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  • Two male Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) play fighting with one another, similar to the way dogs socialize by mock fighting
    australian-sea-lions-play-fighting-n...tif
  • A male humpback whale calf playing with his mother. The adult whale alternated between breaching and slapping her fluke against the ocean surface, while the calf swam around her and breached. The calf was skinny for his size and had a prominent injury on the right side of his caudal stem area. The wound, which seemed to have healed for the most part, appeared to be the result of a large bite. The undersized calf was energetic, playful, and had a propensity to venture substantial distances from his mother.
    humpback-whale-mother-calf-playing-t...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing at the surface with his belly facing up. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-belly-up...tif
  • A young male humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae) twirling and playing in the water
    juvenile-humpback-whale-playing-2010...tif
  • Ikumi (5th ID-ed humpback whale calf of the 2010 season in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga) playing at the surface while her mother rests below. Female calf.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-at-ocean...tif
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing in front of its mother. The calf is male, the first one I identified during the 2011 humpback whale season in Vava'u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-Megaptera-novaea...tif
  • Geri, 7th ID-ed humpback whale calf of the 2010 season, with mother. Vava'u, Tonga
    humpback-whale-mother-and-calf-tonga...tif
  • This playful Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) repeatedly chased and caught a striped cowfish (Aracana aurita) as I swam along and watched. The sea lion brought the fish to me several times, as if offering it to me.
    australian-sea-lion-neophoca-cinerea...tif
  • Southern hemisphere humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) female with calf, photographed in the Vava'u island group in the Kingdom of Tonga. This is the second time I've come across this adult. I first met her in 2009 with a female calf (Luna, #13 of that season), and I recognised this whale immediately upon resighting her in 2011. She has a unique dorsal fin that is more of a stub than a fin, with easily recognisable rune-like, white markings. She also has a relaxed, friendly disposition, which remained unchanged from 2009 to 2011. This adult is the fifth individual I've been able to document with repeat visits to Tonga with calves since I started keeping track in 2008. The playful calf pictured here is also female (Toluua, calf #32 of the 2011 season in Vava'u). In 2011, I photo-identified 48 calves in Vava'u, by far the highest tally so far.
    Megaptera-novaeangliae-humpback-whal...tif
  • A juvenile humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing by raising and slapping its pectoral fin, with snow-capped mountains visible in the background. Photographed in Chatham Strait, Alaska
    juvenile-humpback-whale-megaptera-no...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) female breaching together with her male calf. The calf had a large wound on his left peduncle area, one that appeared to be the result of a large bite. It was healing well. The calf had a propensity to stray for substantial distances from his mother. He was also thin for his size, though highly energetic.
    humpback-whale-female-breaching-with...tif
  • A female sperm whale with a calf. Sperm whales engage in communal care for their young, including communal nursing, so it is not possible to determine whether or not this adult female is the calf's mother by observing them.
    sperm-whale-mother-and-baby-201001-2...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) hanging upside down with her fluke above the surface, while spinning around in circles like a top.
    humpback-whale-spinning-like-a-top-t...tif
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaengliae) breaching in front of an island. Taking photographs of baby humpback whales breaching can be difficult, as the little whales don't achieve as much hang time as adult whales.
    humpback-whale-calf-breaching-in-fro...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) engaged in play while his mother rests at the ocean surface. Young calves often rub against and roll on top of their mothers’ rostrum when the females and calves are at the surface.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-mothers-...tif
  • This is the view from beneath a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing at the ocean surface. The calf had just lifted its caudal region out of the water, then flipped over so that his belly was facing upward while he spun his body around. This had the effect of whipping his fluke in a circle, leaving a wake of bubbles, froth and whitewater as seen here. This type of play behavior is typical among healthy humpback whale calves.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-playing-ton...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf playing next to the escort whale (adult male) that was accompanying him and his mother. Calves often play with their mothers. Direct interaction like this with escort whales does not seem to occur as often.
    humpback-whale-male-calf-playing-wit...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) playing at the ocean surface, using his pectoral fin to sweep through the water, leaving turbulence and bubbles in its wake. The calf’s mother was resting below.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-megapter...tif
  • A playful female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) amusing herself at the ocean surface, here rolling over on her back and slapping her pectoral fins from side to side.
    humpback-whale-calf-pectoral-fin-pla...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) opening his mouth at the surface while playing. His baleen is clearly visible. This opening of mouth behaviour by calves is often associated with periods of play following nursing.
    humpback-whale-calf-mouth-open-tonga...tif
  • A tiny sperm whale calf, less than two meters long, which was allowed to play by itself. The family was nearby, foraging for food. This little female swam over, played for a while, at one point placing her fluke on my head, then went back to her family. Though texts state that sperm whales are born at 4.5 meters, this one was only slightly longer than I was with my freediving fins, meaning slightly more than two meters in length. The developing mammary slits are visible in this image, as are the white streaks on her abdomen, which can be used to identify individual whales.
    sperm-whale-calf-female-201402-2664.tif
  • Female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. She was engaged in play with her male calf, which was inquisitive and playful.
    humpback-whale-female-breaching-tong...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale in the foreground, with escort and her male calf behind her. The calf’s mouth is open. This behavior can happen at any time, but often is associated with play after nursing has taken place. In this case, the calf had just finished nursing.
    humpback-whale-mother-calf-escort-ca...tif
  • Juvenile Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) at the ocean surface taking a breath in between play sessions. Photographed at Carnac Island, Western Australia
    australian-sea-lion-breathing-carnac...tif
  • Inquisitive male Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) pushing its nose into the camera lens. Sea lions use their noses to poke and investigate things, as well as to greet and play with one another in the water.
    endangered-australian-sea-lion-neoph...tif
  • This is a view from underwater of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) executing a reverse tail slap or penduncle slap. Pictured here, the whale has just slapped the surface of the ocean with the dorsal side of her penduncle and fluke, resulting in the copious whitewater and froth visible in this image. This whale did this repeatedly as part of extended play with her female calf, which was executing tail slaps and breaching.
    humpback-whale-reverse-tail-slap-und...tif
  • This is the first verified sighting of a living humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Sri Lanka. This 8-9m juvenile male was alone, swimming from west to east just south of Mirissa. It was inquisitive and interactive, approaching the boat and taking time to play before heading past Dondra Head, then eastward along the coast. A comparison of this whale’s fluke with those of the resident population of humpbacks around Oman did not result in a match. Where this humpback came from and where it was going are a mystery.
    first-verified-humpback-whale-sighti...tif
  • This is Ikumi, the fifth humpback whale calf ID-ed during my 2010 humpback whale season in Tonga. Ikumi is a little female calf that was unusually friendly, with a relatively calm mother who let the calf play at the surface alone for extended periods of time. Here, the calf has just dived below to surface to swim down to her mother, just barely visible in the deep. I recorded ten encounters with this mother and calf over a 15-day period, the longest continuous stretch I've recorded to date with a given mother and calf pair. During the first encounters, Ikumi was too young to have developed clearly identifiable sexual characteristics. Toward the end of the 15-day period, Ikumi's mammary slits became visible, as in this photograph, making it possible to ascertain her sex.
    baby-humpback-whale-with-mammary-sli...tif
  • This is a view from underwater of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) executing a reverse tail slap or penduncle slap. The whale has just slapped the surface of the ocean with the dorsal side of her penduncle and fluke, resulting in the copious whitewater and froth visible in this image. This whale did this repeatedly as part of extended play with her female calf, which was executing tail slaps and breaching.
    humpback-whale-reverse-tail-slap-und...tif
  • Humpback whale calf breaching in Alaska. This calf’s mother was part of a large group of whales engaged in bubble net feeding. The calf was left to play while its mother fed. The adult female broke from the group from time to time to spend time with the calf, perhaps to nurse the young whale.
    breaching-humpback-whale-calf-alaska...tif
  • Tiny female sperm whale calf (Physeter macrocephalus), which was allowed to play by itself. This calf's family was in the immediate vicinity socializing and foraging for food, but the calf was allowed to wander off and explore. It was inquisitive and approached several times. In this photo, the calf has placed its fluke gently on my head. We swam together like this, calf resting her fluke on my head. Of note, the calf was approximately two meters long, which is considerably smaller than the usually assumed birth size of four meters or more for sperm whale calves.
    fluke-underside-baby-sperm-whale-fem...tif
  • This is the distinctive fluke of the female humpback whale that was the mother of an injured male calf, which was the 14th calf I ID-ed in the 2011 season. This photo is from the 9th encounter with this female and calf. The calf's substantial injuries have healed well at the time this photo was taken. Here the adult female is resting, with the calf frolicking below her. Both the female and the calf will be easy to recognize in the future, the mother by her distintive fluke, and the male calf by his injuries. There was an escort associated with this pair for an extended period, with the escort accompanying these two whales from Vava'u to Toku Island. This photo is from Vava'u, after the female and calf returned to the area without the escort. The female was relaxed during this encounter, allowing the baby to play, breach, and interact with people in the water.
    distinctive-fluke-female-humpback-wh...tif
  • I watched these three humpback whales play and socialise for several hours. At one point, the three humpback whales merged into this whirlwind-like formation, something I have never seen before. The behaviour was so intricate and intimate that I initially thought there were two males competing for the attention of a female. It took some time to verify the sex of the whales. When I was finally able to do so, it came as quite a surprise to discover that all three were males.
    three-humpback-whales-whirlwind-form...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) nursing. To ask for milk, the calf presses her rostrum and tongue against her mother’s mammary slits, as pictured here. Extended periods of nursing are often followed by bouts of play, after a calf has in effect been re-fueled.
    humpback-whale-calf-nursing-201808-3...tif
  • A pair of sea lions crashed out on a bed of seagrass after a session of play fighting and roughhousing. The one looking at the camera is a juvenile. The individual lying down is a mature bull. Note the scars on the smaller sea lion's head, which may be a result of tussling with other sea lions.
    australian-sea-lions-resting-on-seag...tif
  • Tiny female sperm whale calf (Physeter macrocephalus), which was allowed to play by itself. This calf's family was in the immediate vicinity socializing and foraging for food, but the calf was allowed to wander off and explore. It was inquisitive and approached several times. In this photo, the calf has placed its fluke gently on my head. We swam together like this, calf resting her fluke on my head. Of note, the calf was approximately two meters long, which is considerably smaller than the usually assumed birth size of four meters or more for sperm whale calves.
    fluke-underside-baby-sperm-whale-201...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing at the ocean surface in front of his mother. Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-with-mot...tif
  • Humpback whale calf playing at the surface, while its mother swims beneath, and an accompany escort is further down. This calf is male, and is the 3rd one I ID-ed in the 2011 season in Vava'u, Tonga. The calf has a wound on its left abdomen that is visible in this photograph. It looks as if it may have been caused by a rope or line of some sort.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-megapter...tif
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) playing just below the ocean surface
    humpback-whale-calf-male-playing-ton...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (201405) playing in front of her mother, with fluke of an accompanying escort whale visible at the lower right. The adult female is also the mother of Tahafa, an injured male calf (201411) I documented during the 2011 calving season in Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-female-playing-t...tif
  • A humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching and playing while its mother engaged in bubble-net feeding with a social foraging group of whale nearby. Photographed in Chatham Strait, Alaska.
    playful-humpback-whale-calf-breachin...tif
  • Healthy male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing, skimming the ocean surface with the tips of his pectoral fins. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-vavau-to...tif
  • Playful male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) splashing around with its fluke at the ocean surface. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-splashing-with-f...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing at the ocean surface. This calf and his mother were the stars of the 2013 season in Vava'u, Tonga. They were friendly and interacted with people in the water.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-at-ocean...tif
  • This is a playful male humpback whale calf, with this mother visible in the background. There was also an escort whale accompanying this mother and calf. The escort, not visible in this image, was singing.
    humpback-whale-male-calf-playing-ton...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing on the ocean surface in an unusual position. The whale is flipped over on its back, raising its fluke high into the air and slapping the surface repeatedly with the dorsal surface of its posterior. The whale is using its pectoral fins to maintain balance while engaging in acrobatics.
    humpback-whale-playing-at-ocean-surf...tif
  • Humpback whale calf playing at the surface, while its mother (right) and accompanying escort (left) swim beneath. This calf is male, and is the 3rd one I ID-ed in the 2011 season in Vava'u, Tonga. The calf has a wound on its lower abdomen that is visible in this photograph. It looks as if it may have been caused by a rope or line of some sort.
    playful-humpback-whale-calf-megapter...tif
  • Baby sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) playing at the ocean surface
    sperm-whale-calf-playing-dominica-20...tif
  • Juvenile Chinese pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii) playing inside an old slipper
    mauremys-reevesii-chinese-pond-turtl...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) launching partially out of the water with his mouth open while playing together with his mother. The little whale’s baleen is clearly visible.
    humpback-whale-calf-mouth-open-20180...tif
  • Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) playing at the ocean surface in murky green water. Photographed with the permission of the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.
    southern-right-whale-eubalaena-austr...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing at the ocean surface. The young whale’s developing mammary slits are clearly visible.
    female-humpback-whale-calf-playing-t...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that was with his mother and escort, opening his mouth while playing.
    humpback-whale-calf-mouth-open-tonga...tif
  • Adult female sperm whale executing a playful flick of her fluke just before diving down to deep water, perhaps to forage for food. This whale was part of a larger group of 15 to 20 whales that were traveling together across a wide range, spening a lot of time at the surface between dives.
    female-sperm-whale-indian-ocean-sri-...tif
  • Playful female humpback whale calf swimming upside down. This calf is Fanima, the 45th calf I ID-ed in the 2011 season in Vava'u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-swimming-upside-...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale spyhopping. This female had a male calf that was playing nearby.
    humpback-whale-spyhop-tonga-201708-1...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale carrying a large piece of giant squid, which this group of whales had brought up from the deep trench. They were playing with the leftover bits of squid, shredding their meal, perhaps in the process of weaning the juvenile sperm whale pictured swimming alongside the female. I followed this group for several days, and this female was the dominant individual, swimming by and using sonar to check out my boat and people in the water.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale carrying a large piece of giant squid, which this group of whales had brought up from the deep trench. They were playing with the leftover bits of squid, shredding their meal, perhaps in the process of weaning the juvenile sperm whale pictured swimming alongside the female. I followed this group for several days, and this female was the dominant individual, swimming by and using sonar to check out my boat and people in the water.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
  • Humpback whales exhale forcefully when they breach, inhaling again prior to re-entering the water, as demonstrated by this playful calf. This young whale was with its mother and an escort. The escort was also engaged in energetic surface displays. The calf’s mother, however, did not engage in any surface behaviour.
    humpback-whale-calf-exhaling-while-b...tif
  • Playful gray whale calf (Eschrichtius robustus) interacting with tourist boat in Magdalena Bay, Baja, Mexico. The calf repeatedly opened its mouth while soliciting attention from boat passengers.
    gray-whale-calf-friendly-baja-mexico...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) female calf engaged in tail slapping with her mother. Both the adult and calf had a lot of white on their bodies. I gave the calf the nickname Snow White. This was our second encounter with this female/ calf pair. On this occasion, there was no escort accompanying them. During our first meeting, there was an escort, which was also quite white.
    humpback-whale-female-and-calf-tail-...tif
  • This was my ninth and final sighting of injured male humpback whale calf Tahafa (201114). I took this photograph in Vava’u, after seeing this calf and his mother twice at Toku Island, which is approximately 40km away. By this stage, the calf seems to have completely overcome the trauma of being attacked and injured at an early age. He was playful, energetic, and proactively sought attention. His mother was relaxed throughout this final encounter.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-tahafa-b...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf slapping its tail at the ocean surface. The calf was playing together with its mother, which is common behavior for humpback whale mother and calf pairs. This calf, which I named Orion, was the 13th calf I counted in the 2007 season in Vava'u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-tail-slap-megapt...tif
  • 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.
    humpback-whale-reverse-tail-slap-meg...tif
  • An adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae) breaching. She and her calf breached together for a long time. Watching the pair, it certainly seemed as if the mother was teaching the calf to breach, and that they were playing together.
    female-humpback-whale-breaching-2005...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) playing at the ocean surface. Here she is swooshing her fluke in a circular motion, creating a momentary vortex that illustrates the power she possesses despite being only a few months old.
    humpback-whale-calf-vortex-fluke-201...tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) peeking out from underneath his pectoral fin as he swims upside-down beneath the ocean surface. His mother was resting about 20 meters below.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-peekaboo...tif
  • A female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) that was highly energetic and playful. Here she was slapping the ocean surface, learning how to generate power with the muscles in her peduncle and fluke. It takes practice to learn how to maintain the proper position at the surface to create the perfect splash and accompanying sound, a skill that is used by adult humpback whales to communicate with each other.
    humpback-whale-calf-peduncle-throw-t...tif
  • Energetic, playful female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) rolled over on her back, slapping the ocean surface with her fluke.
    humpback-whale-calf-female-playing-t...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) turned upside-down while frolicking at the ocean surface after coming up from a long foraging dive. Photographed above a deep trench in Ogasawara, Japan.
    sperm-whale-frolicking-upside-down-j...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale carrying a large piece of giant squid, which this group of whales had brought up from the deep trench. They were playing with the leftover bits of squid, shredding their meal, perhaps in the process of weaning the juvenile sperm whale pictured swimming alongside the female. I followed this group for several days, and this female was the dominant individual, swimming by and using sonar to check out my boat and people in the water.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) at rest while her calf was playing at the ocean surface. Note the small stream of bubbles coming from her blowholes. From this angle, the pattern and array of tubercles on the whale’s head is clearly visible, as are the barnacles (Coronula diadema), whale lice (Cyamus boopis), and hairs on the whale’s jaw.
    humpback-whale-adult-female-resting-...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) tail slapping at the ocean surface, playing with her mom and an escort.
    humpback-whale-calf-tail-slap-tonga-...tif
  • Male humpback whale that was accompanying a female with calf. This whale seemed to be singing, but upon comparison of recordings of the sounds this whale was making with recordings of the seasonal song sung by other whales in the same area, it became clear that this whale was not singing the song. It is not clear what the purpose of the sounds made by this whale was. The whale vocalized for at least 40 minutes. When the female and calf commenced playing, this whale stopped vocalizing.
    humpback-whale-singer-shallow-water-...tif
  • Polar bear cub (Ursus maritimus) walking on ice in northern Svalbard. This cub was with its mother, playing and groaning loudly to get its mother’s attention.
    polar-bear-cub-ursus-maritimus-svalb...tif
  • Polar bear cub (Ursus maritimus) playing on ice in northern Svalbard.
    polar-bear-cub-on-ice-svalbard-ursus...tif
  • This photograph is from my third of nine encounters with injured humpback whale calf Tahafa (201114). Here, the calf’s wounds are clearly visible, dorsal fin nearly severed and multiple scars from attempted bites. The calf’s mother is visible below. There was an escort with the pair during this encounter. With the presence of an escort, the mother became noticeably more relaxed than in the two earlier encounters when there was no escort present. The calf was energetic and playful during this encounter. My best guess is that the wounds resulted from a coordinated attack by false killer whales.
    humpback-whale-calf-injuries-tonga-2...tif
  • A very skinny male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that had a tendency to roam far away from his mother. This habit may help explain the multiple scars covering his body, including what appeared to be the remnants of a large bite on the left side of his penduncle, just above the fluke, as well as the plethora of additional scratches and scars on his torso. Despite being undersized and covered with injuries, this calf was healthy and energetic. He swam a lot and played often with his mother, including tail slapping and breaching.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-skinny-with...tif
  • Playful endangered male Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) pushing his nose up to the dome port of my underwater camera.
    australian-sea-lion-neophoca-cinerea...tif
  • Playful male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf lunging out of the water. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-lunging-out...tif
  • An inquisitive young Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) swimming upside-down to investigate me. Photographed at Carnac Island, Western Australia.
    australian-sea-lion-neophoca-cinerea...tif
  • This is Toluua, the 32nd calf I identified during the 2011 season in Vava'u, Tonga. This calf was female and extremely friendly and playful. This is the second time I have photographed this female with a calf. She is easily recognizable by her unique dorsal fin, which is more of a stump than a traditional fin shape, and has white rune-like markings on both sides. The first time I came across this adult was in 2009, when she was with Luna, calf #13 of that season, also a friendly little female. In both 2009 and 2011, the adult female was extremely relaxed, demonstrating a consistent disposition across the two-year interval.
    humpback-whale-mother-and-calf-megap...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calf playing at the ocean surface. The calf was tail slapping together with its mother. Playing together like this is common behavior for humpback whale mother and calf pairs. This calf, which I named Orion, was the 13th calf I counted in the 2007 season in Vava'u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-fluke-megaptera-...tif
  • 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.
    humpback-whale-reverse-tail-slap-meg...tif
  • 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.
    humpback-whale-reverse-tail-slap-meg...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) fluke. 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.
    humpback-whale-fluke-megaptera-novae...tif
  • This breaching humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a female that was with its calf (that I named Orion), the 13th I counted in the 2007 season in Vava'u, Tonga. The conditions were calm on this day, and the mother and calf spent a long time playing around the boat. The island in the background is Hunga Island.
    breaching-humpback-whale-megaptera-n...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) playing at the surface by slapping its tail on the water. This calf was the 44th calf I ID-ed in the 2011 season. She had multiple wounds over her body, including this prominent wound on her fluke. I don't know the cause of the wounds, but I believe that the possibility of an attack by false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) is high.
    injured-humpback-whale-megaptera-nov...tif
  • Adult female sperm whale playing at the surface. After taking a few breaths, the whale dropped below the ocean surface, rolled around a bit, and used its sonar to check me out.
    adult-female-sperm-whale-playing_201...tif
  • Large social group of sperm whales playing at the surface. These sperm whale were making a lot of sound, primarily repetitive clicking of their signature coda
    sperm-whale-social-group-playing-in-...tif
  • Two juvenile Australian sea lions playing in shallow water, with one blowing bubbles as part of the social interaction between them
    juvenile-sea-lions-playing-shallow-w...tif
  • Juvenile Australian sea lion playing in the sand
    adorable-sea-lion-with-puppy-dog-eye...tif
  • This is a juvenile 10cm Chinese pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii) playing in a fenced-in area. These turtles have sharp claws and strong muscles. They are excellent climbers. This species is semiaquatic in the wild, found in marshes, ponds, streams and similar bodies of shallow water. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, threatened by several causes, including competition from introduced species, loss of habitat, and use in Chinese medicine. This species is also popular in the global pet trade. This individual was found on a road in Japan, far from water, when it was only 2.8cm, perhaps picked up and transported by a crow shortly after birth. Though the species had earlier been considered native to Japan, genetic testing in recent years suggests multiple introductions from outside Japan.
    mauremys-reevesii-chinese-pond-turtl...tif
  • This is a juvenile 9.5cm Chinese pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii) playing in a plumbing joint. This species is semiaquatic in the wild, found in marshes, ponds, streams and similar bodies of shallow water. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, threatened by several causes, including competition from introduced species, loss of habitat, and use in Chinese medicine. This species is also popular in the global pet trade. This individual was found on a road in Japan, far from water, when it was only 2.8cm, perhaps picked up and transported by a crow shortly after birth. Though the species had earlier been considered native to Japan, genetic testing in recent years suggests multiple introductions from outside Japan.
    mauremys-reevesii-chinese-pond-turtl...tif
  • This is a playful male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) practicing how to make big splashes and loud sounds with his fluke and caudal region. Skills like this will become an important part of life for this calf once it matures.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-tail-slap-t...tif
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) calf playing at the ocean surface after coming up to breathe. His mother was resting below at a depth of around 20 meters.
    humpback-whale-calf-male-201808-2253.tif
  • This is a male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) launching partially out of the water with his mouth open while playing together with his mother. The little whale’s baleen is clearly visible.
    humpback-whale-calf-mouth-open-20180...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf playing at the ocean surface while her mother rests below. On this day, the adult always maintained this vertical position while resting. When I came across this same mother and calf pair eleven days later, the adult no longer seemed to prefer this upright pose, but instead rested in the more common horizontal position.
    humpback-whale-female-with-calf-2017...tif
  • A family of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) resting at the ocean surface, with the lead female holding Architeuthis giant squid in her mouth. There was a calf in this family group that was unable to dive deep for extended periods of time with the adults. It is possible that the adults were teaching the calf to consume giant squid, as the family group played with the squid for an extended period of time, with the whales shredding the squid to pieces in the process. Photographed in Ogasawara, Japan.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
  • An adult female sperm whale carrying a large piece of giant squid, which this group of whales had brought up from the deep trench. They were playing with the leftover bits of squid, shredding their meal, perhaps in the process of weaning the juvenile sperm whale pictured swimming alongside the female. I followed this group for several days, and this female was the dominant individual, swimming by and using sonar to check out my boat and people in the water.
    sperm-whales-eating-giant-squid-phys...tif
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Tony Wu Underwater Photography

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