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Humpback Whale (calf)
Megaptera novaeangliae
42.0657, -70.3237
Field Notes
Description:
The Atlantic humpbacks have white on the dorsal (upper) side of their flippers while the Pacific humpbacks are liklier to have the darker color, as of their bodies, present on theirs. It's the only whale known to have crossed equatorly from one hemisphere to another. Breaching is thought to eliminate dermal parasites, aid in digestion, or to communicate.
Habitat:
This whale belongs to a population of humpbacks which migrate to the Carribean waters in northern hemispheric winters, where females give birth, from the more nutrient-productive waters of the western-north Atlantic waters such as the Gulf of Maine to feed. It's a coastal whale.
Notes:
These photos were shot using 35 mm film long ago. This calf had been breaching the entire time we were there on this watch. Most breaches were mid-body breaches. My camera was trained on just the right spot when it heaved itself out for a twisting, full-body breach.
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