable to whales’ ventral areas to confirm. The other whale had white pectoral fins.
    humpback-whale-split-dorsal-fin-tong...tif
  • Three socialising male humpback whales. During extended social interaction, one of the males nuzzled the ventral area of another whale several times, including nuzzling of the urogenital area. The first time I saw this, the whale being nuzzled emitted some sort of dark fluid. I think it was feces, but there was only a little, and the whales were relatively far, so I am uncertain what it was.
    three-socializing-humpback-whale-mal...tif
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with his penis extended. This whale was with another whale, gender undetermined.
    humpback-whale-penis-extended-tonga-...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching in a forward direction. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-ton...tif
  • A competitive heat run comprising seven humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), with six males vying for the favor of a female whale, the dark individual visible behind the foremost whale. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-heat-run-tonga-megapt...tif
  • Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) bubble-net feeding in Chatham Strait, Alaska on a sunny day with lush greenery in the background.
    bubble-net-feeding-humpback-whales-a...tif
  • Playful male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) splashing around with its fluke at the ocean surface. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-splashing-with-f...tif
  • Researchers measuring fluke of humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season. Members of the science community recording measurements for Japan's cetacean stranding database.
    dead-humpback-whale-calf-beached-in-...jpg
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season.
    dead-humpback-whale-calf-beached-in-...jpg
  • This is a young male calf I gave the name Tahafa. It is the 14th calf I ID-ed during the 2011 humpback whale season in Vava'u, Tonga. The calf suffered severe injury when it was very small, perhaps from a coordinated attack by marine mammals such as false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). Fortunately, the calf matured into a healthy juvenile over the 33-day period I was able to observe them. During that time, I recorded nine encounters in the Vava'u area and Toku Island. Visible in the background is a long-term escort that accompanied this pair for at least 14 days.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-with-mot...tif
  • Tahafa, humpback whale calf #14 of the 2011 season in Vava'u, swimming along with his mother. This calf sustained significant injury all over its body, possibly from an attack by false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). One of the most egregious wounds was inflicted to the anterior part of the calf's dorsal fin, which appears to have been bitten off. The wound is partially visible here. Despite the traumatic encounter, the calf grew into a strong, healthy juvenile over the 33-day period during which I came across this mother and baby nine times in both the Vava'u area and Toku Island. There was a long-term escort that accompanied this pair for at least 14 days.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-swimming...tif
  • This humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) performing a tail slap is the mother of Tahafa, calf #14 of the 2011 season in Vava'u, Tonga. Calf #14 was one of the injured calves, with multiple wounds that may have been inflicted by a pod of marine mammals, possibly false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). I had nine encounters with this mother and calf over a period of 33 days. During that period, a male escort was with them for at least 14 days. The female, calf, escort group traveled from Vava'u to Toku Island and back to Vava'u.
    humpback-whale-fluke-tail-slap-megap...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae) breaching on a sunny day with blue water
    breaching-humpback-whale-tonga-20100...tif
  • These four humpback whales were part of a heat run comprising six testosterone-fueled males in pursuit of a single fertile female. Swimming at high speed, the whales appeared from the blue haze below, charging toward the surface in a mad rush. I dived down and waited in mid-water for them. <br />
<br />
As this group of four hurtled past me, I experienced a surge of adrenalin, triggered by the simultaneous exhilaration and apprehension of such a close encounter with a quartet of 40-ton animals. <br />
<br />
The four whales pictured here are all male, one of which is blowing bubbles--a common behaviour that may signify aggression when observed during heat runs. <br />
<br />
The female surfaced some distance away together with the other males, which certainly explains why these whales were in such a rush!
    four-humpback-whales-in-heat-run-201...tif
  • I watched these three humpback whales play and socialise for several hours. At one point, the three humpback whales merged into this whirlwind-like formation, something I have never seen before. The behaviour was so intricate and intimate that I initially thought there were two males competing for the attention of a female. It took some time to verify the sex of the whales. When I was finally able to do so, it came as quite a surprise to discover that all three were males.
    three-humpback-whales-whirlwind-form...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) launching partially out of the water with his mouth open while playing together with his mother. The little whale’s baleen is clearly visible.
    humpback-whale-calf-mouth-open-20180...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) swimming together with her mother at depth, ventral surfaces of both whales clearly visible. The proximity of the calf to mother and similarity of body language underscores the bond between the two. This mother and calf were accompanied by at least three escort whales in a dynamic situation.
    humpback-whale-mother-calf-tonga-201...tif
  • Golden light from the setting summer sun in Alaska producing a warm rainbow of color in the breath of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae kuzira)
    humpback-whale-rainbow-breath-alaska...tif
  • This humpback whale was part of a bubble-net feeding group in Icy Strait, Alaska. This breach was one of a series of breaches and pectoral slaps that occurred in tandem with the end of social foraging, with the whales going separate ways.
    humpback-whale-breaching-alaska-2018...tif
  • This sequence of 17 images shows a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) executing a forward breach. As the whale emerges from the ocean, water streams off the animal’s body, as well as from the sides of the whale’s mouth. The whale exhales with great force as it surfaces, creating a cloud of water vapor, then inhales through open nostrils before plunging back into the water. The entire sequence spans just over one second of time. Image 3 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale that was the primary escort in a small competitive group heat run of four whales. The male is blowing bubbles, likely intended to be a display of aggression and dominance. The dark female dark is just visible at the bottom of the frame. The male had a small portion of his penis protruding.
    humpback-whale-male-bubbles-201708-0...tif
  • Juvenile spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) surfacing next to its mother
    spinner-dolphin-juvenile-with-mother...tif
  • A spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) leaping exceptionally high into the air multiple times, demonstrating incredible power and athleticism
    spinner-dolphin-leaping-high-into-ai...tif
  • Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae kuzira) bubble-net feeding in Chatham Strait, Alaska, in front of a dinghy with tourists enjoying the show.
    humpback-whales-bubble-net-feeding-a...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale in the foreground, with escort and her male calf behind her. The calf’s mouth is open. This behavior can happen at any time, but often is associated with play after nursing has taken place. In this case, the calf had just finished nursing.
    humpback-whale-mother-calf-escort-ca...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf nursing
    humpback-whale-calf-nursing-tonga-20...tif
  • Clear view of baleen in the mouth of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in bubble net feeding in Alaska. Also visible on the lower jaw of another whale are Coronula diadema hard acorn barnacles and Conchoderma auritum gooseneck barnacles.
    humpback-whales-bubble-net-feeding-a...tif
  • Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) playing at the ocean surface in murky green water. Photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.
    southern-right-whale-eubalaena-austr...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) male calf asleep on top of his resting mother’s head
    humpback-whale-mother-and-calf-tonga...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) emerging from beneath the protective cover of his mother’s pectoral fin, just before surfacing to breathe.
    humpback-whale-calf-emerging-from-be...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that was with his mother and escort, opening his mouth while playing.
    humpback-whale-calf-mouth-open-tonga...tif
  • A pair of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) males cruising over a shallow coral reef on a sunny day.
    humpback-whale-pair-shallow-coral-re...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (201404) spyhopping near her mother. The adult whale had the habit of resting with her fluke at the surface, as pictured here. Boat in the background.
    humpback-whale-calf-spyhop-next-to-m...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) mother and calf accompanied by an escort with a white pectoral fin. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-female-calf-escort-wh...tif
  • Intimate contact between two humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in courtship. The whale with the white pectoral fin is the male, the female on top. Such physical contact characterized this extended encounter with these two whales. One or both of the whales also made low, gurgling sounds that came across as lovey-dovey sounds, for lack of a better term.
    intimate-contact-humpback-whales-cou...tif
  • Humpback whale’s pectoral fin bathed in the warm glow of late afternoon sunlight
    humpback-whale-pectoral-fin-late-aft...tif
  • Rainbow created by diffraction of sunlight in a the mist of a humpback whale's breath (Megaptera novaeangliae). Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    rainbow-in-humpback-whale-breath-ton...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing at the ocean surface in front of his mother. Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-with-mot...tif
  • An adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. This female had a calf with her. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    adult-female-humpback-whale-breachin...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with significant scarring on its dorsal surface. Note the fresh scar along the dorsal ridge near the right edge of the image. Like a prism, the whale's breath has split the sunlight into a rainbow.
    humpback-whale-dorsal-scarring-rainb...tif
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera noavaeangliae) nursing in dark water with low visibility. Humpback whale females with calves seem to have an affinity for resting in areas of low visibility around the islands of the Vava'u island group in the Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-nursing-tonga-me...tif
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera noavaeangliae) nursing in dark water with low visibility. Humpback whale females with calves seem to have an affinity for resting in areas of low visibility around the islands of the Vava'u island group in the Kingdom of Tonga.
    nursing-humpback-whale-calf-megapter...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) heading to the surface for a breath of air while her mother waits patiently below
    humpback-whale-mother-calf-megaptera...tif
  • A large group of humpback whales breathing together in between periods of cooperative hunting with bubble nets to herd schools of fish together. The whales typically rest like this after each successful hunt.
    humpback-whales-breathing-resting-bu...tif
  • Southern hemisphere humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in courtship, with the male hovering above the female. This pair hovered nearly motionless for an extended period of time, watching people above who were floating on the ocean surface looking down at the whales.
    courtship-southern-hemisphere-humpba...tif
  • Close-up view of the pectoral fin of a female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that was one of the two whales in a courting pair. She was very friendly and approached closely on a number of occasions. Note what appear to be parasites attached to some of the barnacles on the pectoral fin.
    close-up-view-pectoral-fin-humpback-...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with Hina Hina, humpback whale calf #1 of the 2007 season in Vava'u, Tonga. The juxtaposition of mother and calf shows the relative size between adult and baby.
    megaptera-novaeangliae-humpback-whal...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) executing a reverse tail slap, with dorsal surface hitting the surface of the ocean. This was an adult female with an accompanying calf. The mother and baby spent several hours playing together, slapping the ocean surface with their tails, breaching, and engaging in other activities. The calf was Orion, the 13th calf I counted during the 2007 season in Vava'u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-reverse-tail-slap-meg...tif
  • Adult male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching at Toku Island. This was an escort that remained with a mother and calf, the 14th calf I ID-ed in the 2011 season in Tonga, for at least 14 days. Note that some of the tubercles on the whale's head are red, likely due to confrontations with other male humpback whales. I witnessed several such confrontations underwater that involved significant body contact.
    humpback-whale-breaching-megaptera-n...tif
  • Male and female humpback whale diving. The male has his penis extended. I observed this pair hanging out for extended periods of time in between dives. The female had a habit of hanging in a head-down position, with the ventral surface of her fluke held parallel to the surface of the water, at or just above the water line, while the male stayed nearby. It is possible that the two whales were engaged in courtship behavior.
    male-humpback-whale-penis-visible-ma...tif
  • One of four male humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) in a heat run chasing a mother and calf (Kowai, 18th calf identified in the 2010 season). This whale seemed particularly crazed, aggressively pursuing the other males swimming directly toward me. The whale lifted its pectoral fin centimetres over my head as it passed.
    humpback-whale-belly-up-close-201008...tif
  • Geri, 7th ID-ed humpback whale calf of the 2010 season, with mother. Vava'u, Tonga
    humpback-whale-mother-and-calf-tonga...tif
  • Large, mature humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) singing in the classic head-down pose
    fluke-of-humpback-whale-singer-tonga...tif
  • This male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) was attacked and injured when it was very young. From this angle, the half-torn pectoral fin on the calf’s right side is visible. The most severe injuries were on the calf’s dorsal surface. My best guess is that the calf was attacked by false killer whales. This photo was taken approximately two and a half weeks after the attack. Despite significant injury, the calf had grown considerably. It was healthy and active.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-with-mot...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) bringing her fluke down, creating a foot print or fluke print at the ocean surface, with streams of bubbles trailing from the leading points at the either tip of her fluke. This female was accompanied by a male. The two rested together, rubbing bellies at one point. The male also sang while with the female.
    humpback-whale-female-fluke-surface-...tif
  • This is a portion of defecation from a humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis). Defecation like this from calves contributes to the cycling of nutrients from nutrient-rich high latitudes to less nutrient-abundant lower latitudes. This calf’s mother fed primarily in and around Antarctica. She then provided milk to her calf in the relatively warm waters of Tonga, leading eventually to this defecation, thus transporting nutrients from the waters of Antartica to those of Tonga. The defecation smelled remarkably like one would expect poop to smell like.
    humpback-whale-calf-defecation-tonga...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) swimming just under the ocean surface, partially backlit by dramatic rays of sunlight
    humpback-whale-calf-male-tonga-20180...tif
  • Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae kuzira) engaged in bubble-net feeding, highlighted by the warm light of a late summer evening
    humpback-whales-bubble-net-feeding-a...tif
  • This is a North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae kuzira) breaching at 9:30PM in Alaska. Warm light from the final minutes of sunlight for the day illuminated the whale and ocean spray in a rainbow of color, reflected in the calm evening water.
    humpback-whale-breaching-at-night-al...tif
  • This sequence of 17 images shows a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) executing a forward breach. As the whale emerges from the ocean, water streams off the animal’s body, as well as from the sides of the whale’s mouth. The whale exhales with great force as it surfaces, creating a cloud of water vapor, then inhales through open nostrils before plunging back into the water. The entire sequence spans just over one second of time. Image 11 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • Interesting pattern on the fluke of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) male that was an escort with a female with male calf.
    humpback-whale-fluke-201608-4137.tif
  • This is a piece of skin that was shed from the dorsal surface of the fluke of a female humpback whale. The whale repeatedly held her fluke above the surface of the ocean while resting in a head-down position, such that her body was oriented vertically in the water. There was significant peeling or shedding of skin from the fluke’s dorsal surface, most likely due to normal sloughing off of skin. I speculate that another possibility could be that the whale may have had sunburn as a consequence of her resting behaviour. Note the pattern of the skin. Date of encounter was 18 August 2017. See separate photos of fluke above water.
    humpback-whale-skin-201708-5917-5933.tif
  • Adult female humpback whale spyhopping. This female had a male calf that was playing nearby.
    humpback-whale-spyhop-tonga-201708-1...tif
  • A male spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) leaping out of the water. The protruding tip of the dolphin’s penis is just visible.
    spinner-dolphin-leaping-in-air-stene...tif
  • Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) launching itself out of the water.
    spinner-dolphin-flying-stenella-long...tif
  • Humpback whales exhale forcefully when they breach, inhaling again prior to re-entering the water, as demonstrated by this playful calf. This young whale was with its mother and an escort. The escort was also engaged in energetic surface displays. The calf’s mother, however, did not engage in any surface behaviour.
    humpback-whale-calf-exhaling-while-b...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in bubble net feeding near a tourist vessel in Alaska.
    humpback-whales-bubble-net-feeding-a...tif
  • Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) emerging from the water in perfect formation while engaged in social foraging, often referred to as bubble net feeding.
    humpback-whales-bubble-net-feeding-a...tif
  • Part of a large group of orcas (Orcinus orca) traveling together while foraging on large schools of herring (Clupea harengus) in the cold waters of northern Norway. With an abundant food supply, most orca social units had at least one calf, as pictured here.
    orcinus-orca-norway-mother-with-calf...tif
  • About 4% of southern right whale calves are born with white and black pigmentation. These are referred to as brindle calves, and are always male. As they mature, these calves darken, but never turn completely dark. The contrast in pigmentation and the characteristic dark patterns on their bodies make these individuals easy to identify. About 6% of the southern right population have a partial brindle pattern. All of the partial brindle animals are female. Photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.
    brindle-calf-southern-right-whale-eu...tif
  • A pair of adult southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) in murky, relatively shallow water along the coast of South Africa. Photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.
    southern-right-whale-pair-eubalaena-...tif
  • Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) creating a rainbow while breathing. Photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.
    southern-right-whale-rainbow-south-a...tif
  • Humpback whale female at rest with male calf (Megaptera novaeangliae)
    humpback-whale-female-with-calf-tong...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) female calf engaged in tail slapping with her mother. Both the adult and calf had a lot of white on their bodies. I gave the calf the nickname Snow White. This was our second encounter with this female/ calf pair. On this occasion, there was no escort accompanying them. During our first meeting, there was an escort, which was also quite white.
    humpback-whale-female-and-calf-tail-...tif
  • This adult humpback whale female was in deep, dark water with horrible visibility on an overcast day. She would have been nearly impossible to locate, had it not been for the steady stream of air bubbles she emitted from her blowholes, almost as if she were leaking air. This female was accompanied by calf 201238 (male), which was quite shy and stayed close to his mother. The stream of bubbles allowed me to keep track of her for an extended period, but for some reason, the trail of bubbles stopped at one point, begging the question of whether there was an actual leak, or whether she was consciously emitting the stream of bubbles.
    humpback-whale-leaking-air-from-blow...tif
  • Clear view of the dorsal fin of injured humpback whale calf Tahafa (201114), showing the wound that probably resulted from a bite. I took this photograph during my seventh encounter out of nine total encounters with this calf. This encounter was at Toku Island. The calf and his mother were the center of attention of multiple males competing for the female. There was a primary escort, with at least five other males approaching aggressively. On one occasion, I watched the primary escort another male in the belly, hitting him full force, nose-first. The impact was audible. There was also singing during the heated action, perhaps from the primary escort. My best guess is that a false killer whale attack is the cause of the injuries to the calf.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-dorsal-f...tif
  • First encounter with Tahafa (calf #14 of the 2011 season) with his mother. The calf has visible wounds on its dorsal surface. The anterior portion of its dorsal fin appears to have been bitten off. The adult female is nearly all black. I had nine encounters with this calf over 33 days, watching it grow from a shy, injured baby to a confident young male. My best guess is that the wounds were inflicted by a pack of marine mammals, possibly false killer whales.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-tahafa-w...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) reentering the water after executing a breach. Many of the calves during the 2011 calving season exhibited multiple injuries, as this one did. The wounds appear as if they were inflicted by multiple, simultaneous attacks, suggestive of pack hunting by marine mammals.
    humpback-whale-calf-underwater-after...tif
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Tony Wu Underwater Photography

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