Injured Humpback Whale Calf | Tonga

This photograph shows the progress of healing of the wounds on the dorsal surface of injured humpback whale calf Tahafa (calf 201114). I took this photo during my ninth and final encounter with this calf and his mother. The missing chunk on the anterior portion of the calf’s dorsal fin is clearly visible, though the wound has healed quite a bit since my first sighting of this calf just over a month earlier. The other wound on his back, anterior of the dorsal fin, has healed nicely, with just a small open area still visible. My best guess is that a false killer whale attack is the cause of the injuries to the calf.

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Filename: injured-humpback-whale-calf-recovering-well-tonga-201108-1498.tif
Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication, reproduction or usage without prior written permission.
Image Size: 4896x3264 / 24.6MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Humpback Whale Animalia Chordata Mammalia Eutheria Cetacea Mysticeti Balaenopteridae Megaptera novaeangliae Cetartiodactyla Baleen Whale CITES Appendix 1 Filter Feeder Endangered: IUCN Red List Marine Mammal Mysticete Rorqual Calf Injury South Pacific Tonga Vava'u
Contained in galleries: Humpback Whale Activity

This photograph shows the progress of healing of the wounds on the dorsal surface of injured humpback whale calf Tahafa (calf 201114). I took this photo during my ninth and final encounter with this calf and his mother. The missing chunk on the anterior portion of the calf’s dorsal fin is clearly visible, though the wound has healed quite a bit since my first sighting of this calf just over a month earlier. The other wound on his back, anterior of the dorsal fin, has healed nicely, with just a small open area still visible. My best guess is that a false killer whale attack is the cause of the injuries to the calf.