Category Archives: Whales

Shoreline Show Stoppers

Every winter, anyone along the East Coast of Australia gets a front row seat for one of nature’s most spectacular shows.

The stars are humpback whales – massive marine mammals that like to steal the limelight.  These traveller performers drop by on their 25,000 kilometre round trip between Antarctica and their breeding grounds in the tropics.

These acrobatic animals are definite crowd pleasers – playing to an appreciative audience….

Just the sight of a spout is enough to cause a commotion…and little wonder.  After holding their breath for twenty minutes, humpbacks can exhale several metres into the air…..

But it’s really just the warm up – the opening act can be pectoral fin slaps…. When their five metre long appendages slam onto the ocean surface – a wakeup call for anyone close by.

Tail slaps are another great way to grab attention. One is never enough.  It’s an opportunity to show off their personal fluke pattern – the best way to identify a humpback….

If they sense they’re losing their audience, the whales can opt for a spy hop – raising their head out of the water to assess the world around them….

But the absolute shop stopper is the full body breach – when up to 30 tonnes of mammal is launched into the air and slams back down.  The impact is phenomenal – seen and heard from kilometres away.

There’s lots of different theories as to why whales perform this manoeuvre – some feel it’s a way to communicate with other humpbacks close by; others believe it’s like a giant stretch after a long rest – a signal they’re about to get active again.

Either way its unforgettable – and can only be topped if there’s an understudy in tow.  Young calves accompany their mothers on the trip back south, eager to try out their performance skills as well.

At just five metres long, they’re only a fraction of their Mum’s size but still capable of making their presence felt.  Drinking 400 litres of milk a day, these youngsters grow quickly and by this time next year will be ready to go solo.

In a final bow to the crowd, the whales lift their tails and disappear from stage – diving deep and leaving the audience wanting more, with no indication where and when their next performance will be.

Even if you miss the show, you can learn more about these magnificent animals in one of Ocean Life Education’s Marine Mammal presentations.  Click here for more details.

Humpback Heaven

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Most marine creatures that pass our coast prefer to go un-noticed – but not the humpbacks.  These massive mammals like to announce their presence with spectacular displays that still leave scientists guessing as to why.

Certainly whales need to surface to breathe – their huge exhalations rising metres into the air after 20 minutes of down time underwater.  But the humpbacks have turned airtime into an artform.  Giant pectoral fin slaps, tail splashes and spy hops (poking their head out to look for an appreciative crowd) are just the precursor to the main event.

Full body breaches are the show stopper for any whale watcher.  And the degree of difficulty needs to be fully appreciated.  An adult can easily measure 16 metres and weigh up to 30 tonnes and to launch something of that size out of the water (often time and time again) is nothing short of astounding.

But to what end?  It’s not a way to flee predators or to capture food – humpbacks are on an enforced diet during their time away from Antarctica – their preferred menu of krill remains in the icy waters while the whales make their annual pilgrimage to mate and calve in the warmer region of the Pacific.

The most plausible theories to explain the unusual antics are guesses at best.  One thought is the breaches and slaps are a form of communication – a way to let other humpbacks in the vicinity know where they’re at.  Another is it signifies a change in behaviour – when a whale is going for rest mode to more active travelling – like a giant stretch as they wake themselves up.

But many believe they just do it because they can.  Humpbacks are known to be curious, intelligent animals and like most mammals they are capable of having fun. They leap for joy simply because it feels good.

In the past, this playfulness has contributed to their demise, with the species almost hunted to extinction in the early part of the 20th century as they were easy prey to spy.  Today the biggest threats are net entanglements and strikes from over zealous boaties wanting to get as close as possible to these magnificent creatures.

But we all play our part – with Plastic Free July upon us, it is the perfect opportunity to consider our impact on the ocean and the quality of the water the humpbacks and so many other marine creatures swim through.  Don’t be fooled by their size and energy, these really are our most vulnerable visitors and the southerners we want to keep returning for many years to come.