Humpback whale reverse tail slap | Megaptera novaeangliae | Vava'u, Tonga

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) executing a reverse tail slap, with dorsal surface hitting the surface of the ocean. This was an adult female with an accompanying calf. The mother and baby spent several hours playing together, slapping the ocean surface with their tails, breaching, and engaging in other activities. The calf was Orion, the 13th calf I counted during the 2007 season in Vava'u, Tonga.

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Filename: humpback-whale-reverse-tail-slap-megaptera-novaeangliae-tonga-200708-V3R3930.tif
Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No reproduction in any form without prior written consent.
Image Size: 3771x2513 / 27.2MB; 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 Fluke Female Tail Slap
Contained in galleries: Humpback Whale Activity

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) executing a reverse tail slap, with dorsal surface hitting the surface of the ocean. This was an adult female with an accompanying calf. The mother and baby spent several hours playing together, slapping the ocean surface with their tails, breaching, and engaging in other activities. The calf was Orion, the 13th calf I counted during the 2007 season in Vava'u, Tonga.