8 Jul 09 - Cyg Bay - Humpback Whales - four of them, breaching, waving their pectoral fins, snorting, sunning their dorsel fin, tail slapping the water, blowing water high into the sky, and playing in the bay - it was really really cool, James picked DB and margo and Tilda up in his "Sealegs" (boat with wheels) and off we sped to watch the whales. They were beautiful and huge! James off loaded us onto Noel's boat and we went looking again - 4 hours watching the same 4 whales, it was fabulous - my word, Mother Nature at her best. They were spectacular - especially when 3 of them headed towards our boat like torpedo's and one dived under Noel's boat giving us a nudge with his tail - at the same time the other 2 swam either side of the boat tail slapping the water and giving us a bit of a bumpy moment .......... but they didn't set out to hurt us, we were so lucky, tick that one off on the Bukkit List!
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a Baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 metres (40–50 ft) and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the water. Males produce a complex whale song, which lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and is repeated for hours at a time. The purpose of the song is not yet clear, although it appears to have a role in mating.
Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometres each year. Humpbacks feed only in summer, in polar waters, and migrate to tropical or sub-tropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter. During the winter, humpbacks fast and live off their fat reserves. The species' diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net feeding technique. Humpback Whales undertake regular migrations between sub Antarctic waters where they feed and tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef where calves are born and nursed. During their stay in tropical waters they feed little and subsist on energy reserves. Female Humpbacks are larger than the male and can reach lengths of 15 meters and weigh over 40 tones. Humpbacks have the largest flippers of all whales up to one third length of bodies Only the males sing and probably only during mating season, breaching - leaping out of the water and crashing back as well as flipper smacking may also be communication.
