A fully-grown humpback can hold her breath as long as 45 minutes. But usually, in Hawaii they don’t. An average breath hold dive in Hawaii is about 10 - 15 minutes. And a calf can only hold his breath for a few minutes.
How do Humpbacks spout?
Humpbacks exhale through two blowholes on the tops of their heads (they inhale through the same blowholes). A humpback exhales very forcefully - blowing out 90% of the volume of his lungs in half a second at about 300mph. Some researchers believe we can see the spout because the exhalation contains moisture from the whale’s lungs that is atomized under pressure. Other researchers believe we are actually seeing atomized mucus (a 15 foot tall spray of boogers).
Why do whales splash around so much on the ocean’s surface?
Since we can’t ask the whales, all we can do is speculate. Some researchers believe that the big splashes serve as an attention-getting device - perhaps a way to demonstrate size, and health. It may be a way to express aggravation or aggression. It may be a way to knock unwanted skin parasites off. Or it might just be fun - it might feel good.
Do Humpbacks have any other ways to communicate besides splashing?
Humpbacks are very vocal creatures. While feeding, they do make a lot of grunting and squeaking noises, but it is during mating season that the most complex communication takes place. In 1967 researchers listening to sounds made by humpbacks realized that the sounds are not random - they’re actually organized into repeating patterns that we call songs. Since then, researchers have observed that only male whales sing these songs, but the same version is sung by all the males in a breeding location. The songs evolve from season to season, never exactly repeating themselves. We don’t know the reason for these complex songs, but it has been observed that female whales don’t approach a singer (so it’s probably not sung to attract a mate. Interestingly enough, whales don’t have working vocal cords so all the sounds they produce are probably made by moving air around inside their respiratory systems. If the singing whale is within 10 miles, divers and snorkelers can hear these songs. And if the whale is really close, the sounds actually reverberate through the hulls of our boats!
Is it possible to identify individual Humpbacks?
Yes. In 1979, researchers off the Atlantic coast observed that each humpback has unique markings on the underside of its tail. Since humpbacks often lift their flukes prior to a long breath hold dive, it is possible to photograph and catalogue the sightings from the surface. Currently, over 5200 individuals have been identified in the North Atlantic, and more than 7000 in the North Pacific based on this technique.
What did the ancient Hawaiians think about the annual Humpback migration?
Although there is no Hawaiian word specifically describing the Humpback whale, the word “Kohola” means ”whale”, and the Hawaiians certainly admired the power and grace of the whale, acknowledging their importance with place names throughout the islands. Hawaiians didn’t hunt whales (it is thought they didn’t like the taste of the meat) but only the ali’i (chiefs) were allowed to own the teeth from beached whales, weaving them into the revered and sacred lei niho palaoa.
Do humpbacks have natural predators?
In the cooler feeding grounds, Orcas have been observed attacking humpbacks. In the warmer breeding and calving grounds, it is thought that tiger sharks, hammerheads and pacific gray sharks will attack unprotected calves and older or sick whales. Humans still have major impact on the humpback population. Though the International Whaling Commission has protected the whales from commercial hunting since 1966, St Vincent and the Grenadines are permitted to kill 20 animals between 2007 and 2012 for consumption.
