Whales are curious creatures. Because they are curious, they will come up close to boats to see what they are. This one breeched right behind our boat. Twice.
If the tail fin comes out too much out of the water then it means the whale is going to dive down deep. They usually stay down for 4 to 7 minutes each dive, but can stay down for up to 40 minutes.
Double whale breech
It only takes 2 or 3 tail flaps and 40 feet of water to accelerate their whole body (all 45+ feet of it) out of the water.
Male whales will fight by slapping their fins at each other above the water.
Mom humpback whales will travel from Alaska (a journey lasting about 5-6 months) to have their babies in Hawaii.
There is no tagging system for whales because the best tags will only stay in for 2 or 3 hours. Instead, scientists identify whales by their scars from fights with other whales or sharks.
The water that humpback whales shoot out of their blowhole comes out at 300 mph.
One possible reasons why whales like to breech and stick their fins out of the water is because it is cooling to them. Whale breech more on windy days.
While we were on the boat we got to listen to a hydrophone. The whales were singing. Only the males sing. All the whales know the same song, but do not sing in harmony. The whales do not sing in Alaska, only in Hawaii. This means they remember the song for 11 months before they sing again.
At least that's what the naturalist said.
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