Jon Atkinson - Wildlife And Travel Photographer

Humpback Whales

Jon Atkinson Facebook Jon Atkinson E-Mail
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
HUMPBACK WHALE 1 - Humpback Whale, Boston, USA: The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 metres (39–52 ft) and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb).
HUMPBACK WHALE 2 - Underside of Hupback Whale. It's eye clearly visible, Boston: Humpback whales often feed by lunging - moving quickly toward a school of prey with their mouths wide open, then closing their mouths and filtering the salt water out using their baleen.
HUMPBACK WHALE 3 - Bubble net feeding Humpack Whale breaks the surface, Boston: 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 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.
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
HUMPBACK WHALE 4 - Bubble net created by communal feeding Humpack Whales, Boston: Bubble net feeding is type of behavior known as social foraging used to capture small schooling fish. It is unique to humpback whales. Members of bubble net feeding groups have specific roles that are key to the groups success.
HUMPBACK WHALE 5 - Bubble net feeding Humpback Whale in Boston: Evidence suggests that a single whale blows a curtain of bubbles used to contain the school of fish. The bubble blowing whale begins by makes a long, circular line of bubbles that rise to make a wall.
HUMPBACK WHALE 6 - Bubble net feeding Humpback Whale in Boston: While the net is being deployed, the other whales in the group position themselves so that the school of captured fish will be between them and the bubble blowing whale. As the whales approach the surface, they open their mouths wide and aspirate from their blowholes.
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
HUMPBACK WHALE 7 - Lunge Feeding Humpback Whale in Boston: Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 kilometres (16,000 mi) 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.
HUMPBACK WHALE 8 - Humpback Whale, Boston, USA: Humpback whales breathe air at the surface of the water through 2 blowholes located near the top of the head. They spout (breathe) about 1-2 times per minute at rest, and 4-8 times per minutes after a deep dive. Their blow is a double stream of spray that rises 10-13 feet (3.1-4 m) above the surface of the water.
HUMPBACK WHALE 9 - Humpback Whale, Boston, USA: During the winter, humpbacks fastand live off their fat reserves. The species' diet consists mostly of krill and smallfish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net feeding technique.
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
HUMPBACK WHALE 10 - Humpback Whale, Boston, USA: Like other large whales, the humpback was and is a target for the whaling industry. Due to over-hunting, its population fell by an estimated 90% before a whaling moratorium was introduced in 1966. Stocks have since partially recovered; however, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution also remain concerns.
HUMPBACK WHALE 11 - Breaching Humpback Whale, Maui: Humpbacks have become renowned for their various acrobatic displays. The common name "humpback" refers to the high arch of their backs when they dive. One of the humpback's more spectacular behaviors is the breach..
HUMPBACK WHALE 12 - Humpback Whale Tail, Boston, USA: The humpbacks fluke or tail fin is very broad and flat, ranging in size from 10 to 15 feet wide and are capable of propelling the whale at over 12 knots. The flukes normally have a serrated edge and a deeply notch center.
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
Humpback Whale
HUMPBACK WHALE 13 - Humpback Whale, Sea of Cortez, Baha, Mexico: Another behavior that humpback whales performs in the wild is “flipper slapping.”Duringflipper slapping, they use their flippers to slap the water instead of their tails. No one knows exactly why humpback whalesperform these actions, but it is thought that it may have something to do with communication.
HUMPBACK WHALE 14 - Humpback Whale, Boston, USA: There are at least 80,000 humpback whales worldwide. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, humpbacks are now sought by whale watchers, particularly off parts of Australia, New Zealand, South America, Canada, and the United States
HUMPBACK WHALE 15 - Humpback Whale Tail, Boston, USA:The term fluking is when the whale raises its tail out of the water and descends beneath the surface.

All photography is copyright © Jon Atkinson and images may not be reposted without express permission.