What do you think of Whale Watch Western Australia’s new head office… it is the shiny black one to the left with ocean views! This big Humpback had pectoral fins that would have been 4-5 meters in length and while pec slapping away you could forgive us for mistaking that pectoral fin for our new head office building in the Perth CBD. We had an amazing day today with glorious weather and Humpback calves all around us. Two rowdy Humpback males approached one of the mother and calf pods and both tried to impress mum by very calmly pushing each other out of the way. Our ID Individual for today was one of these males and was given the nickname Captain Hook, can you guess why?
On such a calm day many of the mother and calf pods were keeping low profiles so not to attract any attention from close by predators. Many of the females took the opportunity to catch up on some rest and also approached our vessel to show their young calves how to interact with creatures other than whales! The big pectoral slapping was from a pod of two older whales who were communicating with another pod further off in the distance and a local bachelor pod of male Bottlenose Dolphins also said hello today showing distinct scarring from previous encounters with other male Bottlenose Dolphins.
ID Log
Date – 19.10.16
Species – Humpback
Lat – Undisclosed Long – Undisclosed
Nickname – Captain Hook
Notes – One of the males that approached cow/calf pod, very unique dorsal fin
Who will you find not too far away from the Busselton Jetty? Uncle Bob of course! This young male Southern Right was so excited to have someone who he could show off his handsome looks too and we were certainly feeling very loved today by Bob☺️ Tail and pec slapping, pec rolling and balancing upside down for prolonged periods were all part of Bob’s moves and he was such a gorgeous character that we couldn’t help but fall in love!
Although more common to sight Humpback whales this time of season, we still have many Southern Rights who have visited Geographe Bay and Bob was all on his own and looking for someone to impress. Hopefully he will find a lovely female Southern Right but today he was making sure he isn’t losing any of his charm while he waits. Being only young he will be waiting for any opportunity to meet and mate with an available female Southern Right he finds in Geographe Bay and until that moment he will have to be very patient and enjoy the views of the Busselton Jetty.
A pod of Bottlenose Dolphins were sighted on this mornings tour surfing the swell with Antarctic Skuas also keeping us entertained with their cheeky approaches towards everyone on the bow.
ID Log
Date – 10.9.16
Species – Southern Right
Lat – 33 . 55. 53 Long – 115 . 19 . 64
Nickname – Uncle Bob
Notes – Young male Southern Right close to Busselton Jetty
There are a few different reasons why a whale will pec slap and we most often see this behaviour amongst Humpback whales. Pec slapping is a very important way of communication during the most flirtatious time of our Humpbacks social calendar, teaching young calves and deliberately trying to hit each other!
1. Flirty Females
During the winter breeding season female Humpback use pectoral fin slapping as a way of flirting with and encouraging the attention of male Humpbacks. The female whales will lay on their sides lifting one pectoral fin and allowing it to fall to the surface creating a big sound and splash. They will also roll onto their back and lift both pectoral fins out of the water getting double the sound effect this way! This is a very strong message sent to the male Humpbacks in the area who will hear this surface communication from the female and race towards her. Females also release a scent when performing this behaviour and this scent combined with the loud sound of pectoral fins hitting the surface creates an incredible reaction from the male Humpbacks who come from everywhere to meet the female and this is how Humpback competition pods begin!
2. Schools In
On their southern migration back towards Antarctica many Humpback mothers and calves will be sighted. We often witness when interacting with these pods different behaviours being taught by mum to her calf. During these lessons a calf will firstly learn a behaviour and then practice until they get it just right. Pectoral slapping is a very important way for our whales to communicate with each other, especially the next generation of female Humpbacks. Last season we had a young calf practicing her pec slapping for over 30 minutes straight! It is this determination that will help a calf perfect her technique which will be needed as they turn into young adult whales who will begin communicating to each other through this Humpback non-verbal language.
3. Technical Knockout
We have seen in many competition pods and also during playful interaction between Humpbacks a cheeky pec slap that lands perfectly on the whale next to them! When a pectoral fin that is five meters in length and around 1 tonne in weight lands on you it certainly will be felt. Now this usually is not repeated continually like traditional pectoral slapping but still is a way of communicating through slapping their pectoral fins. Humpbacks have perfect control over their pectoral fins and can be incredibly precise when they land them on the waters surface and this precision will be used when wanting to let the other whale next to you to keep their distance and not get too close!
As you can see there are a couple of different situations pectoral slapping will be used and depending on the situation it can be very relaxed, lifting the pectoral up and above the surface and allowing it to fall calmly or sometimes with a little more force and a “flick” of the pectoral fin adds further energy creating an even louder noise, this is used when the whale is wanting to be a little more forceful in their message. Humans will also respond to Humpbacks by waving back… this is always a lot of fun and a very special experience!
