Whale Education Archives - Whale Watch Western Australia

Dolphins are fast, powerful and acrobatic marine mammals and throughout their lifetime they will inevitably find themselves face to face with one of their main predators… sharks. The latest research has shown that up to 80% of Australian Dolphins have scarring or injuries resulting from a confrontation with sharks. The injuries can be truly concerning and should they have been inflicted on another creature the shock, blood loss and infection would be too much for survival. Incredibly, there have been cases around the world and within Australia where severe shark attack injuries have completely healed and the Dolphin has survived what would appear to be the impossible. The process of survival requires some very important elements that are truly remarkable and if the Dolphin can achieve the below they will have a chance of recovering from their injuries.

Injured Male Bottlenose Dolphin - Flinders Bay — Injured Male Bottlenose Dolphin – Flinders Bay

Blood Loss

The moments after receiving the bite are most important to stop or prevent excessive blood loss. Dolphins and many other marine mammals will dive to great depths under circumstances where their lives may be at risk. The longest dive on record was 300 meters by a Bottlenose Dolphin and although generally most wild Dolphins will not need to dive to this depth they do have the capability. Racing to this depth the blood flow will go to where it is needed most, brain and vital organs which will assist in slowing or cutting off the blood flow to the wound site. A natural diving reflex like this and the ability to control blood flow may also be much stronger than we anticipate in Dolphins allowing them in some ways to control their blood flow to a wound site to prevent bleeding to death.

Infection

The main concern for any injury is most certainly infection, especially when you live in a marine environment which is host to some very powerful tiny organisms that could lead to massive infection of a wound site so large. Incredibly, it is believed that Dolphins have the ability to store and produce their very own antibiotics on standby for when they need them most! Blubber is known to be very protective and within hours of an attack a thin layer of blubber will protectively form over the wound to begin the healing process. Blubber also has high quantities of antimicrobial compounds which will assist in killing off any bad microorganisms that may begin to try and form in or around the wound site. Dolphins may also have the ability to save antibacterial properties they consume from their meals and instead of processing this, they will store it instead and carry their own antibiotics similar to how we eat foods containing high quantities of vitamin C when wanting to prevent a cold.

Pain Management

Looking at an injury like the one above will have many of us wincing in pain, how on earth could a Dolphin even be able to move without excruciating pain paralysing them? Research on pain tolerance in Dolphins is very poorly known, but even after severe injuries Dolphins appear to not show signs of pain or distress after only a few days. The ability they have to control blood flow may also be similar to the ability they have in controlling pain responders to the wound site. A Dolphin that is in pain would show signs to predators close by of being an easier target which would minimise chances of survival even further. Appearing to move freely even with these painful injuries may assist in discouraging the approach of predators and help with keeping up with the pod. The question remains do Dolphins have the ability to mask pain symptoms or are they able to control pain receptors to the wound. Perhaps because Dolphins have been known to not move away or avoid contact with the wound site is an example of their ability to control their pain responders and continue to feed normally without a diminished appetite due to pain.

Photo Credit - Monkey Mia Dolphin Experience — Photo Credit – Monkey Mia Dolphin Experience

A few large hurdles need to be cleared for Dolphins to survive such severe attacks, but as we can see their bodies are designed to handle such situations. Blubber has a remarkable regenerative factor and within a couple of months the wound site can appear to be almost completely healed and back to how it once was before the attack. The sponge like structure of blubber and possible stem cell style structure allows the blubber to regenerate very quickly and even after terrible injuries the Dolphin can recover to show minimal scarring and no change to body shape or structure. A truly remarkable feat that is inspiring and we hope that as the years go on we may learn from our amazing Dolphins and perhaps understand better the healing process and if there are any possibilities of replicating this process for other animals and people who may also suffer from similar injuries.

Whale Watching of Western Australia Whales does entice excitement and wonder from humans and it is easy to see why with their incredible acrobatic displays and close, sometimes very close, interactions and desire to investigate who is actually watching them as they go about their daily routines when Whale Watching in Western Australia.

Something that is missed by the public and indeed other operators with less experience, care or knowledge is the fact that the surface activity that is witnessed is an actual language that the Whales use to communicate with themselves and others in their environment.This is what we teach in the Language of the Whales TM

It is very important to us that we educate the public when Whale Watching in Western Australia as it is with every interaction an opportunity for both parties to learn more about each other, this process will continue to develop a safer environment for Whale’s and a better Whale Watch experience as they will not consider the vessel as a threat.

There is a definite skill set to manoeuvring vessel’s around Whales and when Whale Watching in Western Australia even though there is stringent boundaries and regulations that are a part of operator’s licensing we see on a daily basis vessel’s chasing and herding Whale’s in the attempt to get as close as possible to these magnificent creatures.

This type of herding is forcing the operators will over the Whale’s which is disrespectful and like any creature, disrespect is not welcomed kindly and the ensuing actions of retaliation are performed.

The Art of Whale Watching resides when the operator of the vessel spends enough respectful time with the Whale to see if they are wanting interaction at all or have the discipline to move away if they do not. Western Australian Whales are extremely curious and if your approach and respect for their reactionary distance is up held, many will want to investigate you further.

You will always know when you have respected the Whale’s environment as they will continue on their own routine without any regard to you, they will stay completely relaxed and may or may not choose to come in very close to investigate the sounds emanating from your vessel, when you achieve this you have started to master the Art of Whale Watching. What you will discover is what Whale’s do naturally with or without you in the vicinity, this is the true Whale Watch.

When we train our crew or staff members we educate them on the Language of the Whales TM as every movement and the energy in that movement is telling you what the Whale in your vicinity is trying to communicate to those around or close to him or her. Different times of the seasons and migrations bring different energies and priorities for the Western Australian Whales. The northern migration, when males are looking for partners and pregnant females are looking to calve, is completely different to the southern migration when mothers return with their calves and males, like all of the migration, are looking to feed after many months without nutrition.

We as operators are responsible and accountable to ensure we practice the Art of Whale Watching and in this way we can all Learn the Language of the Whales TM.

The first competition pod for season 2018 was sighted this afternoon as male Humpbacks charged through Flinders Bay, full of energy after a summer preparing for the breeding season. A mother and her yearling calf had just stopped to do a full 360 around our vessel and investigate before moving out of the bay when the competition pod began. Two large males raced towards another pod and then they were off with plenty of white water as they jostled for the number one escort position next to the female. Pushing towards each other and using their pectoral fins to “swipe” at one another we could feel the intensity levels growing amongst the males with changes of direction as they tried to lose each other in the race to keep up with the female!

Earlier in the morning we had met another mother and yearling pod who had been cruising through the bay when the female Humpback decided to start peduncle slapping and tail slapping. Warning the other pod close by not to approach her and her calf, this dominant surface behaviour is a fantastic way of sending a strong message over longer distances. The last few days we have sighted many mother and yearling pods predominantly which is wonderful to see as last years calves are now all grown up, healthy and ready to begin a life of their own. We have also noticed the underside of many tail flukes have been almost identical between mother and calf. The tail fluke of each Humpback Whale is their very own fingerprint and it is interesting to see the genes of mother Humpback being passed onto her calf with almost matching tail flukes!

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The Whale Watching Augusta Season 2018 started today and within moments of leaving the Augusta Boat Harbour we sighted a blow straight ahead! Excitedly we anticipated the moment we would meet this young whale and our first Humpback interaction in Augusta after a year of patiently waiting for their arrival back in Flinders Bay. Rolling around at the surface we met a very relaxed Humpback who was deliberately pushing through the large clumps of seaweed that were floating close by. During the long summer months feeding in Antarctica the skin of Humpback Whales will be scattered with whale lice, barnacles and a type of algae that grows on the skin and has a yellowish appearance.

Understandably, the Humpback Whales on their northern migration would be very itchy! The whale we met today was certainly using the seaweed to her advantage and getting a good scrub along her back, belly and pectoral fins. Looking carefully at the images above you can actually see the brown clusters of whale lice on her back that will hopefully lessen in numbers as she migrates into warmer, northern waters. Many whale species will move into warmer waters when their skin parasite levels get too high and it is these “maintenance migrations” that keeps them in the best of health and looking squeaky clean. The rain clouds today provided plenty of beautiful rainbows and some lovely photo opportunities while we noticed a few tiny Wilson Storm Petrels flying close to the whales as they surfaced and a large juvenile Australasian Gannet carefully scanning for a mid morning snack. The local Bottlenose Dolphins also made a very quick pass and we will be keeping a close eye open for them tomorrow!

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The Perth Canyon was shining once again on yet another magnificent day and Australasian Gannets escorted us towards the continental shelf where our search began for the hazy distant blow of the Blue. Searching carefully we could see the occasional tiny Wilsons Storm Petrel looking for a morsel on the surface and a Gannet scanning carefully above us. Straight ahead and just like a rocket the powerful seven meter blow of a Blue Whale raced skyward and could be easily seen, off we went! A very relaxed and young Blue greeted us on our arrival in the area and seemed to be resting in-between downtimes with little movement from the original sighting area. Everyone jumped when she resurfaced a short distance behind us and she almost seemed pleased to have caught us all unaware as the turquoise blue shine showed a perfect example of how they coined their name.

The bird activity started to increase slightly as we moved further along the Perth Canyon and a resting Albatross was observing the fifty or so Gannets in the area that were diving on schools of baitfish. Generally where there are fish and birds we can almost always guarantee the Dolphins won’t be too far away and sure enough the porpoising sturdy bodies of Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins raced towards us. The whole pod eventually surrounded our vessel with approximately 100 individuals seeming to enjoy a bit of social time right next to and in front of us. Amongst the Offshore Bottlenose there were also a few beautifully marked Common Dolphins with their big yellow tinged bellies who had also joined the afternoon feed of fish.

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The Blue Whale is the largest mammal to have ever graced this planet, yet so little is known about their day to day lives. The many years of extensive whaling reduced a healthy worldwide population of 300,000 Blue Whales down to as little as 2,000 individuals. The Blue whale has been protected since 1966 and although recovery of population numbers is slow, there are promising signs ahead for the endangered Australian Blue Whales. The best way to protect these magnificent whales is to learn more about them, so lets begin with some Blue Whale Facts!

Largest Animal On Earth

The Blue Whale is the largest animal to have ever existed on planet earth, how fortunate are we to have them still alive today! The reason behind why they are larger than any dinosaur is simply due to them living in a marine environment. Although dinosaurs reached similar lengths they were certainly not able to match the weight of a Blue Whale. The Blue Whale also has the benefit of having a lot of room to live in as water takes up 70% of the earths surface with most of this accounted for by the ocean. Plenty of space, less gravity and bountiful food sources allowed the gigantic Blue Whales to reach their full potential and become the largest animal ever known.

Blue Whales Really Are Blue

One of our favourite moments when watching Blue Whales is the turquoise blue that grows stronger and larger as the whales return to the surface to breath. The perfect example is below as you can see with one of our guests suitably dressed in the appropriate colours for their tour! The blue glow of these whales is how they coined their name and is one of the most beautiful sights on the planet. The big surprise is when they break the surface and their mottled grey skin appears. The large size of the Blue Whale and reflective light creates this unique iridescent turquoise blue demonstrating why these beautiful whales are called Blue Whales even though they are grey.

The Worlds Largest Grey Nomads

The Blue Whales of the world have no specific home that they live all year in, they spend their time constantly on the move towards their next feeding ground. These epic journeys take them many thousands of kilometres and from one ocean to another. The preferred feeding grounds are reached at different times of the year depending on when the krill densities are at their peak and no energy is ever wasted on unprofitable feeding grounds. Travel is a vital part of the life of a Blue Whale and during their lifetime they can travel to the moon and back again.

Biggest Babies Ever Known

The title of the worlds largest baby certainly belongs to the newborn Blue Whale calf. One of our favourite Blue Whale facts is that at birth a Blue Whale calf will be approximately eight meters long and five tonnes in weight. Gestation for a female Blue Whale is 11 to 12 months and the calf will be born tail first to avoid drowning. Newborn Blue Whales are also believed to be born in warmer waters where nursery grounds for these baby giants can be found as they are born with almost no blubber and would be easily affected by cold waters. Drinking the equivalent of 1,300 glasses of their mothers rich milk everyday (which is 40-50% fat) allows for the most incredible daily weight gain of 90 kilograms, that is around 4 kilograms per hour!

The sad loss of seemingly healthy whales and dolphins who strand themselves on beaches around the world is always very upsetting and we find ourselves asking the question, “why do whales become stranded?”. Understanding why this happens we must think outside of the norm as our whales and dolphins do not function in the same way we do. Their way of travelling is very much out of this world and plays a huge roll in how they live a nomadic life and the challenges they face.

Solar Storms

The power of the sun is extraordinary and there are certain events known as solar storms which send subatomic particles hurtling towards earth almost as fast as the speed of light. The powerful gases surrounding the sun great a magnetic field and when these magnetic fields become twisted and connected we see powerful solar explosions known as solar flares. This solar activity has an enormous influence on earth and can affect satellites, GPS navigation and the earths magnetic field. The particles that are released from a coronal mass ejection (CME) from these solar flares are what trigger the northern and southern lights or aurora.

Affect on Whales

The affects on whales has only recently been discovered but as we look further into these events we can see the connection through a very unique character… the pigeon. Homing pigeons are world renowned for their ability to navigate back to their home with one individual flying from France to Vietnam, that is a distance of over 11,000 kilometres! They are believed to achieve this through their use of the earths magnetic field and when there is a powerful solar flare the magnetic field is distorted. The natural GPS for these pigeons is now affected and even by using their sense of smell and sound they are still limited to finding their way back home and can become disoriented.

Whales and dolphins also travel thousands of kilometres throughout the year and most often we see it is the oceanic species who become stranded most frequently. The way of navigation for these ocean nomads needs to be better understood but the correlation of using magnetic fields for navigation is highly probable. During these long journeys their migration path or prey may bring them closer to the coastlines. Could the unfortunate timing of a solar storm affect their navigation at a crucial moment and send them in the wrong direction. Finding themselves in shallow waters, species such as Sperm Whales and Pilot Whales become disorientated and their navigational like sonar appears to stop working correctly.

Disorientated and not familiar with navigation in shallow environments, could this be one of the reasons we see strandings of healthy whales? The stranding of 29 teenage male Sperm Whales in the North Sea in 2016 has lead scientists to believe the event of a solar flare affecting their navigation could be the cause. Young males will join in a bachelor pod as they leave their mums and sisters to migrate towards cooler waters to begin feeding on squid and “bulking” up. During this migration these young males seem to have made a wrong turn and found themselves in the North Sea which is shallow and lacks an important food source and the reason for their migration, squid.

The younger age group of these males can lead to inexperienced decisions and the lack of ability to adjust to this change in their GPS. The shift of the magnetic field can be over 400 kilometres and for a young whale this would be a difficult adjustment, when coupled with shallow water we can start to appreciate the situation they may find themselves in. Sadly for these males it seems an unfortunate increase in solar activity that was recorded before the strandings happened at a fundamental crossroads in their migration and their decision sent them in the wrong direction.

This correlation between solar activity and whale strandings is certainly not true for every case. Different situations and environments such as sick or injured whales, submarine activity, chasing prey, adverse weather, strong family bonds and many other factors must be taken into consideration. The question that must be asked though is why do some of the most highly intelligent creatures on this planet who are perfectly healthy and capable of enormous migrations, make a perilous decision to move into shallow waters that affects their sonar?

We can see that in certain situations where perfectly healthy whales find themselves stranding we must look further afield than simply matters that happen in their immediate environment. Their way of life is very much outside of this would at certain times and we must appreciate this and think outside the box when investigating the reasons behind their decisions.

The deep waters found in submarine canyons around the world are a unique ecosystem that attracts the entire food chain. There is an increase in productivity that can sustain even the apex predator of our oceans, the Orca. The topography of the Bremer Canyon allows for downwelling and upwelling of the Leeuwin and Southern Ocean currents. Eddies provide cul-de-sac environments which create perfect spawning or feeding grounds for certain species. The circulation of these currents create a perfect feeding environment for some of the top pelagic predators including Pilot Whales, Sperm Whales, Tuna, Sharks and Orca.

There is a reason for the yearly gathering in the Bremer Canyon of the largest known congregation of Orca in the Southern Hemisphere. These types of mass gatherings in all wildlife will generally indicate one of two things;

A need to feed
A need to find a mate
or both of the above!

We have sighted Orca in the Bremer Canyon feeding on squid. Orca of all age groups with squid in their mouths and also in the beaks of foraging seabirds. This answers one question, the Orca are certainly coming here to feed and it seems most regularly on squid. We must now focus our attention on what is bringing the squid here to the Bremer Canyon. The best time to see Orca in the canyon is between January and March each year with this also being a prime time for spawning to occur.

The research that has been completed in deep sea canyons around the world has found a peak time in the productivity of spawning squid during certain months. Some species will prefer to lay egg cases on relatively shallow and sandy plateaus, while other females will protect their eggs while fasting. These different spawning methods and species will still have the same result in the end, vey weak and immobile squid. Some may die straight after spawning while others who can evade predators might be fortunate to live for a while longer once they regain their strength.

Millions of squid can congregate during these spawning events and the food availability for all species in the food chain who can consume squid sky rockets into enormous proportions. The weakened squid become easy targets for calamari lovers such as Pilot Whales, Sperm Whales and the Orca of Bremer Bay. We suspect that squid are the main purpose for the arrival of the Orca and further research must be completed to understand if feeding on Tuna and Beaked Whales by the Orca is opportunistic feeding or perhaps territorial.

Our study going forward will focus on the West Australian canyons environment and indeed the canyons around the world. It is these environments that cultivates the food types mega fauna are seeking, this we believe is the true ingredient to unravel the mysteries of the Bremer Bay Orca.

Meet The Orca

Join the Pod and meet the Orca of Bremer Bay during January to March.

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The local Bottlenose Dolphins escorted us out of Bremer Bay and it was the beginning of what was going to be a very special day ahead. On our arrival the Orca were sighted charging across the canyon as something up ahead had captured their attention. We followed and watched as one half of the pod diverted to the left and the remaining three continued moving forward, what had caused this change of direction? We didn’t have too long to think though as the distant angled blow of a Sperm Whale caught our attention as he surfaced from one of his deep 90 minute dives. This young male was very curious towards us and moved over for a closer look before lifting his massive fluke as we watched in awe of his sounding dive.

The head of this male Sperm Whale was covered in battle scars that he would have obtained when wrestling his dinner, colossal squid! We continued back towards the Orca but instead found the possible reason for their original change of direction as we watched 200 Long Finned Pilot Whales come racing towards us. They were actively feeding as we watched little oil slick after oil slick come to the surface all around the Pilots as they finished their meals and came over to us for some socialising. Spy hopping, tail slapping and a sea full of buzzes and squeaks as these canaries of the ocean played just next to us and seemed to be singing into our hydrophone!

A further two Sperm Whales were sighted today and all three sightings were of different individuals which was fantastic news. This did make us think though were the Orca and Pilot Whales scavenging from the Sperm Whale leftovers with all three species in very close proximity to each other. We met two individuals today for the first time this season, a large male called Maleko and his friend Jet who were both moving straight towards the last large bull Sperm Male we sighted today. Seeming to pick up on their approach this male quickly replenished oxygen and then we waved goodbye as the beautiful grey flukes disappeared into the southern ocean.

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Peduncle Slaps have been sighted on many of our tours over the last week and this amazing behaviour is very impressive with all age groups of Humpback Whales but the more mature the whale the bigger is the resulting splash! We joined a pod of three amigos today as they travelled across Flinders Bay and these three whales were in fantastic health and full of energy. The largest individual demonstrated a perfect Peduncle Slap and you can see how they pivot their head down and then throw their peduncle and tail fluke into the air creating a very loud noise on the surface that other whales can hear from many kilometres away.

We are starting to see the arrival of a few larger and more mature Humpbacks into the bay which is fantastic as we anticipate the arrival of the breeding age male and female Humpback Whales. Also sighted on many Humpbacks arriving in the bay is the yellowish algae that grows happily on the skin of whales while they are in Antarctica but quickly disappears once the whales have moved into warmer waters, similar to a day at the spa! These algae covered whales have only just arrived from their feeding grounds and we love meeting them in Flinders Bay, their first sighting of land after a 2,000 nautical mile journey.

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We had a very special early morning tour today and what an incredible sunrise it was, revealing a day that was going to be filled with outstanding Humpback interactions! Early arrivals into the bay were busy communicating with impressive peduncle slaps while a young whale was enjoying a seaweed facial and seemed in bliss as he rolled around on the surface enjoying the sensation of the seaweed against his skin. On our final tour for the day we sighted two young male Humpbacks practicing breaching, tail slapping and peduncle slapping for 90 minutes straight!

From sunrise to sunset we enjoyed the beauty of Flinders Bay and the magnificent Humpback Whales that spend a few moments of their busy lives visiting this part of the world. To watch such incredible behaviours as these whales communicate to each other across the bay is a true privilege and we can happily say The Language of the Whales is our favourite language to learn and watch!

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Today we celebrated WA Day 2017 and the whales did too! We had interactions with 20 Humpback whales and two competition pods with males pushing and jostling to try and see who was the strongest. Our afternoon tour ended with a big bang as two resting yearlings awoke with breaching and head lunging just off our bow which had everyone celebrating.

These two active yearlings had been sighted on the morning tour interacting with one of the competition pods for a brief amount of time before deciding the other males were a bit too competitive. They must have worn themselves out as they were making sure to catch up on some rest on this picture perfect WA Day.

Tag: Whale Education

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