Whales around Australia
There are a few species of whales that can be found in the oceans around Australia. Usually seen when migrating north to give birth and breed.
These days diving with whales is restricted. A boat isn't allowed to approach a whale closer than 100 meters and must stop it's engine in order to observe the whale. Divers are not allowed to come closer than 30 meters. They're also not allowed to chase the whale, but it's okay if the whale approaches the diver. Normally whales are quite shy, but the southern right whale sometimes swim's over to people to inspect them.
Southern right whales
- Southern right whale
The southern right whale has a broad back without a dorsal fin and a long arching mouth that begins above the eyes. The body of this whale is almost black or very dark grey and sometimes they have white patches on their belly. They are also distinguished from other whales by the callosities on their back. These callosities are pieces of skin that are thickened because of friction and repeated contact.
You can often see these whales when they migrate north between June and September to give birth to their calves and breed. In the whaling days hundreds and thousands of these whales were slaughtered and their numbers dropped critically. Right now the southern right whale is slowly coming back, but the population is still only a few thousand worldwide.
Humpback whales
The humpback whale is a Baleen whale with quite a distinctive body shape. It has the longest pectoral fins of any animal. They can be as long as 4.5 meter. It's head is rather lumpy. A mature humpback can measure between 12 and 16 meters and can weigh around 36.000 kg. This whale is found in waters all around the world and they typically migrate up to 25,000 km each year. Humpbacks only feed in polar waters during the summer and migrate to tropical or sub tropical waters to breed and give birth during winter. In the winter they fast and live off their fat reserves. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have several feeding methods.
Male humpback whales produce a whale song that can be very complex. It lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and can be repeated for hours at a time. It's not sure yet what the purpose of this song is, but it seems to have some role in mating. Females can judge the quality of a potential mate by their song. The humpbacks have a kind of regional dialect. The song from males in one area can be quite similar, but very different from males from another area.
The females breed every two to three years and have a gestation period of 11.5 months. Humpback whales usually live between 50 and 60 years.
The humpbacks are also quite active. During the whale season you can often see them breach on the horizon. Scientists aren't quite sure about why they do it, but there are a few suggested explanations like getting rid of parasites and courtship display or maybe just for fun?
