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| The Curious Humpback |
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Just off a rocky coast, a broad whale's tail arcs elegantly out of the ocean, hangs for an instant above the waves, then slides into the depths. The scene soon repeats itself, as the great creature again breaks the surface to take another breath, exhaling a misty spout through a blowhole atop its head, then quickly fills its lungs again.
A humpback whale spyhops. |
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A moment later, another whale in the group is "spyhopping," lifting a third of its body out of the water like a periscope to get a better look around. Then it is "lobtailing," repeatedly slapping its flukes, or tail, against the surface like blows from a giant floppy hammer. Eventually, yet another whale "breaches," rocketing its entire 40-foot long, 30-ton body out the water, then crashing back down, filling the sea with foam and the air with thunder.
Such athletic, captivating performances have made the humpback whale a favorite sight for the thousands of people who go on whale-watching cruises each year. "It is one of the most interesting and gregarious great whales in the sea," says Gary Lyder, a biologist who has guided whale cruises around the world. "They are very curious and will often come right up to your boat. I never get tired of watching them, and learn something new each time I see one."
And, as NATURE's HUMPBACK WHALES shows, the whale's remarkable and often mysterious habits have also made it a favorite study subject for scientists. Their discoveries -- from the realization that male whales sing complex songs while suspended in the depths, to the fact that feeding whales can use ingenious air bubble nets to herd fish -- have helped bring about a new appreciation for this vulnerable animal, which whalers once killed by the thousands.
Today, however, the endangered humpback is protected by law and populations have rebounded to nearly 20,000 worldwide, about 20 percent of prior numbers. HUMPBACK WHALES gives viewers a front-row seat to the spectacle of this recovery, traveling from the frigid waters of Alaska and Antarctica to the tropical Pacific isles of Fiji and Tonga to reveal the whale's complex underwater society -- a world of both tenderness and aggression. Rare underwater footage documents both: the gentle bond between mother and calf, the fierce rivalry and sparring among males. Diving photographers also capture some of the humpback's most remarkable habits, from its submerged concerts to the stunning feeding sessions in which a whale can trap hundreds of herring within a curtain of bubbles, then swallow the entire school in a single gulping lunge.
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The Curious Humpback
Spyhopping and other habits.
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Song of the Sea
Why do humpback whales sing?
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Whale Tales
Discover big and little whale facts.
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Resources
Web sites and books on humpbacks.
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