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  • Aerial view of Luahaipo island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga, showing fringing coral reef structure and white sand beach surrounding the island
    luahaipo-island-aerial-tonga-201808-...tif
  • This is an aerial view of Lua Loli island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. From this perspective the extensive reef structure surrounding the visible portion of the island is apparent.
    lua-loli-island-aerial-tonga-201909-...tif
  • This is an aerial panorama of Fonua'one'one Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. The island and white sand beach visible from a boat at sea level represents only a small fraction of the entire coral reef structure, as is apparent from this aerial view.
    fonua-one-one-island-aerial-panorama...tif
  • Aerial panorama of Eueiki Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. Located on the island is Treasure Island Resort, visible in this photo. There is a large school of sardines near the boats.
    aerial-panorama-eueiki-island-tonga-...tif
  • This is an aerial panorama of Maninita Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. The island sits atop an extensive coral reef structure, which is for the most part not visible from the surface of the ocean. Visible to the right behind Maninita is Taula Island.
    maninita-island-aerial-panorama-tong...tif
  • This is an aerial panorama of Taula Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. The smaller island immediately behind and to the right of Taula is Lua Lole island. Further ub the background is the main island group. From this perspective, the considerable extent of the coral reef and sand associated with the island is clearly visible.
    taula-island-aerial-panorama-tonga-2...tif
  • Aerial panorama of Lua Ui Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga., with a boat in frame for scale. From this vantage point it is clear that the visible portion of the island structure is surrounded by extensive reef structure.
    aerial-panorama-lua-ui-island-tonga-...tif
  • Aerial panorama of Fonua’one’one Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga, with a boat in the foreground for scale. From this perspective, it is clear that the island comprises only a small part of the entire reef and sand structure, with most of Fonua’one’one being coral reef that submerges at higher tides. This image was created during an extreme low tide just after the full moon. Fangasito Island is visible in the background.
    fonuaoneone-island-aerial-panorama-t...tif
  • This is an aerial panorama of Fangasito Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. Visible in the background is Fonua’one’one Island. The extensive coral reef structure surrounding the island is clearly visible from this high vantage point.
    fangasito-island-aerial-panorama-ton...tif
  • Friendly female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) 201404, whose mother had the habit of resting upside-down with her fluke at the ocean surface.
    friendly-humpback-whale-calf-female-...tif
  • Two of three humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) that breached in tandem for an extended period of time. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whales-breaching-together-m...tif
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) spyhopping and twirling around with his pectoral fin.
    humpback-whale-spyhop-pectoral-fin-t...tif
  • This is a head-on view of the tube-like home of a marine polychaete worm in the Pectinariidae family, commonly known as trumpet worms or ice cream cone worms. These worms construct their homes by fitting and gluing together grains of sand. The walls of their home typically comprise a single layer of sand. The head of the worm is situated at the wider end (2cm in diameter in this case) of the tube, which faces down into sediment, with the narrower end protruding above the sediment. The worms forage in the sediment, digging through sand, mud and silt with strong gold-colored spines (setae) while using tentacles to sort through the materials. The worms digest organic particles and excrete pseudofaeces, a stream of undigested inorganic matter wrapped in mucous. This worm hole measured 9cm in length.
    pectinariidae-polychaete-trumpet-wor...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 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
  • This is a tube-like home of a marine polychaete worm in the Pectinariidae family, commonly known as trumpet worms or ice cream cone worms. These worms construct their homes by fitting and gluing together grains of sand. The walls of their home typically comprise a single layer of sand. The head of the worm is situated at the wider end (2cm in diameter in this case) of the tube, which faces down into sediment, with the narrower end protruding above the sediment. The worms forage in the sediment, digging through sand, mud and silt with strong gold-colored spines (setae) while using tentacles to sort through the materials. The worms digest organic particles and excrete pseudofaeces, a stream of undigested inorganic matter wrapped in mucous. This worm hole measured 9cm in length.
    pectinariidae-polychaete-trumpet-wor...tif
  • This is a greater crested tern (Thalasseus bergii) wrangling a sardine. Being a small bird, the tern had difficulty controlling the struggling fish. The bird flew the sardine to the sand in order to subdue it.
    greater-crested-tern-thalasseus berg...tif
  • Brown booby (Sula leucogaster) taking off from the ocean
    brown-booby-sula-leucogaster-tonga-2...tif
  • This is a brown booby (Sula leucogaster) taking off from the ocean surface after catching a sardine., with the fish still struggling in the bird’s beak.
    brown-booby-catching-sardine-sula-le...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
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) with an infestation of whale lice (Cyamis boopis), an ectoparasite that lives exclusively on humpback whales. Single hairs protruding from the round tubercules on the whale's head are also visible.
    humpback-whale-calf-whale-lice-infes...tif
  • This is a brown booby (Sula leucogaster) grabbing a sardine from a group of fish that had swum into very shallow water.
    sula-leucogaster-brown-booby-eating-...tif
  • Lesser frigatebird (Fregata aerial) patrolling the skies. There were terns picking up sardines that had been driven into shallow water and onto the beach by trevallies, blacktip reef sharks and other predators. Frigatebirds like this gathered overhead to swoop in, bully terns carrying fish, and steal their meals.
    lesser-frigatebird-fregata-aerial-20...tif
  • A male humpback whale calf playing while his mother swims ahead.
    humpback-whale-calf-playing-mother-i...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
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with a split dorsal fin. This characteristic shows up every once in a while among the whales that visit Vava'u in the Kingdom of Tonga.
    split-dorsal-fin-humpback-whale-tong...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
  • This is a pair of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in courtship, with one of the whales creating a dramatic swirling trail of bubbles with its fluke. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whales-engaged-in-courtship...tif
  • An adult humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) splashing lots of water with its fluke and posterior. Note the redness on the ventral area of the whale. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-splashing-water-tonga...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-humpback-whale-calf-tonga-...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
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) executing a dramatic tail slash, sending sea water and spray in all directions. Photographed in Vava'u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-tail-slash-vavau-tong...tif
  • Front view of an adult female humpback whale that was the mother of a calf. This whale was asleep and resting for an extended period in the inner waterways of the Vava'u island group in the Kingdom of Tonga.
    front-view-sleeping-female-humpback-...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
  • Frontal view of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. This female had a calf, and the pair both engaged in breaching for prolonged periods. Sailing yacht visible in the background. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-humpback-whale-front-view-...tif
  • An adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. This female had a calf with her. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    adult-female-humpback-whale-breachin...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
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) surfacing to breathe, with its mother waiting below. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    male-humpback-whale-calf-surfacing-t...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
  • 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) mother and calf accompanied by an escort with a white pectoral fin. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-female-calf-escort-wh...tif
  • Frontal view of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. This female had a calf, and the pair both engaged in breaching for prolonged periods. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-female-humpback-whale-fron...tif
  • An adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. This female had a calf with her. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    adult-female-humpback-whale-breachin...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
  • 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
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-humpback-whale-female-mega...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) splashing lots of sea water and spray in all directions with her fluke and peduncle. Photographed in Vava'u, Tonga.
    humpback-whale-tail-slash-vavau-tong...tif
  • Large male escort humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) accompanying an adult female with a female calf, all three passing over a shallow reef outside the Blue Lagoon area in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. Female calf 201314, mom, escort
    humpback-whale-escort-fluke-with-mot...tif
  • This is an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with unique and easily distinguishable markings on the ventral surface of her fluke. The scars are perhaps the result of an attack or multiple attacks by orcas or false killer whales. I photographed this adult female with a calf in 2008 and in 2009, meaning that she had calves in two consecutive seasons. The calf visible in the background is female and was born in 2009. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-with-unique-scarring-...tif
  • An adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching, just about to re-enter the water. This female had a calf with her. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    adult-female-humpback-whale-breachin...tif
  • Inquisitive male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) with its mother waiting below, photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-with-mother-wait...tif
  • Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) taking a breath at the ocean surface. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-taking-breath-ocean-s...tif
  • Rainbow created by diffraction of sunlight in a the mist of a humpback whale's breath (Megaptera novaeangliae). Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    rainbow-in-humpback-whale-breath-ton...tif
  • A lone humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) hanging out at about 15m depth in the water. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga
    humpback-whale-megaptera-novaeanglia...tif
  • Humpback whale female (Megaptera novaeangliae) relaxing with her male calf. The adult has a split dorsal fin. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-female-calf-tonga-201...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
  • Adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with a split dorsal. She was the mother of male calf 201411 in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    split-dorsal-fin-female-humpback-wha...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
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching in a forward direction. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-ton...tif
  • Fluke of an adult female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) which had the habit of resting upside-down, with the ventral surface of her fluke to the sky. She was the mother of an extremely active, inquisitive female calf. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    fluke-humpback-whale-upside-down-oce...tif
  • Female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) resting in shallow water while her playful male calf keeps himself occupied. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-mother-and-calf-shall...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-humpback-whale-megaptera-n...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with significant scarring on its dorsal surface. Note the fresh scar along the dorsal ridge near the right edge of the image. Like a prism, the whale's breath has split the sunlight into a rainbow.
    humpback-whale-dorsal-scarring-rainb...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
  • This humpback whale’s dorsal fin has both a split and a unique bump at the frontal end, making it easy to identify. Split dorsal fins are both easy to spot and relatively uncommon. This whale was one of a pair of whales traveling together, probably both male, though I was unable to whales’ ventral areas to confirm. The other whale had white pectoral fins.
    humpback-whale-split-dorsal-fin-tong...tif
  • Male and female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in courtship. The female is the closer of the pair. As often seems to be the case during courtship, these humpback whales were extremely inquisitive, with the female being particularly interested in boats and people. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whales-engaged-in-courtship...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) performing a dramatic tail slash on an overcast day, resulting in a wall of ocean spray. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-tail-slash-tonga-2013...tif
  • One of a pair of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) that took turns breaching for an extended duration. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-breaching-tonga-20120...tif
  • Adult female humpback whale with calf. This mother and calf pair were surrounded and being pursued by at least four escort whales. The frenzy of males associated with this female and calf was reminiscent of a similar situation I encountered with the mother of the injured calf Tahafa (201114) in 2011. There was a long-term association between that that female/ calf and an escort. At one point, many males converged upon and assailed the escort, engaging in heavy physical contact. The next day, all the males, including the long-term escort, disappeared. Having seen this pattern of behavior a few times, I believe this may indicate estrus or similar state of reproductive receptivity by the adult female.
    humpback-whale-female-and-calf-tonga...tif
  • Dorsal fin of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that was one of three (female, calf and escort) that swam into Neiafu Harbor at sunset in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. The whales rarely swim all the way into the harbor, as there are many boats and people. Some of the whale's vertebrae are also visible from this angle.
    humpback-whale-dorsal-fin-sunset-ton...tif
  • This is a trail of smooth patches left on the surface of the water, created by the fluke strokes of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) swimming past. These smooth patches are known as footprints.
    footprints-humpback-whale-megaptera-...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) resting under the chin of its mother. This female and her calf were inquisitive, friendly and relaxed. Note the white stripe pattern on the adult female's flank, which makes her easy to identify.
    female-humpback-whale-with-calf-vava...tif
  • Mother and calf pair swimming down to meet one another. This pair was accompanied by an escort. Note the clearly visible mammary gland development on the ventral surface of the calf, a clear indication that the calf is female.
    humpback-whale-mother-and-female-cal...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) and its mother with multiple escort male humpbacks. There was a frenzy of males around this mother and calf pair. I have seen this type of behavior on multiple occasions. I believe it may have something to do with the adult female being in estrus, receptive to potential mating opportunities for a limited duration.
    humpback-whale-female-with-calf-mult...tif
  • 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
  • Six humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglliae) engaged in a competitive group heat run, with one blowing bubbles.
    humpback-whale-competitive-group-hea...tif
  • Vertebrae from a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) that stranded on a small island in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. These vertebrae and most of the whale's skeleton was in the process of being cleaned. The bones were buried in the sand, and there was still decomposing soft tissue on the bones.
    sperm-whale-vertebrae-on-beach-by-mo...tif
  • Friendly male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) with his mother. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-mother-and-calf-tonga...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) with mysterious scraping injuring along its right flank. This type of wound is relatively common among the humpback whales that visit Tonga. The scraping pattern is usually seen along both sides of the dorsal ridge, from the dorsal fin to the fluke, with bilateral symmetry.
    humpback-whale-calf-injury-scraping-...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) male calf breaching in choppy seas and overcast conditions. Photographed in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-breaching-stormy...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliea) singer in clear and relatively shallow water in Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-singer-shallow-water-...tif
  • Aerial panorama of Taula Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga. Taula is an elongated island, completely surrounded by fringing reef.
    taula-island-aerial-panorama-tonga-2...tif
  • Aerial Panorama of Lualoli Island in the Vava’u island group of the Kingdom of Tonga, showing the extensive fringing reef that extends far off one end, with additional submerged reef nearby.
    lualoli-island-aerial-panorama-tonga...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
  • Breaching humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) demonstrating incredible power as it launches itself from the ocean
    humpback-whale-breaching-201608-3916.tif
  • This sequence of 17 images shows a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) executing a forward breach. As the whale emerges from the ocean, water streams off the animal’s body, as well as from the sides of the whale’s mouth. The whale exhales with great force as it surfaces, creating a cloud of water vapor, then inhales through open nostrils before plunging back into the water. The entire sequence spans just over one second of time. Image 3 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • Female humpback whale calf (201404) spyhopping near her mother. The adult whale had the habit of resting with her fluke at the surface, as pictured here. Boat in the background.
    humpback-whale-calf-spyhop-next-to-m...tif
  • Intimate contact between two humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in courtship. The whale with the white pectoral fin is the male, the female on top. Such physical contact characterized this extended encounter with these two whales. One or both of the whales also made low, gurgling sounds that came across as lovey-dovey sounds, for lack of a better term.
    intimate-contact-humpback-whales-cou...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
  • Humpback whale’s pectoral fin bathed in the warm glow of late afternoon sunlight
    humpback-whale-pectoral-fin-late-aft...tif
  • Female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) with the right side of her fluke severed. This whale is known as konga hiku, which means half tail in Tongan.
    injured-fluke-humpback-whale-tonga-2...tif
  • This is a rear view of a male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) engaged in a dominance display by blowing a stream of air bubbles. Visible in the top left background is a female humpback whale. This female was associated with the male blowing bubbles. The pair were approached by several other males, which precipitated the bubble blowing seen here. A portion of one of the other whales is visible in the bottom right corner. Displays like this are a common behavior among male humpback whales accompanying females during the breeding season.
    humpback-whale-male-bubbles-dominanc...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 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 sequence of 17 images shows a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) executing a forward breach. As the whale emerges from the ocean, water streams off the animal’s body, as well as from the sides of the whale’s mouth. The whale exhales with great force as it surfaces, creating a cloud of water vapor, then inhales through open nostrils before plunging back into the water. The entire sequence spans just over one second of time. Image 10 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • This male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) was attacked and injured when it was very young. From this angle, the half-torn pectoral fin on the calf’s right side is visible. The most severe injuries were on the calf’s dorsal surface. My best guess is that the calf was attacked by false killer whales. This photo was taken approximately two and a half weeks after the attack. Despite significant injury, the calf had grown considerably. It was healthy and active.
    injured-humpback-whale-calf-with-mot...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
  • This is a female humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) bringing her fluke down, creating a foot print or fluke print at the ocean surface, with streams of bubbles trailing from the leading points at the either tip of her fluke. This female was accompanied by a male. The two rested together, rubbing bellies at one point. The male also sang while with the female.
    humpback-whale-female-fluke-surface-...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 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
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Tony Wu Underwater Photography

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