Ocean Watch

By Susan Scott

Monday, January 11, 1999

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Humpback guide
filled with whale
information

Now that our humpback whales have returned in full force, it's time to pack up the family and go watch these marine mammals do their stuff.

You can see these near-shore whales for free from any place with a good view of the ocean.

Each year, as I watch the whales rise, leap and slap, I discover I've forgotten some details about these big, visible animals.

To bone up this year, I read the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary's guide to whale watching and learned a lot.

See how much you know about Hawaii's famous winter visitors:

1. When a whale blows, and you see a cloud of spray above it, the animal is: a. trying to attract a mate, b. displaying aggression, c. breathing normally, d. signaling its offspring.

2. The flippers located on each side of humpback whales are: a. about 15 feet long in adults, b. used by the whale for turning and steering, c. called pectoral fins, d. all of the above.

3. When a humpback whale rolls onto its back, waves its fins in the air, then slaps them on top of the water, it's called a: a. breach, b. pec slap, c. peduncle slap, d. high five.

4. Often, mother and calf are accompanied by a male whale called an escort. This male: a. is the lifetime mate of that female, b. stays with the female and calf throughout the winter but leaves during the spring migration north, c. protects the calf from predators, d. usually sticks around for less than one day.

5. Humpback whale songs: a. are all the same within the same season, b. are sung by females, c. are made by the whales' vocal cords, d. sound a little like Jackson Brown.

6. Which of the following is true about humpback whales' tails? a. They're called flukes, b. researchers use their markings for identification, c. a slap of one on the water or onto another whale is an aggressive move, d. all of the above.

7. Humpbacks are baleen whales. This means they: a. prefer to eat bales of hay when they can get it, b. produce only one calf per year, c. eat by filtering fish and invertebrates from ocean water, d. have barbs on their teeth.

8. It is illegal to: a. approach a humpback whale within 100 yards, b. take flash pictures of humpback whales, c. fish in waters inhabited by humpback whales, d. scuba dive where humpback whale songs can be heard underwater.

Answers

1. c. The spray we see is simply the whale exhaling.

2. d.

3. b. The peduncle is the rear portion of a whale, including the tail. A breach is when two-thirds of the whale's body clears the surface in a leap. A high five is a human signal meaning "Coming to see these whales was a great idea!"

4. d. Male and female humpbacks form short bonds, often just a few hours long.

5. a. North Pacific Humpback males all sing the same song all season using valves and muscles of the respiratory tract. Whales have no vocal cords.

6. d.

7. c. Baleen is a material similar in composition to human fingernails. It hangs down from these whales' upper jaws in strips, forming a porous mat which strains water for food. Baleen whales have no teeth.

8. a. Never approach a humpback whale within 100 yards (the length of a football field). This law is designed to give the whales the space they need to live normally and thus keep coming to Hawaii. Photography, fishing and diving are allowed in sanctuary waters.

You can learn more about the whales, and enhance your viewing experience, by reading this excellent, free brochure. To get one, call the whale sanctuary office at 397-2651.

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Marine science writer Susan Scott's Ocean Watch column
appears Mondays in the Star-Bulletin. Contact her at honu@aloha.net.