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  • Dorsal fin of southern humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) with acorn barnacles (Coronula diadema) and whale lice (Cyamus boopis) visible.
    southern-humpback-whale-dorsal-barna...tif
  • Southern hemisphere humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) throwing up a wall of water while executing a massive tail slap.
    humpback-whale-tail-slap-south-afric...tif
  • Breaching humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) demonstrating incredible power as it launches itself from the ocean
    humpback-whale-breaching-201608-3916.tif
  • This is a female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) nursing. To ask for milk, the calf presses her rostrum and tongue against her mother’s mammary slits, as pictured here. Extended periods of nursing are often followed by bouts of play, after a calf has in effect been re-fueled.
    humpback-whale-calf-nursing-201808-3...tif
  • Energetic, playful female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) rolled over on her back, slapping the ocean surface with her fluke.
    humpback-whale-calf-female-playing-t...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) breaching on a sunny day in the South Pacific
    humpback-whale-calf-breaching-tonga-...tif
  • Pictured here is a relaxed female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) stationary in the water, with her female calf heading to the surface for a breath of air. Strong, direct sunlight illuminated fine particles, creating a shimmering curtain of sunbeams in the water.
    humpback-whale-female-with-calf-sunb...tif
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) playing just below the ocean surface
    humpback-whale-calf-male-playing-ton...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
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) calf playing at the ocean surface after coming up to breathe. His mother was resting below at a depth of around 20 meters.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-201808-2253.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
  • Two adult southern hemisphere humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) tail slapping together. This pair was traveling north together in the winter. The one on the left is female; the one on the right male.
    southern-humpback-whale-megaptera-no...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) playing at the ocean surface, using his pectoral fin to sweep through the water, leaving turbulence and bubbles in its wake. The calf’s mother was resting below.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-megapter...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
  • Head-on view of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) at rest, with her male calf visible in the background and slightly deeper than she is.
    humpback-whale-female-with-calf-2016...tif
  • Lone juvenile male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) engaged in a spyhop at the ocean surface.
    humpback-whale-juvenile-male-spyhop-...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis), one of four males engaged in a heat run centered upon and female with calf. This male was unusually aggressive, shown here making a U-turn to swim directly toward me.
    humpback-whale-male-201008-5926.tif
  • This is an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) spyhopping at the ocean surface with her pectoral fin extended. This female was accompanied by an adult male, which fended off other males from time to time.
    humpback-whale-female-spyhop-extende...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
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) hanging out under his resting mother. From this angle, the acorn barnacles (Coronula diadema) attached to the adult humpback whale are clearly visible, as are the marks left from where barnacles have fallen off.
    humpback-whale-calf-resting-under-mo...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 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 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 12 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • This is a view of the blowholes of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) from the rear.. There are several wounds visible, the most prominent of which is on the nostril ridge of the whale’s left side, with several other injured areas visible on the dorsal surface of the right side. These circular areas of exposed flesh are the scars left by cookiecutter sharks (Isistius brasiliensis), which swim up from deep water at night to take bites from larger animals.
    humpback-whale-cookiecutter-shark-bi...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 15 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • A female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) that was highly energetic and playful. Here she was slapping the ocean surface, learning how to generate power with the muscles in her peduncle and fluke. It takes practice to learn how to maintain the proper position at the surface to create the perfect splash and accompanying sound, a skill that is used by adult humpback whales to communicate with each other.
    humpback-whale-calf-peduncle-throw-t...tif
  • This is a rear view of a male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) engaged in a dominance display by blowing a stream of air bubbles. Visible in the top left background is a female humpback whale. This female was associated with the male blowing bubbles. The pair were approached by several other males, which precipitated the bubble blowing seen here. A portion of one of the other whales is visible in the bottom right corner. Displays like this are a common behavior among male humpback whales accompanying females during the breeding season.
    humpback-whale-male-bubbles-dominanc...tif
  • This sequence of ten photographs depicts a female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) executing a breach. I took the photos in this sequence while in the water, using a fisheye lens, with a shutter speed of 1/6400 of a second to freeze the action. In spite of this, part of the second image in the sequence is blurry. This provides an indication of the incredible acceleration achieved during the beginning of a whale breach.
    humpback-whale-calf-breaching-sequen...tif
  • This is a view from underwater of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) executing a reverse tail slap or penduncle slap. Pictured here, the whale has just slapped the surface of the ocean with the dorsal side of her penduncle and fluke, resulting in the copious whitewater and froth visible in this image. This whale did this repeatedly as part of extended play with her female calf, which was executing tail slaps and breaching.
    humpback-whale-reverse-tail-slap-und...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 10 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 6 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 17 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 16 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 13 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 4 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 1 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) breaching on a beautiful sunny day.
    humpback-whale-breaching-beautiful-s...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
  • This is a female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) breaching. The whale next to her is a male, one of five participating in a heat run that centered upon this female. There were whales breaching all over the place in the early morning on this day. This female breached and slapped her pectoral fin on the surface prior to the heat run developing.
    humpback-whale-female-breaching-heat...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) nudging her mother’s mammary gland area to ask for milk. When this image is viewed at 100% magnification, the tongue of the calf can be seen. Just visible in the lower right corner is part of a resting escort whale in the background.
    humpback-whale-calf-nursing-tonga-20...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 fibrous material protruding from the feces is probably baleen, ingested by the baby whale.
    humpback-whale-calf-defecation-tonga...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 8 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 5 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 7 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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
  • 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
  • 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 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 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 14 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 9 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) surfacing for air on a very clear day, with uninhabitated volcanic Late (prononced lah-teh, like the coffee) Island visible in the background. The island rises 1500 m from the sea floor, with its conical summit reaching 540m above sea level. This whale was part of an active heat run that started with three whales, increasing to six by the time we left the competitive group.
    humpback-whale-surfacing-volcanic-la...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) resting beneath his mother, with the male escort visible in the background.
    humpack-whale-calf-with-mother-and-e...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) playing at the ocean surface. Here she is swooshing her fluke in a circular motion, creating a momentary vortex that illustrates the power she possesses despite being only a few months old.
    humpback-whale-calf-vortex-fluke-201...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 2 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • A playful female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) amusing herself at the ocean surface, here rolling over on her back and slapping her pectoral fins from side to side.
    humpback-whale-calf-pectoral-fin-pla...tif
  • Breaching humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), one of six whales involved in a competitive group heat run
    humpback-whale-breaching-heat-run-to...tif
  • This is the view from beneath a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing at the ocean surface. The calf had just lifted its caudal region out of the water, then flipped over so that his belly was facing upward while he spun his body around. This had the effect of whipping his fluke in a circle, leaving a wake of bubbles, froth and whitewater as seen here. This type of play behavior is typical among healthy humpback whale calves.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-playing-ton...tif
  • This is a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) demonstrating the tremendous power of its fluke and caudal musculature. The whale has just lifted its fluke out of the water prior to whipping it back to hit the ocean. This produces a loud percussive sound that reveberates through both air and water.
    humpback-whale-tail-slap-tonga-20180...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) tail slapping at the ocean surface, playing with her mom and an escort.
    humpback-whale-calf-tail-slap-tonga-...tif
  • This is a playful male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) practicing how to make big splashes and loud sounds with his fluke and caudal region. Skills like this will become an important part of life for this calf once it matures.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-tail-slap-t...tif
  • Aerial view of a dead humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) stranded on a remote beach. This calf was female.
    dead-humpback-whale-calf-south-afric...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) poking his head out of the water, a behavior that is often referred to as spyhopping. The calf’s mother is in the background.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-spyhopping-...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) lying on its side while executing a series of pectoral fin slaps on the ocean surface. Note the flexibility of the pectoral fin.
    humpback-whale-pectoral-fin-slap-201...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) peeking out from underneath his pectoral fin as he swims upside-down beneath the ocean surface. His mother was resting about 20 meters below.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-peekaboo...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) with his mother. The calf had just finished nursing and was making its way to the surface to breathe. While still at depth, the calf opened and closed its mouth several times. This behavior often happens during or after nursing.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-open-mouth-...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) opening his mouth at the surface while playing. His baleen is clearly visible. This opening of mouth behaviour by calves is often associated with periods of play following nursing.
    humpback-whale-calf-mouth-open-tonga...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
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) executing a powerful tail slap, sending water flying in all directions.
    humpback-whale-tail-slap-south-afric...tif
  • Open nostrils of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) surfacing to breathe. This female was accompanied by her male calf. Note the whale lice (Cyamus boopis) clinging to the whale’s nostrils.
    humpback-whale-nostrils-whale-lice-t...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale spyhopping. This female had a male calf that was playing nearby.
    humpback-whale-spyhop-tonga-201708-1...tif
  • This is a playful male humpback whale calf, with this mother visible in the background. There was also an escort whale accompanying this mother and calf. The escort, not visible in this image, was singing.
    humpback-whale-male-calf-playing-ton...tif
  • Humpback whale singing in the classic head-down stationary pose at about 20m depth, attended to by several remoras
    humpback-whale-singer-megaptera-nova...tif
  • Rear view of an adult female humpback whale with her calf swimming above her head. This female and calf were the center of attention during a competitive group heat run that took place during a torrential downpour. There were at least three adult males accompanying this female and calf. The primary escort, partially visible in the lower left corner, had white pectoral fins, as did the calf. Note the rake marks along the trailing edge of the female’s fluke, scars left by predators such as orcas or false killer whales.
    humpback-whale-female-calf-rear-view...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf playing at the ocean surface while her mother rests below. On this day, the adult always maintained this vertical position while resting. When I came across this same mother and calf pair eleven days later, the adult no longer seemed to prefer this upright pose, but instead rested in the more common horizontal position.
    humpback-whale-female-with-calf-2017...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf nursing
    humpback-whale-calf-nursing-tonga-20...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
  • 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
  • This is an adult female humpback whale that 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, as seen in this photo. Though the peeling was most likely due to normal sloughing off of skin, it was reminiscent of how human skin peels when sunburned. I speculate that another possibility could be that the whale may have had sunburn as a consequence of her resting behaviour. Date of encounter was 18 August 2017. See separate detail photograph of skin recovered from the fluke of this whale.
    humpback-whale-fluke-sunburn-peeling...tif
  • A male and female humpback whale pair, with the female above showing her abdomen and the male below.
    humpback-whale-male-female-courtship...tif
  • This is part of competitive heat run with at least 14 humpback whales, far, far out in the open ocean. The seas were rough, and whales spread out over a large area. Pictured here is one whale down deep in the process of inflating his throat. This is often a precursor to blowing a stream of bubbles as a dominance display. In this instance, however, this whale was not the primary escort, and it eventually deflated its throat instead of blowing bubbles. Why it inflated and then deflated is not clear.
    humpback-whale-throat-inflated-durin...tif
  • This is the primary or dominant escort in a humpback whale competitive group, also known as a heat run. Male whales are competing for the female whale, which is the one with a long white slash mark on her torso, and a smaller one closer to her face. This behavior of blowing a massive trail of bubbles requires a substantial supply of air. The respiratory and digestive tracts of most animals, including humpback whales, are not connected. It is therefore not clear how humpback whales execute this behavior. After observing this heat run for an extended period of time, I was able to watch the entire sequence from beginning to end three times, and thus to confirm that the dominant whale did not gulp air at the surface. It inflated its throat pouch with air when it was submerged. This suggests that there is a mechanism by which a humpback whale can temporarily connect its respiratory tract to its digestive tract, thus shunting air from its lungs to its throat. This sequence thus provides photographic support for just such an anatomical link, as first proposed in a 2007 paper in The Anatomical Record by Reidenberg and Laitman.
    humpback-whale-bubble-blowing-sequen...tif
  • Humpback whale on its side, getting ready to slap its pectoral fin on the ocean surface. This behavior produces loud sounds, which can be heard and felt at a substantial distance.
    humpback-whale-pectoral-fin-slapping...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
  • 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
  • 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
  • This is an adult female humpback whale that 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, as seen in this photo. Though the peeling was most likely due to normal sloughing off of skin, it was reminiscent of how human skin peels when sunburned. I speculate that another possibility could be that the whale may have had sunburn as a consequence of her resting behaviour. Date of encounter was 18 August 2017. See separate detail photograph of skin recovered from the fluke of this whale.
    humpback-whale-fluke-possible-sunbur...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf playing next to the escort whale (adult male) that was accompanying him and his mother. Calves often play with their mothers. Direct interaction like this with escort whales does not seem to occur as often.
    humpback-whale-male-calf-playing-wit...tif
  • A male humpback whale calf playing while his mother swims ahead.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-mother-i...tif
  • Rear view of a humpback whale escort, with the adult female and male calf in the background. This particular trio were calm and settled, staying in one general area for at least two days. Notice the escort whale’s curved spine.
    humpback-whale-escort-with-mother-ca...tif
  • Surface view of an adult female humpback whale’s hemispherical lobe and mammary slits. This whale surfaced in close proximity to our boat multiple times, rolling over so her belly was facing up and her mammary slits and hemispherical lobe exposed at surface for an extended period of time. She exhibited this and other social behaviour repeatedly, as if displaying. She was with another adult whale. My guess is that the other whale was male. Prominent are Coronula diadema acorn barnacles, which are found only on humpback whales, and Conchoderma auritum gooseneck barnacles, which are found only on Coronula diadema barnacles.
    humpback-whale-female-hemispheric-lo...tif
  • Pictured here are 13 whales that were in a 14-whale competitive group heat run. The whales were spread out over a large area, moving constantly, not really engaging in much interesting behavior beyond general jockeying for position.
    humpack-whale-competitive-group-heat...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf relaxing with his mother and an escort whale in the background.
    humpback-whale-calf-with-mother-and-...tif
  • This is the primary or dominant escort in a humpback whale competitive group, also known as a heat run. Male whales are competing for the female whale, which is the one with a long white slash mark on her torso, and a smaller one closer to her face. This behavior of blowing a massive trail of bubbles requires a substantial supply of air. The respiratory and digestive tracts of most animals, including humpback whales, are not connected. It is therefore not clear how humpback whales execute this behavior. After observing this heat run for an extended period of time, I was able to watch the entire sequence from beginning to end three times, and thus to confirm that the dominant whale did not gulp air at the surface. It inflated its throat pouch with air when it was submerged. This suggests that there is a mechanism by which a humpback whale can temporarily connect its respiratory tract to its digestive tract, thus shunting air from its lungs to its throat. This sequence thus provides photographic support for just such an anatomical link, as first proposed in a 2007 paper in The Anatomical Record by Reidenberg and Laitman.
    humpback-whale-bubble-blowing-sequen...tif
  • A male humpback whale calf re-entering the water after executing a breach. The calf is facing away from the camera, with his belly up to the air. The substantial displacement of water provides an indication of the calf’s mass.
    humpback-whale-calf-landing-from-bre...tif
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Tony Wu Underwater Photography

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