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  • This is an aerial panorama of Fonua'one'one Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. The island and white sand beach visible from a boat at sea level represents only a small fraction of the entire coral reef structure, as is apparent from this aerial view.
    fonua-one-one-island-aerial-panorama...tif
  • This is an aerial view of Lua Loli island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. From this perspective the extensive reef structure surrounding the visible portion of the island is apparent.
    lua-loli-island-aerial-tonga-201909-...tif
  • Aerial panorama of Lua Ui Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga., with a boat in frame for scale. From this vantage point it is clear that the visible portion of the island structure is surrounded by extensive reef structure.
    aerial-panorama-lua-ui-island-tonga-...tif
  • This is an aerial panorama of Maninita Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. The island sits atop an extensive coral reef structure, which is for the most part not visible from the surface of the ocean. Visible to the right behind Maninita is Taula Island.
    maninita-island-aerial-panorama-tong...tif
  • Aerial panorama of Eueiki Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. Located on the island is Treasure Island Resort, visible in this photo. There is a large school of sardines near the boats.
    aerial-panorama-eueiki-island-tonga-...tif
  • Aerial panorama of Fonua’one’one Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga, with a boat in the foreground for scale. From this perspective, it is clear that the island comprises only a small part of the entire reef and sand structure, with most of Fonua’one’one being coral reef that submerges at higher tides. This image was created during an extreme low tide just after the full moon. Fangasito Island is visible in the background.
    fonuaoneone-island-aerial-panorama-t...tif
  • This is an aerial panorama of Fangasito Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. Visible in the background is Fonua’one’one Island. The extensive coral reef structure surrounding the island is clearly visible from this high vantage point.
    fangasito-island-aerial-panorama-ton...tif
  • This is an aerial panorama of Taula Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. The smaller island immediately behind and to the right of Taula is Lua Lole island. Further ub the background is the main island group. From this perspective, the considerable extent of the coral reef and sand associated with the island is clearly visible.
    taula-island-aerial-panorama-tonga-2...tif
  • Aerial view of Luahaipo island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga, showing fringing coral reef structure and white sand beach surrounding the island
    luahaipo-island-aerial-tonga-201808-...tif
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) spyhopping and twirling around with his pectoral fin.
    humpback-whale-spyhop-pectoral-fin-t...tif
  • A relaxed humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) escort pirouetting, with female and calf visible in the background.
    humpback-whale-escort-and-female-wit...tif
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with white pectoral fins blowing a dramatic trail of bubbles during a frenetic competitive group heat run. This male was one of the two lead escorts in pursuit of the female that was the center of attention of this heat run. The abundance of scratches and scars on this male’s body bears testimony to his vigor and aggression.
    humpback-whale-white-pectoral-fins-b...tif
  • This is a head-on view of the tube-like home of a marine polychaete worm in the Pectinariidae family, commonly known as trumpet worms or ice cream cone worms. These worms construct their homes by fitting and gluing together grains of sand. The walls of their home typically comprise a single layer of sand. The head of the worm is situated at the wider end (2cm in diameter in this case) of the tube, which faces down into sediment, with the narrower end protruding above the sediment. The worms forage in the sediment, digging through sand, mud and silt with strong gold-colored spines (setae) while using tentacles to sort through the materials. The worms digest organic particles and excrete pseudofaeces, a stream of undigested inorganic matter wrapped in mucous. This worm hole measured 9cm in length.
    pectinariidae-polychaete-trumpet-wor...tif
  • This is a brown booby (Sula leucogaster) taking off from the ocean surface after catching a sardine., with the fish still struggling in the bird’s beak.
    brown-booby-catching-sardine-sula-le...tif
  • This is the female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that was the center of an extended, energetic competitive group heat run. There were two large males that were the main contenders, including one particularly aggressive male that had white pectoral fins, and a number of other males that cycled in and out of the intense activity. The barnacles on the female humpback’s pectoral fin are clearly visible.
    humpback-whale-female-pectoral-fin-b...tif
  • This is a brown booby (Sula leucogaster) grabbing a sardine from a group of fish that had swum into very shallow water.
    sula-leucogaster-brown-booby-eating-...tif
  • Brown booby (Sula leucogaster) taking off from the ocean
    brown-booby-sula-leucogaster-tonga-2...tif
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) with an infestation of whale lice (Cyamis boopis), an ectoparasite that lives exclusively on humpback whales. Single hairs protruding from the round tubercules on the whale's head are also visible.
    humpback-whale-calf-whale-lice-infes...tif
  • This is a tube-like home of a marine polychaete worm in the Pectinariidae family, commonly known as trumpet worms or ice cream cone worms. These worms construct their homes by fitting and gluing together grains of sand. The walls of their home typically comprise a single layer of sand. The head of the worm is situated at the wider end (2cm in diameter in this case) of the tube, which faces down into sediment, with the narrower end protruding above the sediment. The worms forage in the sediment, digging through sand, mud and silt with strong gold-colored spines (setae) while using tentacles to sort through the materials. The worms digest organic particles and excrete pseudofaeces, a stream of undigested inorganic matter wrapped in mucous. This worm hole measured 9cm in length.
    pectinariidae-polychaete-trumpet-wor...tif
  • Lesser frigatebird (Fregata aerial) patrolling the skies. There were terns picking up sardines that had been driven into shallow water and onto the beach by trevallies, blacktip reef sharks and other predators. Frigatebirds like this gathered overhead to swoop in, bully terns carrying fish, and steal their meals.
    lesser-frigatebird-fregata-aerial-20...tif
  • This is a greater crested tern (Thalasseus bergii) wrangling a sardine. Being a small bird, the tern had difficulty controlling the struggling fish. The bird flew the sardine to the sand in order to subdue it.
    greater-crested-tern-thalasseus berg...tif
  • A male humpback whale calf playing while his mother swims ahead.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-mother-i...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
  • Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) taking a breath at the ocean surface. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-taking-breath-ocean-s...tif
  • This was my ninth and final sighting of injured male humpback whale calf Tahafa (201114). I took this photograph in Vava’u, after seeing this calf and his mother twice at Toku Island, which is approximately 40km away. By this stage, the calf seems to have completely overcome the trauma of being attacked and injured at an early age. He was playful, energetic, and proactively sought attention. His mother was relaxed throughout this final encounter.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-tahafa-b...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching in a forward direction. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-ton...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with a split dorsal. She was the mother of male calf 201411 in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    split-dorsal-fin-female-humpback-wha...tif
  • Fluke of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) which had the habit of resting upside-down, with the ventral surface of her fluke to the sky. She was the mother of an extremely active, inquisitive female calf. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    fluke-humpback-whale-upside-down-oce...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing at the surface with his belly facing up. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-belly-up...tif
  • A lone humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) hanging out at about 15m depth in the water. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga
    humpback-whale-megaptera-novaeanglia...tif
  • Humpback whale female (Megaptera novaeangliae) relaxing with her male calf. The adult has a split dorsal fin. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-female-calf-tonga-201...tif
  • Part of an energetic competitive group heat run of humpback whales, with one pictured here blowing a trail of bubbles. Photographed in Vava’u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-competitive-group-hea...tif
  • Friendly female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) 201404, whose mother had the habit of resting upside-down with her fluke at the ocean surface.
    friendly-humpback-whale-calf-female-...tif
  • Two of three humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) that breached in tandem for an extended period of time. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whales-breaching-together-m...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-humpback-whale-megaptera-n...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) performing a dramatic tail slash on an overcast day, resulting in a wall of ocean spray. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-tail-slash-tonga-2013...tif
  • One of a pair of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) that took turns breaching for an extended duration. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-breaching-tonga-20120...tif
  • Male and female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in courtship. The female is the closer of the pair. As often seems to be the case during courtship, these humpback whales were extremely inquisitive, with the female being particularly interested in boats and people. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whales-engaged-in-courtship...tif
  • Dorsal fin of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that was one of three (female, calf and escort) that swam into Neiafu Harbor at sunset in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. The whales rarely swim all the way into the harbor, as there are many boats and people. Some of the whale's vertebrae are also visible from this angle.
    humpback-whale-dorsal-fin-sunset-ton...tif
  • 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
  • Vertebrae from a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) that stranded on a small island in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. These vertebrae and most of the whale's skeleton was in the process of being cleaned. The bones were buried in the sand, and there was still decomposing soft tissue on the bones.
    sperm-whale-vertebrae-on-beach-by-mo...tif
  • Friendly male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) with his mother. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-mother-and-calf-tonga...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 the distinctive fluke of the female humpback whale that was the mother of an injured male calf, which was the 14th calf I ID-ed in the 2011 season. This photo is from the 9th encounter with this female and calf. The calf's substantial injuries have healed well at the time this photo was taken. Here the adult female is resting, with the calf frolicking below her. Both the female and the calf will be easy to recognize in the future, the mother by her distintive fluke, and the male calf by his injuries. There was an escort associated with this pair for an extended period, with the escort accompanying these two whales from Vava'u to Toku Island. This photo is from Vava'u, after the female and calf returned to the area without the escort. The female was relaxed during this encounter, allowing the baby to play, breach, and interact with people in the water.
    distinctive-fluke-female-humpback-wh...tif
  • This is a pair of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in courtship, with one of the whales creating a dramatic swirling trail of bubbles with its fluke. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whales-engaged-in-courtship...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 playing at the surface, while its mother swims beneath, and an accompany escort is further down. This calf is male, and is the 3rd one I ID-ed in the 2011 season in Vava'u, Tonga. The calf has a wound on its left abdomen that is visible in this photograph. It looks as if it may have been caused by a rope or line of some sort.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-megapter...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
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) executing a dramatic tail slash, sending sea water and spray in all directions. Photographed in Vava'u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-tail-slash-vavau-tong...tif
  • Frontal view of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. This female had a calf, and the pair both engaged in breaching for prolonged periods. Sailing yacht visible in the background. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-humpback-whale-front-view-...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
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with a split dorsal fin. This characteristic shows up every once in a while among the whales that visit Vava'u in the Kingdom of Tonga.
    split-dorsal-fin-humpback-whale-tong...tif
  • Healthy male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing, skimming the ocean surface with the tips of his pectoral fins. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-vavau-to...tif
  • Frontal view of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. This female had a calf, and the pair both engaged in breaching for prolonged periods. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-female-humpback-whale-fron...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
  • 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
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-humpback-whale-calf-tonga-...tif
  • Front view of an adult female humpback whale that was the mother of a calf. This whale was asleep and resting for an extended period in the inner waterways of the Vava'u island group in the Kingdom of Tonga.
    front-view-sleeping-female-humpback-...tif
  • A heat run of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) comprising five adult whales, four males and a female. The males are in competition for the attention of the female, which is the whale with lots of white on her body, on the right side of the photo. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    five-humpback-whales-heat-run-tonga-...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing at the ocean surface. This calf and his mother were the stars of the 2013 season in Vava'u, Tonga. They were friendly and interacted with people in the water.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-at-ocean...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) surfacing to breathe, with its mother waiting below. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    male-humpback-whale-calf-surfacing-t...tif
  • Playful male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf lunging out of the water. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-lunging-out...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-humpback-whale-female-mega...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) splashing lots of sea water and spray in all directions with her fluke and peduncle. Photographed in Vava'u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-tail-slash-vavau-tong...tif
  • An adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching, just about to re-enter the water. This female had a calf with her. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    adult-female-humpback-whale-breachin...tif
  • Inquisitive male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) with its mother waiting below, photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-with-mother-wait...tif
  • Large male escort humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) accompanying an adult female with a female calf, all three passing over a shallow reef outside the Blue Lagoon area in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. Female calf 201314, mom, escort
    humpback-whale-escort-fluke-with-mot...tif
  • This is an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with unique and easily distinguishable markings on the ventral surface of her fluke. The scars are perhaps the result of an attack or multiple attacks by orcas or false killer whales. I photographed this adult female with a calf in 2008 and in 2009, meaning that she had calves in two consecutive seasons. The calf visible in the background is female and was born in 2009. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-with-unique-scarring-...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
  • Female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) resting in shallow water while her playful male calf keeps himself occupied. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-mother-and-calf-shall...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
  • 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
  • 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 6 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 (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
  • Scarring on the dorsal surface of a female humpback whale’s fluke, most likely rake marks left by marine mammal predators such as killer whales (Orcinus orca) or false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). This female was seen with calves in Tonga in 2008 and 2009. The scarring on her fluke made her easy to recognize. Her 2009 calf is visible in this photo, hiding under the adult’s body.
    scarred-fluke-humpback-whale-with-ca...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) spitting out water while executing a forward breach.
    humpback-whale-spitting-water-forwar...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) executing a forward face-flop breach.
    humpback-whale-forward-breach-tonga-...tif
  • Humpback whale’s pectoral fin bathed in the warm glow of late afternoon sunlight
    humpback-whale-pectoral-fin-late-aft...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) extending her pectoral flukes into the air to slap the water for attention. She was resting with a male humpback, seemingly paired up. She breached abruptly and repeatedly, as well as slapping the water with her pectoral fins and fluke. This attracted five other males to her, resulting in an energetic heat run, forcing the male that was originally with her to compete with other males.
    humpback-whale-female-pectoral-fins-...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
  • 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
  • Breaching humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) demonstrating incredible power as it launches itself from the ocean
    humpback-whale-breaching-201608-3916.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
  • 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
  • A very skinny male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that had a tendency to roam far away from his mother. This habit may help explain the multiple scars covering his body, including what appeared to be the remnants of a large bite on the left side of his penduncle, just above the fluke, as well as the plethora of additional scratches and scars on his torso. Despite being undersized and covered with injuries, this calf was healthy and energetic. He swam a lot and played often with his mother, including tail slapping and breaching.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-skinny-with...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
  • 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) female breaching together with her male calf. The calf had a large wound on his left peduncle area, one that appeared to be the result of a large bite. It was healing well. The calf had a propensity to stray for substantial distances from his mother. He was also thin for his size, though highly energetic.
    humpback-whale-female-breaching-with...tif
  • Female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with the right side of her fluke severed. This whale is known as konga hiku, which means half tail in Tongan.
    injured-fluke-humpback-whale-tonga-2...tif
  • This fluke belongs to a female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) known as konga hiku, which means half tail in Tongan. The right half of her fluke has been severed cleanly, suggesting a wound that occurred long ago.
    humpback-whale-injured-fluke-tonga-2...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
  • 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
  • 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 15 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
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Tony Wu Underwater Photography

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