Injured humpback whale calf with mother | Megaptera novaeangliae | Vava'u, Tonga

Top-down view of Tahafa, an injured male humpback whale calf that was the 14th calf I photo-identified during the 2011 season in Vava'u, Tonga. This encounter was the fifth of nine with this mother and calf, this one in the murky waters near Port Maurelle. The pair were accompanied by an escort that stayed with them for at least 14 days. Deep scars are visible all over the calf's body, with the most serious injuries being to the front of the dorsal fin, which is almost entirely severed, and the right pectoral fin, which is cut nearly half way through in the middle of the fin. Despite the injuries, the calf was healthy, active and friendly. The size and shape of the wounds suggest the possiblity of an attack by marine mammals, possibly false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens).

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Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No reproduction in any form without prior written consent.
Image Size: 5157x3438 / 50.8MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; South Pacific Tonga Vava'u Humpback Whale Animalia Chordata Mammalia Cetartiodactyla Eutheria Cetacea Mysticeti Balaenopteridae Marine Mammal Baleen Whale Rorqual Mysticete Megaptera novaeangliae Endangered: IUCN Red List CITES Appendix 1 Filter Feeder Calf Mother and Calf Injury Male
Contained in galleries: Humpback Whales Underwater

Top-down view of Tahafa, an injured male humpback whale calf that was the 14th calf I photo-identified during the 2011 season in Vava'u, Tonga. This encounter was the fifth of nine with this mother and calf, this one in the murky waters near Port Maurelle. The pair were accompanied by an escort that stayed with them for at least 14 days. Deep scars are visible all over the calf's body, with the most serious injuries being to the front of the dorsal fin, which is almost entirely severed, and the right pectoral fin, which is cut nearly half way through in the middle of the fin. Despite the injuries, the calf was healthy, active and friendly. The size and shape of the wounds suggest the possiblity of an attack by marine mammals, possibly false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens).