“From space the planet is blue,
From space, the planet is territory.
Not of humans,
But of the whale…”
Heathcote Williams
Whale Watching Off Point Lookout - A Grim Past Heralds A Bright Future
In the winter of 2007, more than 9000 Southern Humpback whales were spotted off the headland at Point Lookout. Their numbers are slowly but steadily increasing with each season, and this is testament to our adjusted thinking and understanding regarding these magnificent creatures.
In 1962, at the end of a ten year killing spree, the whaling station at Tangalooma on Moreton Island ceased to operate. The reason was simple, their Norwegian built whale chasing boats were such effective killing machines, that in just ten years, the whalers had decimated the population of Southern Humpback whales from over 10,000 to just a few hundred. This rapid annihilation put the continuation of the species at high risk, and the southern humpback whale sadly became endangered.
Since the closure of the whaling station, their numbers are on the rise and the world is fortunate that such intelligent mammals continue to navigate the oceans of this blue planet. This is due in part to the new knowledge uncovered in the 1970’s about the intelligence of whales, and this new knowledge brought with it new attitudes the world over. Compassion and understanding evolved for this majestic creature as we all learned more about them. In 1972, the whale became a world wildlife symbol for environmental conservation and a ten year moratorium on commercial whaling was enforced at the United Nations conference in Stockholm preventing their senseless slaughter.
Humpback Whale Facts - Did You Know?
Point Lookout is recognized as one of the best land based whale watching sites in the world!
The scientific name for Humpback whales is “Megaptera noveangliae” which means “Giant Wings”. They get this name because their large flippers are about one third of the size of their body! They belong to the family of baleen and rorqual whales. There are 12 baleen species divided into four families.
Humpbacks belong to the family Balaenopteridae (Rorqual whales). Rorqual is a Norwegian word meaning furrow, and Rorqual whales are distinguished by having long throat grooves or furrows on their underside. These furrows allow the whale's throat to expand during feeding, allowing the humpbacks to take in enormous quantities of water to filter through their baleen.
Humpbacks belong to the baleen whales because they have baleen plates in their mouths instead of teeth which they use to filter small particles of food. Baleen is a series of stiff flexible material not unlike plastic, that hangs from the upper jaw. The edges of the baleen are covered with hairs for filtering plankton, krill and small fish.
Before the invention of plastic, these whales were hunted for their baleen as well for their oil. It was used in the making of baleen “whalebone” corsets, buggy whips, souvenirs and umbrella ribs.
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Spy Hopping © Manta Lodge Scuba Centre
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An adult male humpback whale grows to about 14m; the females are generally larger than the males by about a metre. A baby humpback whale is between 3m and 4m at birth.
A baby humpback drinks 120 gallons of milk each day! Their mothers nurse them for about 7 months and stay close by them protectively until they are around one year old.
An adult humpback weighs as much as eight adult elephants, and their hearts weigh in at 195kg - that is as much as three adult humans!
They can eat up to 1200kg of krill or plankton in one day, but can also go without eating at all for up to eight months living off their stores of fat during migration.
Whales lived on land over 50million years ago and had four legs! They evolved into sea dwellers over time, transforming from being a walking land dweller similar to a hippopotamus that hunted for food by the shore, to a creature resembling a sea lion, and eventually into the form we see today. There is still evidence of their hind limbs in modern day whale skeletons.
Humpback whales are mammals, they breathe air and their tails move up and down – unlike fish which breathe water and their tails move from side to side. They breathe through two blowholes on the top of their head. The “blow” that we see from a distance is the double stream of spray from these blowholes. “Thar she blows!” was a common catch-cry for whalers in days past.
Scientists have found that humpbacks have a type of cell in their brains that is found only in humans, whales, dolphins and the great apes. It is this cell, called a spindle neuron found in the cortex of the brain, which enables the humpback to display a variety of complex behaviours. Scientists believe that these cells are responsible for intelligence and empathy, and that they hold information that aid in memory recall for learning.
Adult humpbacks have relatively few predators, but both baby whales and old or sick whales can become the prey of killer whales and large sharks. Killer whales (Orcas) are their most feared predator after man.
Male humpbacks are the crooners of the sea – they compose and sing a series of complex songs by moving air around their bodies in a series of sequences of squeaks, grunts, gurgles and squeals. They sing these beautiful songs in warm waters only, and the songs are believed to be a mating serenade. The whales add to their songs each year.
In colder waters they make a series of rougher sounds that are perhaps used to locate large masses of krill by echo location.
Humpbacks live at the surface of the ocean as they need to breathe air. When they are not migrating they prefer to reside in shallower waters. Because they need to breathe air to survive, whales and dolphins never really sleep. They have developed a method of closing down half of their brain at a time so that they are always half awake enough to surface for air as they need it and rest at the same time!
They migrate to warm tropical waters where they breed and calve from the Antarctic waters where they feed. We see them close by Point Lookout as they pass here on their way to the breeding grounds of Hervey Bay, and again on their return to colder waters with their new calves on their way South.
Humpback whales have a life expectancy of 45-50 years.
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Breaching © Manta Lodge Scuba Centre
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There are three separate populations of humpbacks in the world at the moment, those living in the North Pacific Ocean, those in the North Atlantic Ocean and those roving the Southern Hemispheres oceans. Whilst they are still regarded as endangered, it is estimated that there are between 10,000 and 15,000 humpbacks whales worldwide today.
Humpbacks live in pods and have developed co-operative feeding techniques. They have developed a method of rounding up concentrated masses of prey that is called bubble-net feeding. The hunting members from a pod form a circle under the water and they all blow a wall of bubbles in a spiral path upwards as they swim to the surface. This creates a cylindrical wall of bubbles that effectively traps krill, plankton and small fish in a giant mass. The humpbacks then take it in turns to feed on their catch.
Humpbacks are the acrobats of the sea and delight in playing in the warm waters, breaching out of the water and displaying a series of twirls, waves and dives.
Humpbacks were given this name because of the humped appearance of their backs as they prepare to dive beneath the surface. They also have their own exclusive identity because each whale has a distinct pattern on the underside of its tail flukes, as unique as a fingerprint.
Humpback whales continue to awe and inspire the human species, so come and see them for yourself from June to October at Point Lookout, and you too will be captivated by their grace and majesty.
Learn More - Save The Whales - What You Can Do
Although the international moratorium on whaling has saved thousands of whales in the past thirty years, their numbers are still decreasing. In fact, seven out of the eight species of great whales decimated by whaling are still on the endangered species list.
Sadly, the largest mammal on earth, the Blue Whale could be completely extinct within this decade. Their original population of 250,000 is now reduced to just a few hundred. Marine biologists fear that the cacophony of undersea sounds emanating from ship engines, oil drilling and a variety of other sources may be interfering with their ability to communicate with each other over long distances making it difficult to find a mate.
Pollution is also a cause of grave concern for the whales, all the poisons humans deposit into the oceans from engines, homes and factories are wreaking havoc on their environment. These toxic pollutants affect not only the whales and other sea creatures, but also the main sources of food they rely on for survival.
Many whales each year become entangled in fishing nets, and some countries like Japan and Norway still pursue whales for their by-products.
A major part of a whale’s diet is krill, and unfortunately the whales now have to compete with us for this vital food source! Krill is now harvested in bulk for sale in the supermarkets of Asia and the Pacific.
How You Can Help!
You can add your signature to an online petition to help SAVE THE WHALES on our site!
You can order a free “Save Our Whales” wristband online here this site has a lot of valuable up to date information about Australian whales and dolphins.
Greenpeace continues their fight, check out their website for things you can do.
You can listen to recordings of humpback whale songs here.
Learn as much as you can about the plight of whales and our oceans in general and spread the word! Keep the beaches clean and watch what you wash down your drains as it all ends up in the ocean. Action now will help to maintain these gentle creatures for future generations to enjoy.
1. THE BLOW
This is usually the first sign of whales in the distance or at close range. It appears above the surface of the water like a blast of steam. This occurs when a whale expels its breath through the blowholes on the top of it's head. The vapour is released at up to 450km/hr and can reach up to 5m in height making it visible from a distance of up to 2km.
2. FOOTPRINTS
Whales leave a greasy film on the surface of the water, this slick area is known as a footprint, as it looks like a giant has run over the surface of the sea leaving big oily marks behind. This mark is left from the flukes on the tail of the whale on the downward stroke of their tail as they swim.
3. BREACHING
This is the most spectacular manoeuver of the humpback whale. With two or three beats of its tail, the whale launches itself into the air throwing itself backwards creating a tremendous slap and splash as its body hits the water. It is believed that this behaviour is a way of communicating a whale’s presence to others within hearing range.
4. HEAD LUNGE
This is when a whale breaks the surface and falls forward instead of backwards.
5. SPY HOPPING
Humpback whales are very inquisitive, and it is common for them to poke their heads vertically out of the water to take a good look around! This action is referred to as a spy hop. Some researchers believe that this may also be a way for the whales to orientate themselves with the shoreline during migration.
6. PECTORAL FIN EXTENSION
This move looks for all the world like a wave, and maybe it is! They wave their fins whilst lying on their backs and also slap their fins onto the surface of the water.
7. TAIL SLAP
This move involves slapping the tail flukes down flat on the water, this can be heard for many kilometres and may be a way of communicating position to other whales. It is also interpreted as a sign of warning as the whale may be demonstrating aggression.
8. PEDUNCLE SLAP
The peduncle is the muscular part of the body nearest to the tail flukes. In this movement the tail is slapped in a sideways motion like a karate chop. This is believed to be a sure sign of aggression.
