Show Navigation

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
{ 17 images found }

Loading ()...

  • 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
  • Adult male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching at Toku Island. This was an escort that remained with a mother and calf, the 14th calf I ID-ed in the 2011 season in Tonga, for at least 14 days. Note that some of the tubercles on the whale's head are red, likely due to confrontations with other male humpback whales. I witnessed several such confrontations underwater that involved significant body contact.
    humpback-whale-breaching-megaptera-n...tif
  • This is a young male calf I gave the name Tahafa. It is the 14th calf I ID-ed during the 2011 humpback whale season in Vava'u, Tonga. The calf suffered severe injury when it was very small, perhaps from a coordinated attack by marine mammals such as false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). Fortunately, the calf matured into a healthy juvenile over the 33-day period I was able to observe them. During that time, I recorded nine encounters in the Vava'u area and Toku Island. Visible in the background is a long-term escort that accompanied this pair for at least 14 days.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-with-mot...tif
  • Tahafa, humpback whale calf #14 of the 2011 season in Vava'u, swimming along with his mother. This calf sustained significant injury all over its body, possibly from an attack by false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). One of the most egregious wounds was inflicted to the anterior part of the calf's dorsal fin, which appears to have been bitten off. The wound is partially visible here. Despite the traumatic encounter, the calf grew into a strong, healthy juvenile over the 33-day period during which I came across this mother and baby nine times in both the Vava'u area and Toku Island. There was a long-term escort that accompanied this pair for at least 14 days.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-swimming...tif
  • Adult male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching at Toku Island. This was an escort that was associated with a mother and calf (Tahafa, calf #14 of the 2011 season in Tonga) for at least 14 days. Note that some of the tubercles on the whale's head are red, likely due to confrontations with other male humpback whales. I witnessed several such confrontations underwater that involved significant body contact.
    breaching-humpback-whale-megaptera-n...tif
  • Three male humpback whales socializing at depth, exhibiting highly intimate behavior with lots of body contact, reminiscent of humpback whale courting couples.
    three-male-humpback-whales-socializi...tif
  • A relaxed humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) escort pirouetting, with female and calf visible in the background.
    humpback-whale-escort-and-female-wit...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
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) defecating while socializing with two other male humpback whales. Photographed during the winter breeding season in the Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-defecation-tonga-2010...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
  • Breaching humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). This is an escort that was with Tahafa, calf #14 of the 2011 season in Tonga, and mother for an extended period of time spanning at least 14 days.
    breaching-humpback-whale-megaptera-n...tif
  • This is a female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) accompanied closely by her male calf. Underneath her are two escort whales, both males competing for her attention. Note the exhalation of a cloud of bubbles by one of the escort whales. In this context, such a display is most likely intended as a display of dominance.
    humpback-whale-female-calf-escorts-m...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
  • 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
  • Breaching humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) at Toku Island. This was the bigger of two whales that were traveling together. The other whale did not breach, while this one breached repeatedly.
    breaching-humpback-whale-megaptera-n...tif
  • Clear view of the dorsal fin of injured humpback whale calf Tahafa (201114), showing the wound that probably resulted from a bite. I took this photograph during my seventh encounter out of nine total encounters with this calf. This encounter was at Toku Island. The calf and his mother were the center of attention of multiple males competing for the female. There was a primary escort, with at least five other males approaching aggressively. On one occasion, I watched the primary escort another male in the belly, hitting him full force, nose-first. The impact was audible. There was also singing during the heated action, perhaps from the primary escort. My best guess is that a false killer whale attack is the cause of the injuries to the calf.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-dorsal-f...tif
  • This humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) performing a tail slap is the mother of Tahafa, calf #14 of the 2011 season in Vava'u, Tonga. Calf #14 was one of the injured calves, with multiple wounds that may have been inflicted by a pod of marine mammals, possibly false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). I had nine encounters with this mother and calf over a period of 33 days. During that period, a male escort was with them for at least 14 days. The female, calf, escort group traveled from Vava'u to Toku Island and back to Vava'u.
    humpback-whale-fluke-tail-slap-megap...tif
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Tony Wu Underwater Photography

  • Search Image Archive
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • View Portfolio
  • Read About Me
  • Send Me a Note
  • Portfolio