- Whales appeared more than 45 million years ago, their closest terrestrial ancestors the hippopotamus. Their adaptation to marine life has provided them with a very developed sense of hearing, as well as vision and sense of touch.
- The scientific name for humpback whales is Megaptera novaengliae, referring to their large pectoral fins. They have the largest fins of all whales, measuring over four meters.
- The common name for the “humpback” whale refers to the way they dive, since they arch their bodies enormously prior to submerging, which reminds us of a big hump. At the end, they display their tails, an unforgettable performance.
- Whales have no teeth. Instead, they have up to 300 keratin, or “whiskers,” which act as a sort of brush hanging from their jaws, allowing them to filter their food, small fish and crustaceans.
- Whales can consume up to two tons of fish and invertebrates each day, but they don’t do this the entire year. For half of the year, they are nourished by their enormous fat reserves, the season when they visit our bay.
- The reason whales migrate is to reproduce, arriving at our bay for the sole purpose of mating or giving birth, a roundtrip journey of up to 10 thousand kilometers each year.
- Whale calves are born weighing more than a ton, after almost a year of gestation, and they will be fed by their mothers for more than eight months, consuming almost 70 liters of milk per day.
- Each humpback whale has a unique tail, like a fingerprint, unduplicated in colors, markings, contour and scars. Thanks to photo identification, we know that our bay has been visited by almost 1,000 individuals, with an average of 350 per season.
- The humpback whales are the only living beings other than humans that can compose true songs, much more complex than birds. Their chants can last up to 20 minutes and each pod has their own version, changing it a little each year to stay in style.
- Only the males sing and, contrary to the popular belief that they are singing a love song to attract more females, they vocalize to threaten other males, letting them know of their presence and their willingness to battle for an available female.
- No one really knows how whales sing, since they don’t have vocal cords. It is believed the sound is created by moving air within their internal cavities. The singers remain immobile, face down and can sing continuously for hours.
- All whales have been hunted, and continue to be hunted by some nations despite being protected internationally. As of the mid ‘90s, only 5% of the original worldwide population was left.
- It is currently estimated that 7,500 humpback whales exist throughout the entire world, which represents only 20% of the population that existed prior to the 19th century. They are still considered an endangered species.
|
Other spotlights
|
