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  • One of several male whales in a heat run, lunging while coming up for a breath of air. Note that the shape of the whale's nostrils resemble the form of a human nose. Humpback whales participating in heat runs sometimes lunge like this during the frenzy of activity. In these instances, the whales usually exhale with force, producing a strong snorting or grunting sound. Sometimes, the exhaling sound resembles a prolonged, low-pitched growl. This type of display is particularly impressive when whales lunge on top of one another, perhaps challenging one another for dominance.
    humpback-whale-lunging-during-heat-r...tif
  • One of several male whales in a heat run, lunging while coming up for a breath of air. Note that the shape of the whale's nostrils resemble the form of a human nose. Humpback whales participating in heat runs sometimes lunge like this during the frenzy of activity. In these instances, the whales usually exhale with force, producing a strong snorting or grunting sound. Sometimes, the exhaling sound resembles a prolonged, low-pitched growl. This type of display is particularly impressive when whales lunge on top of one another, perhaps challenging one another for dominance.
    humpback-whale-lunging-during-heat-r...tif
  • Heat run of five humpback whales, four of which are visible in this photograph. This heat run was far south from Fatumanga, a considerable distance from the main area of the Vava'u island group in Tonga.
    heat-run-humpback-whales-megaptera-n...tif
  • Humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) in a heat run. There were six whales in total, spending most of their time in deep water, but passing over this shallow submerged reef at one point, giving me an unusual opportunity to photograph a heat run against the reef.
    humpback-whale-heat-run-over-shallow...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) breaching. The whale next to her is a male, one of five participating in a heat run that centered upon this female. There were whales breaching all over the place in the early morning on this day. This female breached and slapped her pectoral fin on the surface prior to the heat run developing.
    humpback-whale-female-breaching-heat...tif
  • These four humpback whales were part of a heat run comprising six testosterone-fueled males in pursuit of a single fertile female. Swimming at high speed, the whales appeared from the blue haze below, charging toward the surface in a mad rush. I dived down and waited in mid-water for them. <br />
<br />
As this group of four hurtled past me, I experienced a surge of adrenalin, triggered by the simultaneous exhilaration and apprehension of such a close encounter with a quartet of 40-ton animals. <br />
<br />
The four whales pictured here are all male, one of which is blowing bubbles--a common behaviour that may signify aggression when observed during heat runs. <br />
<br />
The female surfaced some distance away together with the other males, which certainly explains why these whales were in such a rush!
    four-humpback-whales-in-heat-run-201...tif
  • This was a heat run of seven humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae), with a female that was predominantly black in colouration. These seven were clearly engrossed in their heat run activities, but they approached people in the water quite often, with the female coming up to display only a few metres away from me. In this scene, the seven whales have just realised that a group of three whales was approaching in the distance. All the whales took off in an instant, swimming at high speed and blowing curtains of bubbles to punctuate their mad dash. Note the severe injuries to the pectoral fin of the second whale in the row.
    seven-humpback-whales-blowing-bubble...tif
  • One of several humpback whales in a rampaging heat run. There was a lot of body contact in this heat run, resulting in minor scrapes and injuries to several of the whales. It was not clear whether the dorsal fin of this whale was severed during the heat run or at a separate time.
    humpback-whale-with-injured-dorsal-f...tif
  • One of several humpback whales in a rampaging heat run. There was a lot of body contact in this heat run, resulting in minor scrapes and injuries to several of the whales. It was not clear whether the dorsal fin of this whale was severed during the heat run or at a separate time.
    humpback-whale-with-injured-dorsal-f...tif
  • Female humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae) being pursued by six male humpbacks in a heat run. Here the female swam up from the deep and displayed directly underneath me while the males caught up. There is one whale with a severely injured pectoral fin directly below her, two deeper down, and three more coming up from the rear.
    female-humpback-whale-heat-run-tonga...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae) diving during a heat run. Note that the arc of the whale's dive is greater/ steeper than with a normal dive during a non-hormone-charged situation
    humpback-whale-heat-run-fluke-200508...tif
  • Nine humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) of ten that were engaged in a competitive group heat run centered around the dark female in the foreground of this photograph.
    nine-humpback-whales-competitive-gro...tif
  • A competitive heat run comprising seven humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), with six males vying for the favor of a female whale, the dark individual visible behind the foremost whale. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-heat-run-tonga-megapt...tif
  • Six humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglliae) engaged in a competitive group heat run, with one blowing bubbles.
    humpback-whale-competitive-group-hea...tif
  • Humpback whales in a heat run, with six males competing for the attention of a female that already had a calf. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga
    humpback-whales-heat-run-tonga-20120...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale that was the center of attention in a heat run of five humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Behind her is one of the males, easily recognizable by the step-like rear edge of its dorsal fin.
    female-humpback-whale-in-heat-run-me...tif
  • Part of an energetic competitive group heat run of humpback whales, with one pictured here blowing a trail of bubbles. Photographed in Vava’u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-competitive-group-hea...tif
  • This is the female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that was the center of an extended, energetic competitive group heat run. There were two large males that were the main contenders, including one particularly aggressive male that had white pectoral fins, and a number of other males that cycled in and out of the intense activity. The barnacles on the female humpback’s pectoral fin are clearly visible.
    humpback-whale-female-pectoral-fin-b...tif
  • A heat run of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) comprising five adult whales, four males and a female. The males are in competition for the attention of the female, which is the whale with lots of white on her body, on the right side of the photo. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    five-humpback-whales-heat-run-tonga-...tif
  • One of six male humpback whales in a heat run centered upon a female humpback with a calf. This male is diving down to join the other whales. Photographed in Tonga.
    male-humpback-whale-diving-heat-run-...tif
  • Energetic heat run comprising eight humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). The whales spent a considerable amount of time at the surface, splashing and creating a commotion.
    humpback-whale-heat-run-megaptera-no...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae) lunging sideways out of the water during a massive heat run with seven whales
    humpback-whale-lunging-sideways-heat...tif
  • Four of six humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) in a heat run, charging at high speed through the water. Photograph taken at a depth of approximately 10 metres, south of the main Vava'u island group in the Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-heat-run-in-tonga-201...tif
  • This female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and her calf were the center of attention in the middle of a heat run involving six male humpback whales. The primary escort is visible in the background. The whales were traveling at high speed, diving down from time to time. The calf's inability to hold its breath as long as the adults meant that the whales surfaced relatively frequently.
    female-humpback-whale-with-calf-heat...tif
  • One of six humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in a heat run, diving down to rejoin the fray after surfacing for air, with another humpback partially visible in the background. Whales encountered far south of the main islands of Vava'u
    humpback-whale-diving-in-tonga-20100...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that was involved in a weven-whale heat run breaching. The heat run merged with three additional whales, then split again to six or seven whales
    breaching-humpback-whale-viewed-from...tif
  • Frenzied heat run of five humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). The whale in the foreground is one of the males. Its fluke passed right in front of me. The female is the dark whale in the lower left.
    high-speed-heat-run-humpback-whales-...tif
  • This is the primary or dominant escort in a humpback whale competitive group, also known as a heat run. Male whales are competing for the female whale, which is the one with a long white slash mark on her torso, and a smaller one closer to her face. This behavior of blowing a massive trail of bubbles requires a substantial supply of air. The respiratory and digestive tracts of most animals, including humpback whales, are not connected. It is therefore not clear how humpback whales execute this behavior. After observing this heat run for an extended period of time, I was able to watch the entire sequence from beginning to end three times, and thus to confirm that the dominant whale did not gulp air at the surface. It inflated its throat pouch with air when it was submerged. This suggests that there is a mechanism by which a humpback whale can temporarily connect its respiratory tract to its digestive tract, thus shunting air from its lungs to its throat. This sequence thus provides photographic support for just such an anatomical link, as first proposed in a 2007 paper in The Anatomical Record by Reidenberg and Laitman.
    humpback-whale-bubble-blowing-sequen...tif
  • This is the primary or dominant escort in a humpback whale competitive group, also known as a heat run. Male whales are competing for the female whale, which is the one with a long white slash mark on her torso, and a smaller one closer to her face. This behavior of blowing a massive trail of bubbles requires a substantial supply of air. The respiratory and digestive tracts of most animals, including humpback whales, are not connected. It is therefore not clear how humpback whales execute this behavior. After observing this heat run for an extended period of time, I was able to watch the entire sequence from beginning to end three times, and thus to confirm that the dominant whale did not gulp air at the surface. It inflated its throat pouch with air when it was submerged. This suggests that there is a mechanism by which a humpback whale can temporarily connect its respiratory tract to its digestive tract, thus shunting air from its lungs to its throat. This sequence thus provides photographic support for just such an anatomical link, as first proposed in a 2007 paper in The Anatomical Record by Reidenberg and Laitman.
    humpback-whale-bubble-blowing-sequen...tif
  • A scene from an epic heat run centering upon a female with calf. We watched this develop from just mom, calf, escort into a heat run with at least seven adults. The males were highly competitive, engaging in lots of spectacular surface displays. Here, one of the males is rocketing out of the water next to a rival male.
    humpback-whale-males-competitive-gro...tif
  • A male humpback whale with a split dorsal fin. This was one of eight whales engaged in an intense heat run at Toku Island. It was one of the most action-packed heat runs I've come across, with lots of grunting, snorting, lunging and other physical contact among the whales.
    humpback-whale-split-dorsal-fin-Mega...tif
  • One of four male humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) in a heat run chasing a mother and calf (Kowai, 18th calf identified in the 2010 season). This whale seemed particularly crazed, aggressively pursuing the other males swimming directly toward me. The whale lifted its pectoral fin centimetres over my head as it passed.
    humpback-whale-belly-up-close-201008...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale that was the primary escort in a small competitive group heat run of four whales. The male is blowing bubbles, likely intended to be a display of aggression and dominance. The dark female dark is just visible at the bottom of the frame. The male had a small portion of his penis protruding.
    humpback-whale-male-bubbles-201708-0...tif
  • This is the primary escort in a humpback whale competitive group heat run. The whale is executing a body block of another male in pursuit by extending his pectoral fins and pulling up suddenly in a vertical position, much like an airplane stalling mid-flight. Though this is a common tactic, it is difficult to photograph, as it happens suddenly and the action pauses for only a few moments.
    humpback-whale-escort-body-block-ton...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) surfacing to take a breath, expelling air from its lungs and sending a spray of water and bubbles from its nostrils on top of its head. This was one of several whales engaged in a heat run.
    humpback-whale-surfacing-to-breathe-...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) surfacing to take a breath, expelling air from its lungs and sending a spray of water and bubbles from its nostrils on top of its head. This was one of several whales engaged in a heat run.
    humpback-whale-surfacing-to-breathe-...tif
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with white pectoral fins blowing a dramatic trail of bubbles during a frenetic competitive group heat run. This male was one of the two lead escorts in pursuit of the female that was the center of attention of this heat run. The abundance of scratches and scars on this male’s body bears testimony to his vigor and aggression.
    humpback-whale-white-pectoral-fins-b...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) extending her pectoral flukes into the air to slap the water for attention. She was resting with a male humpback, seemingly paired up. She breached abruptly and repeatedly, as well as slapping the water with her pectoral fins and fluke. This attracted five other males to her, resulting in an energetic heat run, forcing the male that was originally with her to compete with other males.
    humpback-whale-female-pectoral-fins-...tif
  • Pictured here are 13 whales that were in a 14-whale competitive group heat run. The whales were spread out over a large area, moving constantly, not really engaging in much interesting behavior beyond general jockeying for position.
    humpack-whale-competitive-group-heat...tif
  • Breaching humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), one of six whales involved in a competitive group heat run
    humpback-whale-breaching-heat-run-to...tif
  • Male humpback whale swishing his fluke at the ocean surface during an action-packed heat run involving six adult male humpback whales, a female humpback and her calf. Note the turbulence and cavitation created by the tremendous power of the whale's fluke. Photographed in Tonga.
    humpback-whale-heat-run-fluke-turbul...tif
  • Four of eight whales clustered on sandy bottom at about 30m depth, going around in circles. The gathering appeared to be a competitive group centered upon the whale on the sand at the lower left of this image. That whale remained relatively stationary on the sand while the others circled around.
    four-humpback-whales-deep-sandy-bott...tif
  • This is part of competitive heat run with at least 14 humpback whales, far, far out in the open ocean. The seas were rough, and whales spread out over a large area. Pictured here is one whale down deep in the process of inflating his throat. This is often a precursor to blowing a stream of bubbles as a dominance display. In this instance, however, this whale was not the primary escort, and it eventually deflated its throat instead of blowing bubbles. Why it inflated and then deflated is not clear.
    humpback-whale-throat-inflated-durin...tif
  • Rear view of an adult female humpback whale with her calf swimming above her head. This female and calf were the center of attention during a competitive group heat run that took place during a torrential downpour. There were at least three adult males accompanying this female and calf. The primary escort, partially visible in the lower left corner, had white pectoral fins, as did the calf. Note the rake marks along the trailing edge of the female’s fluke, scars left by predators such as orcas or false killer whales.
    humpback-whale-female-calf-rear-view...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis), one of four males engaged in a heat run centered upon and female with calf. This male was unusually aggressive, shown here making a U-turn to swim directly toward me.
    humpback-whale-male-201008-5926.tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) surfacing for air on a very clear day, with uninhabitated volcanic Late (prononced lah-teh, like the coffee) Island visible in the background. The island rises 1500 m from the sea floor, with its conical summit reaching 540m above sea level. This whale was part of an active heat run that started with three whales, increasing to six by the time we left the competitive group.
    humpback-whale-surfacing-volcanic-la...tif
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