Portfolio of my Knowledge…

Posts Tagged ‘Cape Ann’

Humpback Whales

June 16th, 2010 in Travel Specials by Fario

A Humpback Whale Tail we saw during our trip.

We went to Cape Ann, near Boston, to do some whale watching. We mainly only saw some humpback whales, so here is a small description of these creatures.
Humpback whales are baleen whales, and adult whales can measure 12–16 metres (39–52 ft) and weigh approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb). They are generally black on their dorsal sides (upper side), and black and white on their ventral side (under side). They have slim heads, but from above, they appear wide and rounded. They have unusually large pectoral fins (side fins), and knobbly foreheads and lower jaws, although it is still not known what purpose these knobs serve. The Humpback whale is very acrobatic, and curious, often coming up close to boats to investigate. They enjoy breaching (jumping out of the water, and falling back in on their backs), and slapping the water. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any breaching or slapping, only a few whales occasionally coming to the surface to breath as they travelled. We did see a whale diving into the water and showing a tail however, which was very nice.
Humpbacks feed on krill, and small schooling fish such as herring, salmon, capelin, mackerel, pollock and haddock. These whales feed only in summer and they live off their fat reserves during winter, they migrate during the winter to the warmer tropical and subtropical waters. They directly attack their prey, or stun them by hitting the water violently with their powerful tails. They are also prey to Killer Whales.

Humpback Whale Breaching

Humpbacks live alone, and only form short acquaintances for practical reasons. Females have calves every two or three years, with a gestation period of a year. The whale calves measure 3-4.5 m (10-15 ft) long at birth, and weigh up to a ton. They drink on their mother’s milk until they reach the age of one year old. Humpback whales were previously thought to live in between fifty and eighty years old, but more recent studies found whales as old as 200 years old. A lot is still unknown about whales, including the reason for their ‘songs’. Humpback whales create sounds and clicks, which has been called a song. Scientists still do not know what whales use this song for, sometimes repeating the same sounds for 24 hours non stop. Some theories include to attract females during the mating season, as it looks like mainly only males sing, but sometimes songs are recorded after the mating season. Another theory is that it is a warning for other males to stay away. Either way, these songs are said to be very relaxing, and many recordings can be bought on CDs.

Humpback Whale Skeleton

I enjoyed the whale watching trip very much, with the boat ride, the sun, the wind, and of course, the whales. I did however, forget to put my hat on, and I got a bad sunburn on my face of which I am still recovering. It’s not as bad as it was, but it seems to itch even more than before!