humpbacks.htm

WHALE IDENTIFICATION - BONAVISTA & TRINITY BAYS, NEWFOUNDLAND

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HUMPBACK WHALES

What are humpback whales?

Humpbacks are one of 11 species of baleen whale roaming the oceans of the world. Baleen refers to long plates which are fringed with a fibrous tangle of bristles and hang from the jawbones of the whale, somewhat like a moustache, in place of teeth. Baleen is made of keratin, a substance also found in human finger/toe nails and animals hooves, and is sometimes known as whalebone. Humpback whales are so called because of the 'hump' (i.e. lump) which is sited on their back, in front of their dorsal fin.

Humpbacks are mammals (simply, they breathe air and give birth to live young) and their Latin name is Megaptera novaeangliae - mega can be translated as 'huge' and ptera as 'wings', this referring to the long white pectoral flippers of these whales (see opposite) which are about a third of the overall length of the whale. The white parts of the pectoral flippers are used in the hunting process to alarm shoals of small fish. They can also be used as additional i.d. evidence as they have distinctive markings.

Tourists tend to want to see humpbacks as they are quite acrobatic and will raise their pectoral flippers or their flukes (tails) and slap them on the surface of the water, raise their heads out of the water to 'spy-hop' their surroundings or breach by raising the major part of their body out of the ocean (see photographs below) before crashing down again. Although other baleen, and also toothed, whales also do these activities, humpbacks are seen as being bigger ‘show-offs’!

Interestingly, humpbacks are the only whales to have a semi-serrated leading edge to their flukes (see picture below) but it is not conclusively known what purpose this serves. Parasitic barnacles can clearly be seen in the photograph of a pectoral flipper shown here and again it is not totally certain what their function is for the whale.

Breach start 2005 by Reg Kempen What do they eat?

Humpbacks feed by 'lunging' at their prey of small fish (in the waters around Newfoundland these fish are capelin and are about the size of a small sardine) or tiny crustaceans (krill) and, in so doing, take in massive mouthfuls of water.

They often combine in a feeding process known as 'bubble netting' where the whales will swim in a circle under a ball of fish, releasing air bubbles as they go, and then one or more of the whales will break off and surge up through the middle of the 'net'. They expel excess water by pressing their large tongues against the baleen, leaving the fish/krill caught there ready to be swallowed and digested.

If you are on a boat passing through the ‘blow’ of a humpback, the smell is strongly 'fishy' and unmistakable! It is perhaps not too surprising then, that with the humpbacks' healthy appetite, they can grow to weigh between 30 and 50 tons and to be slightly in excess of 50 feet (approx. 16 metres) with a fluke width of 12 feet (almost 4 metres). As with all baleen whales, the fully-grown male humpback is usually slightly smaller than the female.

Do they migrate?

In the Northern Hemisphere, humpbacks feed in the Spring/Summer months in the cold waters of the North and then migrate thousands of miles to the warmer Southern waters to breed – hence the saying ‘North to feed, South to breed’ (the journey is reversed in the Southern hemisphere). Whales from one hemisphere do not cross the Equator and mix with those from another hemisphere. Humpbacks seen feeding around Newfoundland from May to August may be seen in the Silver Banks, in the Caribbean, off the Dominican Republic, from January to April, coupling, giving birth and with males fighting for the attention of females.

In the Northern Pacific Ocean, they feed around Alaska and breed around the Hawaiian Islands. Why exactly they have to make these long pilgrimages remains unknown. Whilst trying to be chosen by a female for breeding, male humpbacks will 'sing' - the song will change slightly every year and is different from ocean to ocean.

Can we distinguish easily between different humpbacks?

As humans have fingerprints, humpbacks have markings/patterns on the underside of their flukes that are unique to each animal. Flukes may bear the marks of shark or orca attack and/or 'nipping' by dolphins. The markings/patterns are the prime basis for identification, although, it can also be useful to look at :-

a) the dorsal fin (shape and markings) - we are in course of opening a new page on this website showing distinctive dorsals which may assist in i.d. process;

b) the pectoral flipper (markings);

c) the 'gap' between the flukes (seldom uniform);

d) the tip end of the fluke (may be elongated, barnacle encrusted or scarred).

Is a primary record of identification maintained?

Researchers at Allied Whale (AW), the marine mammal laboratory at College of the Atlantic (COA) in Bar Harbour, Maine, USA were among the first to use the fluke pattern technique successfully to study whales. AW, founded by COA faculty, staff, and students in 1972, is recognized as being at the forefront of whale research and is acknowledged as a leader in developing techniques used by whale biologists throughout the world. In addition to far ranging research projects, AW holds the largest collection of information on photo-identified humpback and finback whales in the world. Check out their website at http://www.coa.edu/html/alliedwhale.htm.

Clearly, this website cannot possibly compete with that wealth of information and, indeed, the authors do not seek to do so. Rather we hope that our photographic record is entertaining and useful, in whatever respect, to any visitor to the site. We have submitted photographs to AW for their records, as appropriate, and request information on the whale in return. To see this site's Humpback records please 'click' on this button

Many thanks to the photographers who have contributed freely to our records and to Kris Prince for his superb navigation and exceptional eyesight! We must also thank the following contacts for their invaluable assistance:

Andrew Stevenson (whalesbermuda.com) In Summer 2008, we met Andrew in Trinity. He studies and photo and video-documents humpbacks off Bermuda and feels that many of those sighted off Bermuda can also be seen off Newfoundland later in the year (so far this is proving to be true in some cases) and that Bermuda is a 'gathering centre' for humpbacks before the journey North to feed. Do check out Andrew's wonderful underwater footage on YouTube.

Roger Etcheberry In January 2009, we were contacted by Roger who has lived on Miquelon since 1999 when he retired after a 30 year career with the Coast Guard (at the radio station on St. Pierre). With other photographers, he compiles and catalogs all the humpback fluke images for St.Pierre et Miquelon, the islands which lie off the southern coast of Newfoundland. All flukes on this site with an SPM or tn prefix have been identified by Roger from his records. We are grateful for Roger's continuing input and cooperation in expanding our knowledge of 'our' humpbacks' movements and look forward to close and continuing co-operation with him Roger has a sharp eye and is very much 'on the ball' with fluke i.d.

Deb & Ken Young In August 2009 we met Deb & Ken who have been cataloguing humpbacks in Witless Bay, Newfoundland for some years. Deb has a 'site' on Flickr as 'Youngrun' with extensive photographs and is well-worth looking at. We co-operate in exchanging images/information and already have some 'matches' between WBER and Trinity Bay.

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Enjoy your humpback whale watching off Newfoundland and please consider that, given the vast amounts of money spent by governments across the globe on space exploration and trying to find life on other planets, it is staggering how little the human race knows about the creatures in our own oceans which form over 70% of the Earth's surface!

Reg Kempen