23/06/2015
Podes ter a sorte de ver as baleias na nossa praia... Facto.
Humpback Whales - Come and see these magnificent giants in Moz during June-November!
These marine mammals are usually identified by their enormous size, majestic whale songs and their aerial acrobatic abilities such as their ability to continuously breach the water in spite of their large bodies.
The Humpback is well-known for its majestic whale songs which are often heard during mating season when groups of male whales sing in order to attract a female to mate with.
In addition to playing a role in their mating rituals whale songs are also believed to play other roles in the humpback whales social structure, however as of now little is known about why they produce these sounds.
Due to their large size the sounds these whales make can be heard many miles away and are described as a combination of moans, howls and cries among other sounds which can go on for hours at a time.
Physical Characteristics and Appearance
When it comes to physical size an adult humpback whale can grow to an average length of 40-60 ft. long and weigh as much as 44 tons.
Note: One of the largest ever recorded humpback whales measured in at 89 ft. long.
These marine mammals are generally either a dark grey or black color with white patches on their stomach and k***s (known as tubercles) covering their head.
From a visual standpoint the humpback whales body is thickest in the middle and tapers down towards the head and flukes.
The whales back is largely flat with a small dorsal fin located down the far side of its back, however when swimming the humpback may arch its back and flukes causing its back to look like a large hump.
In order to navigate the ocean these whales possess a large fluke and unusually long pectoral fins (about 1/3 the length of its body) which it uses for swimming, turning and propelling itself through the water.
Because the humpback is a baleen whale it possess baleen plates instead of teeth.
The baleen plates have bristles attached to them that act as a catchers mitt for capturing various small prey.
The bristles are bunched close together in order to prevent small prey from escaping but are spaced apart enough to allow water to easily pass through.
Another characteristic that is unique to baleen whales such as the humpback is the presence of two blowholes which are located on top of its head.
Diet and Hunting Methods
Humpback whales have a pretty diverse diet when it comes to the baleen whale suborder and are known for eating small fish, krill, salmon, herring, mackerel and capelin among other small prey.
Because the humpback does not possess teeth and has to swallow its food whole these marine mammals are limited to consuming small aquatic animals.
These whales hunt and feed during the summer months in cold waters and migrate toward warmer tropical areas during the winter months to mate and bare offspring.
During the humpbacks feeding season these whales hunt using a technique known as bubble net fishing which involves a group of humpback whales swimming around their prey in a circle and blowing bubbles around their prey in order to herd the fish into a tight ball.
The whales will also create loud vocal sounds to scare the fish to the surface of the water and slap their fins against the water to stun the fish and immobilize them.
Once the fish are unable to move the whales will swim up and lunge at the fish with an open mouth and engulf hundreds or thousands of small fish in a single gulp while using their baleen bristles to separate the water and debris from their prey.
After capturing a mouth full of fish the humpback will then push the water out of its mouth using its tongue and swallow the remaining prey.
Humpback whales feed most frequently during feeding season and use this time to build up their blubber stores in preparation for mating season.
During mating season humpback whales will fast (stop eating) and live off of the body fat/blubber reserves they acquired during feeding season so that they can focus on migration and mating.
Although they may feed from time to time during mating season it is rare.
Habitat and Migration
Humpback whales are known to migrate to different locations depending on the time of year.
These marine mammals are known for their massive size and haunting whale songs that are often produced during mating season when male humpback whales sing to compete against other males for the right to mate with a female humpback.
In terms of location and habitat humpback whales can be found traveling throughout all of the worlds major oceans.
During the summer months which is their feeding season these whales can be found inhibiting the colder regions of the world such as Alaska and Antarctica where large quantities of fish, squid and krill can be found.
Once the winter time rolls around and large ice caps begin to form these whales can be seen migrating to locations such as Mozambique, where they spend the majority of their time mating and bearing offspring.
During their migration these whales are known to travel as far as 16,000 miles making them one of the furthest migrating species in the world.
Despite being able to consume large quantities of food these whales are known to almost completely forgo eating during the mating months and will live primarily off of the fat stores they obtained during feeding season.
Once these whales have finished mating and bearing offspring they travel back towards the northern and southern polar hemispheres where they can stock up on large quantities of food and prepare for the next mating season.
In many cases the mature and experienced whales will travel ahead of the younger whales during migration trips and lead them to the right destinations.
Interestingly, although these whales can be seen migrating, hunting and mating in large groups they are generally very solitary and non social creatures that prefer traveling alone or in small groups of two to three.
In these cases a pod may consist of a mother whale and her child or two friends that have formed a temporary loose bond.
When it comes to hunting, traveling or mating however several dozen whales may be seen aggregated together and working cooperatively in order to obtain their goals.
During reproduction cycles female whales will bear a single offspring once every 2 – 3 years while they are fertile with the average gestation period lasting 11 – 12 months.
The 11 – 12 month gestation period allows the female whale to return to its warmer, safer mating environment where it can bear its young, nurture it and prepare for the long migration trip back to its feeding grounds.
Although humpback whales can be found throughout all of the worlds major oceans they prefer to feed in colder climates and can be found in high latitude areas such as Alaska and the Antarctic during feeding season and will travel to warmer low latitude areas such as Mozambique during mating season.
Factors such as climate changes, water temperature and depth, and abundance of food play a major role in determining where these marine mammals feed and give birth.
Humpback whales prefer to feed in areas where large supplies of food are available and mate in warm climates that may provide some safety during mating season when they need to mate, give birth to their newborn babies and nurse their young.
