Humpbacks are amazing! I love them! This might not come as a big shock to most of you, especially, if you have read some of my previous posts about these magnificent underwater giants.
Breaching Humpback ~ Vancouver Island, BC ~ https://steemit.com/photography/@thomasjmitchell/breaching-humpback-vancouver-island-bc
Animal Encounter #2 ~ Chin slapping Humpback July 22nd 2017 ~ https://steemit.com/nature/@thomasjmitchell/animal-encounter-2-chin-slapping-humpback-july-22nd-2017
Humpbacks at Neko harbour, Antarctica ~ https://steemit.com/animalphotography/@thomasjmitchell/humpbacks-at-neko-harbour-antarctica
Just to name a few...
Click Image to view in full size.
When Humpback whales surface they have a very distinct and predictable behaviour (IF they feel comfortable, which depends on vessels near them). This behaviour is as follows ~ they will surface, exhale and then inhale, descending to just under the surface of the water. They will repeat this behaviour numerous times with usually 10-30 seconds in between the breaths. On their last breathe they will inhale more forcefully then arch their backs, their large flukes (tails) will typically arise from the surface before they disappear for a longer and deeper dive, which can be anywhere from 3 minutes to 20 minutes. The good thing though is that after a few surfacings you have a really good idea of when they will arch and fluke, which helps when trying to get a picture similar to the one below.
This moment I have captured is what I refer to as them
"Waving Goodbye".
An important note is that in fact underneath that Fluke are various black and white colour alterations, different shapes, markings, etc. Underneath that fluke is how we are able to identify individual humpbacks ~ It is in fact their Fingerprint ~ no two whales will have the same markings, colours, shapes under their flukes.
Click on image for full size.
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All stories & photographs are of my own work unless noted under the picture in question.
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