Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
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Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#2Humpbacks are amazing animals. I live in southeast Alaska, and humpbacks pass through here every spring and fall. They spend their winters in Hawaii where they mate, and they come back here to feed in the spring and summer.
When they first arrive in the spring you can see their vertebrae as they arch their back for a dive. After eating all summer, you can see how much they've filled out by the time they pass through on their way south in the fall. When they arch for a dive they've fattened up enough that you can't see individual vertebrae anymore.
It's an amazing experience to paddle a kayak out into a calm bay and sit for an hour surrounded by a dozen humpbacks, or to sit in a calm stretch of ocean with whales surfacing as far as you can see in every direction. They'll come within ten feet of a kayak, and you know they'll never bother you. They just seem curious about what's out in the water with them.
They engage in bubble-net feeding. A group of humpbacks circle underwater beneath a school of herring. They let out bubbles and build a wall of bubbles around the herring. The whales then swim up inside the bubbles and break the surface with their mouths open, feasting on the trapped herring. It's wild to see a ring of bubbles appear near you on the surface, and then see half a dozen whales rise up out of the water with their mouths open.
My favorite part of being close to whales is listening to them breathe. You can hear the size of their lungs from the sound of their breaths.
If you've never been close to whales, try to get on a whale watching tour. They're just incredible to see in person.
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#3There's an interesting video of a humpback whale being freed from a net:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcXU7G6zhjU
We don't know for sure if it really is showing appreciation at the end, but humpback whales are social animals so IMO it's plausible. It certainly makes a big effort at breaching despite being trapped for a long time and despite there being no other whales nearby. Why would it do that if it's not trying to communicate with the humans?
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#4Humpbacks are amazing animals. I live in southeast Alaska, and humpbacks pass through here every spring and fall. They spend their winters in Hawaii where they mate, and they come back here to feed in the spring and summer. When they first arrive in the spring you can see their vertebrae as they arch their back for a dive. After eating all summer, you can see how much they've filled out by the time they pass through…
I just went to Alaska. It was my first time and I couldn't believe the amazing beauty I've seen. I would love to go back. You mentioned kayaking, any suggestions on where to go?
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#5Maybe they do it because less food for orcas means less healthy orcas to hunt their own calves?
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#6Humpbacks are amazing animals. I live in southeast Alaska, and humpbacks pass through here every spring and fall. They spend their winters in Hawaii where they mate, and they come back here to feed in the spring and summer. When they first arrive in the spring you can see their vertebrae as they arch their back for a dive. After eating all summer, you can see how much they've filled out by the time they pass through…
I just went to Alaska. It was my first time and I couldn't believe the amazing beauty I've seen. I would love to go back. You mentioned kayaking, any suggestions on where to go?
I live in Sitka, and it's a pretty cool place for kayaking. We face the open Pacific, but there are a bunch of small islands just offshore that protect most of our immediate coastline. So the water right next to town is relatively calm. Then there's a larger volcanic island about 7 miles out, which protects us from open ocean swells. The sound in between has moderate seas. If you want big seas, you can head southwest and be on big open ocean swells.
But there's amazing kayaking throughout coastal Alaska. The panhandle has the inside passage, with miles of relatively protected waters. You can kayak in Glacier Bay, or up near Homer, or the Aleutians if you're badass.
If you go with a tour, be careful who you book with. There are operations that take care to bring people to places that are good for beginners to kayak. For example one company here brings their clients to a secluded cove where people won't face big swells or wind or boat wakes. But another company launches people right from downtown, where they immediately face big boat wakes, and the wind can pick up uncomfortably for beginners.
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#7Everyone knows that Orcas are the assholes of the sea.
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#8Everyone knows that Orcas are the assholes of the sea.
I thought that's what those humans were that fish the whole thing empty and drag nets over the ocean floor.
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#9Everyone knows that Orcas are the assholes of the sea.
I thought that's what those humans were that fish the whole thing empty and drag nets over the ocean floor.
We're the assholes of the land.
We're just so good at it it spill over to the sea too.
Let's hope one day we will be assholes in space.
Re: Humpback whales around the globe are mysteriously rescuing animals from orcas
#10Humpbacks are amazing animals. I live in southeast Alaska, and humpbacks pass through here every spring and fall. They spend their winters in Hawaii where they mate, and they come back here to feed in the spring and summer. When they first arrive in the spring you can see their vertebrae as they arch their back for a dive. After eating all summer, you can see how much they've filled out by the time they pass through…
I just went to Alaska. It was my first time and I couldn't believe the amazing beauty I've seen. I would love to go back. You mentioned kayaking, any suggestions on where to go?
For Gray Whales, Bahia Magdalena, Puerto Vallarta and Laguna Ojo de Liebre all have great whale watching, and in Bahia Magdalena you can pet them from a boat; don't know about restrictions on kayaks there but it should be open in Puerto Vallarta (just don't get in the water, too much bacteria/jellies). There's also Depoe Bay in Oregon and Monterey Bay in California, and Lime Kiln State Park in Washington for Orca watching.