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  • Vertebrae of exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) visible in the foreground, team of scientists, students and volunteers taking a break from the hard work in the backgound
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the heavy skull of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the heavy skull of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Upper half of the skull of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the long and heavy jaw bone of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the heavy skull of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Proper preparations for lifting the upper skull of the whale from the excavation put were required to ensure integrity of the skull structure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Part of the vertebral structure of the exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Gloves and a knife used in the cleaning of the fin whale (Balaennoptera physalus) carcass. Cleaning and preparing a whale skeleton is difficult and smelly work.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Scientists, students and volunteers engaged in cleaning the bones of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor. Here, the vertebrae comprising the rear part of the whale are being cleaned.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Spinal disc and fragments from the exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). Part of the task was to re-assemble the fragement, much like working on a complex jigsaw puzzle.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Large vertebrae of the middle portion of the exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Scientists, students and volunteers engaged in cleaning the bones of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor. The lower jaw bones are pictured here.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the heavy skull of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the heavy skull of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the heavy skull of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Proper preparations for lifting the upper skull of the whale from the excavation put were required to ensure integrity of the skull structure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Piecing together fragments of the spinal discs of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is time-consuming and tedious, but there are rewarding moments when a match is found.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Examining and cleaning the large vertebrae comprising the forward portion of the spinal column of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Examining and cleaning the large vertebrae comprising the central part of the spinal column of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Scientists, students and volunteers engaged in cleaning the bones of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor. Pictured here are the lower jaw bones.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the heavy skull of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Upper half of the skull of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the heavy skull of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the heavy skull of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Student engaged in laborious and smelly task of cleaning rib bones of an 18-meter female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found in Tokyo Bay in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Scientists, students and volunteers engaged in cleaning the bones of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor. The lower jaw bones are pictured here.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Scientists, students and volunteers engaged in cleaning the bones of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor. Pictured here are the rear vertebrae.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lifting the heavy skull of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) without damaging it is a delicate procedure.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • The bone structure comprising the pectoral fins of a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) reflect the animal's link to terrestrial mammals.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Lower jaw bones of an exhumed 18-meter long fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) carcass.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Scientists, students and volunteers engaged in cleaning the bones of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor. Vertebrae of the middle part of the whale are pictured here.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Scientists, students and volunteers engaged in cleaning the bones of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor. The lower jaw bones are pictured here, with the bulldozer in the background that was used to exhume the whale carcass.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Intricate pattern formed by the vertebrae comprising the neck area of the exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Scientists, students and volunteers engaged in cleaning the bones of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor. Vertebrae of the middle part of the whale are pictured here.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Scientists, students and volunteers engaged in cleaning the bones of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor. The whale's vertebrae are visible here.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Scientists, students and volunteers engaged in cleaning the bones of an 18-meter long female fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that was found floating in Tokyo harbor in early 2012 and buried for about 16 months to facilitate decomposition. Even with the passage of so much time, there was still significant soft tissue and a power odor. The whale's shoulder blades and some of its ribs are visible here.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Piecing together fragments of the spinal discs of an exhumed fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is time-consuming and tedious, requiring lots of concentration.
    fin-whale-balaenoptera-physalus-japa...jpg
  • Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) commencing a dive. Note the muscularity powering the whale’s fluke, and the visibility of the rib structure. Classification of Bryde’s whales is difficult and uncertain due to insufficient study and information.
    balaenoptera-edeni-brydes-whale-2013...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
  • This is a male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Mesa, demonstrating the Drawbridge technique for feeding on anchovies. The whale raises his head above water to approximately eye level, then drops his lower jaw rapidly as if lowering a drawbridge. He then maintains a stationary, mouth-open position for an extended period of time, sometimes up to 30 seconds, during which time anchovies jump into his mouth. When he collects sufficient fish, he closes his mouth and reenters the water. Mesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. Photo 7 in sequence of 7 photos illustrating beginning of Drawbridge technique.
    eden-whale-male-mesa-drawbridge-feed...tif
  • Bryde’s whale defecating (Balaenoptera edeni) after coming up from feeding
    brydes-whale-defecating-201502-2100.tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) emerging from beneath the protective cover of his mother’s pectoral fin, just before surfacing to breathe.
    humpback-whale-calf-emerging-from-be...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
  • 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
  • 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) 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
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera noavaeangliae) nursing in dark water with low visibility. Humpback whale females with calves seem to have an affinity for resting in areas of low visibility around the islands of the Vava'u island group in the Kingdom of Tonga.
    humpback-whale-calf-nursing-tonga-me...tif
  • A large group of humpback whales breathing together in between periods of cooperative hunting with bubble nets to herd schools of fish together. The whales typically rest like this after each successful hunt.
    humpback-whales-breathing-resting-bu...tif
  • This is blue whale feces, discharged by a whale that had surfaced after feeding on krill in deep water in southern Sri Lanka. The neon red-orange color of the defecation is due to the whale's krill-based diet. The feces dissolve rapidly, as is apparent from the fizzing around the large clumps in this image. Photo taken under permit.
    blue-whale-feces-krill-Balaenoptera-...tif
  • This is a north Atlantic humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae novaeangliae) pursuing a large school of herring in the cold, dark water of Arctic winter. The humpback whale swallowed several mouthfuls of fish during this foraging period.
    humpback-whale-pursuing-herring-norw...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 is a young Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) in the Gulf of Thailand side-lunging through a mass of fish, likely Sardinella sp., that this whale and its mother had aggregated by swimming in a large circle. This circle and side-lunge technique has become the dominant foraging technique since 2017, replacing the open-mouth trap feeding strategy that had been prevalent since the 1990s. I believe this reflects a change of target prey. The whales adapt their foraging strategies to target species.
    balaenoptera-edeni-side-lunge-feedin...tif
  • This is a Balaenoptera edeni whale in the Gulf of Thailand foraging for fish by side-lunging. Side-lunging started to become prevalent in 2017 and seems to have continued through 2018. The previous feeding behaviour of remaining stationary at the surface with open mouths has not been seen since 2016. As pictured here, terns of several species frequently gather to take advantage of the fish that foraging whales bring to the surface. This population is limited in size, several dozen individuals. It is quite likely that there is no mixing between this population and other B. edeni whales outside the Gulf of Thailand.
    edens-whale-foraging-gulf-thailand-w...tif
  • A humpback whale raising its fluke to dive. This whale was part of a group engaged in bubble-net feeding.
    humpback-whale-fluke-alaska-201807-0...tif
  • Common terns (Sterna hirundo) flying alongside Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) in the Gulf of Thailand/ The terns follow whales in order to catch fish that the whales bring to the ocean surface.
    sterna-hirundo-following-balaenopter...tif
  • Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Som Tam exhibiting the skin disease that afflicts this population of whales in the Gulf of Thailand
    balaenoptera-edeni-skin-disease-thai...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 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 6 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • A lone Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) holding its mouth open to feed on anchovies in the Gulf of Thailand, with birds swooping in to grab fish jumping out of the water.
    lone-eden-whale-mouth-open-feeding-2...tif
  • This is a male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Mesa, demonstrating the Drawbridge technique for feeding on anchovies. The whale raises his head above water to approximately eye level, then drops his lower jaw rapidly as if lowering a drawbridge. He then maintains a stationary, mouth-open position for an extended period of time, sometimes up to 30 seconds, during which time anchovies jump into his mouth. When he collects sufficient fish, he closes his mouth and reenters the water. Mesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. Photo 2 in sequence of 7 photos illustrating beginning of Drawbridge technique.
    eden-whale-male-mesa-drawbridge-feed...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) executing a tail slap during a sunny day in Alaska. This whale was part of a group engaged in bubble net feeding.
    humpback-whale-tail-slap-alaska-2012...tif
  • Two adult southern hemisphere humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae australis) tail slapping together. This pair was traveling north together in the winter. The one on the left is female; the one on the right male.
    southern-humpback-whale-megaptera-no...tif
  • This is milk that escaped from the mouth of a female humpback whale calf (a very white one that I nicknamed Snow White) after nursing from her mother. Calves often open their mouths and appear to gulp water after they nurse, possibly to flush excess milk. Note that the milk was thick and coagulated in the seawater. This makes sense, as the milk has a high fat content in order to support the high caloric demand of a growing calf.
    humpback-whale-milk-from-calf-201509...tif
  • Male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) spyhopping and twirling around with his pectoral fin.
    humpback-whale-spyhop-pectoral-fin-t...tif
  • Scarring on the dorsal surface of a female humpback whale’s fluke, most likely rake marks left by marine mammal predators such as killer whales (Orcinus orca) or false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). This female was seen with calves in Tonga in 2008 and 2009. The scarring on her fluke made her easy to recognize. Her 2009 calf is visible in this photo, hiding under the adult’s body.
    scarred-fluke-humpback-whale-with-ca...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
  • Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) with multiple wounds from cookiecutter shark bites (Isistius brasiliensis). Photographed in the Ogasawara (Bonin Islands), Japan.
    brydes-whale-cookiecutter-shark-bite...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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Close-up of a few of the humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) comprising a group of whales engaged in cooperative bubble-net feeding. Photographed in Chatham Strait, near Juneau, Alaska,
    humpback-whales-bubble-net-feeding-c...tif
  • Male humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. Photographed in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga.
    breaching-humpback-whale-calf-tonga-...tif
  • A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) entangled by longline fishing gear. This whale was still able to swim, but was very weak. The fishing line had immobilized both pectoral fins, slicing through them as is visible here. The whale was infested with whale lice (Cyamus boopis), and there were a number of large sharks trailing it, including tiger sharks and bronze whalers. Another healthy whale was accompanying this whale, though it was clearly unable to assist. This whale most likely died soon after this sighting.
    longline-fishing-gear-entanglement-h...tif
  • Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) in blue water, photographed in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka
    brydes-whale-balaenoptera-edeni-sri-...tif
  • Feces from an injured humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) encountered during the winter season in the waters around Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. The humpback whale was entangled in a series of longlines and hooks and most likely died. Bycatch is a serious problem associated with longline fishing. Even whales occasionally fall victim to this indiscriminate fishing practice.
    humpback-whale-feces-defecation-tong...tif
  • This is a Bryde's whale that was feeding in the same area as a number of blue whales. The taxonomic status of Bryde's whales is complex. There are several genetically distinct species and/ or subspecies in the scientific literature, including Balaenoptera brydei, Balaenoptera edeni, and Balaenoptera omurai.
    brydes-whale-balaenoptera-edeni-sri-...tif
  • Fluke of a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) diving to forage for krill in deep water. Note the distinctive crease on the whale's dorsal surface, just behind the dorsal fin. This, plus several white spots on this whale's body (including the two white spots visible on the right fluke), made this individual easy to recognize. Photograph taken under permit.
    blue-whale-fluke-Balaenoptera-muscul...tif
  • Researchers measuring humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season. Members of the science community recording measurements for Japan's cetacean stranding database.
    dead-humpback-whale-calf-beached-in-...jpg
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season.
    dead-humpback-whale-calf-beached-in-...jpg
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season.
    dead-humpback-whale-calf-beached-in-...jpg
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season.
    baleen-of-dead-humpback-whale-calf-b...jpg
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season.
    baleen-of-dead-humpback-whale-calf-b...jpg
  • Humpback whale calf (Megaptera novaeangliae) that washed ashore on 3 January 2012 in Odawara, Japan. Measured 6.87 meters long and was male. Cause of death unknown. This humpback whale calf is the third smallest one recorded to date that has stranded or washed ashore in Japan. It is the third deceased calf to have been found in the 2011-2012 breeding and calving season.
    penis-of-dead-humpback-whale-calf-be...jpg
  • 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
  • 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 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae kuzira) was part of a group of whales that engaged in cooperative bubble-net feeding for several days. One morning, this whale breached multiple times, prompting the other whales in the group to breach and pectoral slap for an extended period of time, as they ended their social foraging behavior and the whales went their separate ways.
    humpback-whale-breaching-alaska-2018...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 17 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...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 16 of 17.
    humpback-whale-forward-breaching-seq...tif
  • Male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Maesa (which means April) engaging in a feeding technique suited for the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. After finding a suitable quantity of prey, the whale opens his mouth at the surface while stirring up the shallow water and sediment with his fluke. This causes small fish (anchovies in this case) to panic, with many inadvertently jumping into his mouth. Sometimes whiskered terns (Chlidonias hybrida) make use of this foraging behavior to grab an easy meal, as seen here. Maesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population.
    edens-whale-foraging-anchovies-gulf-...tif
  • This is the pectoral fin of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that appeared to have been brought into port on the bow of a ship. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact, as suggested by the broken pectoral fin shown here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    broken-pectoral-fin-dead-brydes-whal...tif
  • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) courtship pair, female twirling in the foreground, male in the background.
    humpback-whale-male-and-female-court...tif
  • Pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) diving into the blue, with pelagic fish (likely yellowfin tuna or similar open ocean predatory species) visible in the background
    pygmy-blue-whale-balaenoptera-muscul...tif
  • Humpback whale female at rest with male calf (Megaptera novaeangliae)
    humpback-whale-female-with-calf-tong...tif
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Tony Wu Underwater Photography

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