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 Travel & Outdoors | January 2006 
The Spectacular Humpback Whale - 2
 Griffin Page - Naturalist/Eco-Guide
| | The North Pacific population will choose to migrate to one of 3 general areas in which they will either give birth, reproduce, or just tag along for the ride. |
Their Amazing Migrations
Three different populations of Humpbacks inhabit the world's waters. First, we have the North Atlantic population, the North Pacific population and then there's the South Pacific/Atlantic population. The one that we will specifically discuss now is the North Pacific population. This is the one that migrates here to Banderas' Bay.
The migration cycle takes about a year. The Humpback will typically spend 3 to 4 months at their feeding grounds. These feeding grounds extends from the west coast of California, Canada up to the Golf of Alaska and the Bering sea.
They principally feed on krill, plankton, shrimp, sardines and seem to love herring for its high content of fat. During that time, they will eat astonishing amounts of food every day in order to build up their layer of blubber (fat) that will protect them from the cold waters and prepare them for the migration south where food is almost non-existent.
From there, they will travel more than 10,000 kilometers south to their breeding grounds. This trip can take between 2 to 3 months. The North Pacific population will choose to migrate to one of 3 general areas in which they will either give birth, reproduce, or just tag along for the ride - as may be the case for those whales that have not yet reached sexual maturity. The reason for this long migration is the need for more temperate waters, as the newborn calves are born with a very thin layer of blubber and hence, could not support the cold waters of the North. The 3 most popular breeding areas are: Bay of Banderas, Islas Revillagigedo and Hawaii.
Humpbacks may also visit the waters of the Sea of Cortez, off the east coast of the Baja California Peninsula, but this is known as a transitional place. They will spend an average of 3 to 4 months in these grounds. In Banderas' Bay, the average stay for one particular whale is around 11 days but of course, mothers and their newborn calves will remain longer. As these animals constantly travel, they usually come and go in and out of the bay area, so one particular whale can be seen over and over at different intervals during the reproduction season.
Then, they return to the north to feed again in preparation for next years migration. And so, the cycle repeats.
Acrobats of the Sea
The humpback whale's behavior is most often playful and the show they perform for us at times can be quite spectacular. Let us examine some of the behaviors that have made the Humpback whale so popular.
Breaching: This involves the whale diving straight down and then, turning around and swimming at top speed (18mph / 26kmph), straight up towards the surface. As the whale reaches the surface, his body then shoots out of the water, sometimes doing a half turn while extending his flippers outwards and landing with a huge splash. You can imagine the sound and visual impression a 30 to 50 ton whale crashing in the water can create. It is believed that this may occur because the whale is either playing, trying to rid himself of parasites (such as sea lice or barnacles), trying to communicate by displaying his strength, size and power or to attract the attention of other whales.
Fin slapping: This means the whale is sideways, with its fin out of the water while he repeatedly slaps at the water's surface, creating splashes. Again, this may be for play, communication or used in fights during courtship groups. In this last case, males will hit one another with their barnacle laden fins, causing injuries that may even occasionally bleed.
Tail slapping: This case is similar to fin slapping where instead of the fin, the fluke is the part that is slapping at the water, while the whale's body is otherwise submerged. The reasons are also similar to fin slapping except that sometimes, it can also be a display of frustration or anger as in the case of a whale being harassed by boats or trying to ward off potential male competitors when a female in heat is close by.
Spy-hopping: I like to call this particular behavior "people watching"; as we do whale watching, they also watch us. For this, they slowly come out of the water up to their pectoral fins and have a look around by rotating a little while the head is above water. After a little while, they slowly go back down the way they came.
Courtships in the Bay of Banderas
One of the most spectacular behavior is that of courtship. This only occurs in their mating grounds and since the Bay of Banderas is one of their elected areas for reproduction, we have the precious opportunity to be able to study this particular behavior further, right here at home. This aggressive battle for a single female is most impressive. It may involve 2 or up to 18 or more whales ferociously fighting for that one female heading the group. Often, one male has already been able to position himself next to the female. Being next to the female is where they want to be, so all the other whales are trying to move up to the front to dislodge their competitor.
This is done by pushing and shoving, hitting each other with their barnacle laden fins and tails. They may also do what we call a head slap which means one whale will elevate his head slightly above the water to then forcefully shove it back down over the back of another whale. Since their chins are also usually full of sharp barnacles, they can cut each other pretty badly at times. Some smaller or weaker whales will leave the group quite early in this battle while other may arrive later, fresh and strong and begin to fight their way up.
The idea is that only the strongest male will remain till the end and will get the chance to reproduce with the female. This battle may last less than one hour or may go on for hours. One way of knowing if you are witnessing a courtship group is to count the whales that are all in one group, to watch their swimming pattern and estimate their speed.
During a courtship battle, the female that leads will swim much faster than usual and change direction quite often. They will also remain closer to the surface and breathe more often as they are exerting a lot of energy during this time and have a greater need for oxygen. The surface waters may appear to be boiling; this occurs because of the activity below, the splashing caused by the tails and fins and the air that is occasionally released by males. Nasty scars are the result of repeated participation in such groups. This is why some have the misguided tendency of saying that a whale with many scars on his back is a male.
But let it be known that scientifically, only a female accompanied by her calf or a singing whale can be positively identified for sex, unless you are dealing with a very well known whale, one who has been studied over many years time and has since been identified as male or female.
Remember, when whale watching is done right, it enhances your experience and helps current research geared towards conservation of this species. We strongly encourage you to choose a company that has a permit, follows the guidelines and respects these incredible marine mammals.
"Nature could be such a wonderful teacher if only we saw it for what it really is." --Monachν
Natural Treasures invites you to witness the beauty and to lend a hand in the conservation of our natural environment.
Griffin Page is a nationally certified whale watching guide as well as a very knowledgeable eco-tour guide. She helps in the research and conservation of Humpback whales and Olive Ridley marine turtles by conducting informative tours here in our Bay. Information on how you can give donations and other necessary materials or reserve a tour is available through her. Join her in this wonderful endeavor!
You can contact her through:
Natural Treasures Vallarta at:
044-322-888-4617 (from Puerto Vallarta)
naturaltreasuresvallarta@yahoo.com
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