This is part of a peace rally Greenpeace, two Greenpeace activists were driving a motor boat between these two big ships that were filling goods.

When the two ships approached two motors Greenpeace ship, crew from the ship Esperanza mengigatkan through Radio to stop charging them. Because of them do an activity that is illegal to refill in the middle of the Antarctic ocean.

This is a Greenpeace statement on the radio to convey the ship is flagged Oriental Bluebrid panama in three languages ie Japanese, Spanish and English:

"The ship must leave Bluebrid Oriental Antarctic waters immediately: your presence here is not expected to threaten the safety and the environment in Antarctica, as already announced that this is a very sensitive area by the International Maritime persatuaan and environmentalists for peace by the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic treaty ... Japan, as one of the parties agree to attempt to do so.

More than 30 minutes to survive Greenpeace boat in the middle of these two large vessels, only a distance of 8 meters between them. Two ships are starting to fill. And it turns out that they do loading and unloading meat-whale meat which had been boxed for the send directly to Tokyo.

According to scientists, animals that have the loudest voices
is the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), which also
hold the title as the largest animal on earth. The sound of fish
blue whale sounds louder than a Harley Davidson.
Even harder than a rock concert sound the most
hard, and also an explosion louder than the sound bom.Seberapa keraskah blue whale? The sound of fish
188 decibels is ..! This figure is equal to 1 million
times the sound of jet engines (which reached the level of loudness
120-130 decibels). Please note that the level of loudness
increases logarithmically. This means that every increase in 10
decibel sound intensity is increased up to 10 times.

This is one reason for us all to thank
that these blue whales lived in the sea.

Whales belong to the order cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Whales are divided into two suborders: baleen and toothed whales. Baleen whales have a comb-like fringe, called a baleen, on the upper jaw, which is used to filter plankton, as well as small fish and crustaceans. They are the largest species of whale. Toothed whales have teeth and prey on fish, squid, other whales and marine mammals. They sense their surrounding environment through echolocation.

Like all mammals, whales breathe air into lungs, are warm-blooded, feed their young milk and have some (although very little) hair. Their bodies resemble the streamlined form of a fish, while the forelimbs or flippers are paddle-shaped. The tail fins, or flukes, enable whales to propel themselves through the water. Most species of whale have a fin on their backs known as a dorsal fin.

Beneath the skin lies a layer of fat called blubber. It serves as an energy reservoir and also as insulation. Whales breathe through blowholes, located on the top of the head so the animal can remain submerged. Baleen whales have two blowholes,while toothed whales have one.

Length Varies – up to 110ft long
Weight Varies – up to 150 tons
Lifespan Generally 20-40 years, but can live up to 80 years; varies with each species.
Diet

Ranges from microscopic plankton to large marine mammals.
Population

Varies with each species.
Range

Varies with each species.
Behavior

Many whales, especially baleen whales, tend to migrate long distances from their cold-water feeding grounds to warm-water breeding grounds each year. They travel alone or in groups, or pods, on their annual migrations. Toothed whales often hunt in groups, migrate together and share young-rearing duties.

Most whales are quite active in the water. They jump high, or breach, out of the water and land back in the water. They also thrust their tails out of the water and slap the water’s surface, which is believed to be a warning of danger nearby. Whales also communicate with each other using lyrical sounds. These sounds are extremely loud depending on the species and can be heard for many miles.

Because of their environment (and unlike many animals) and because they need to breathe air by coming to the water’s surface, whales are conscious breathers, meaning they decide when to breathe. All mammals sleep, including whales, but they cannot afford to fall into an unconscious state for too long, since they need to be conscious to break the surface in order to breathe

Reproduction
Mating Season Varies depending on the species
Gestation 9-15 months, depending on the species
Number of offspring 1 calf
Nursing time is long (more than one year for many species), which is associated with a strong bond between mother and young. This strategy of reproduction spawns few offspring, but provides each with a high probability of survival in the wild.
Threats

Whaling is one of the biggest threats to whales. By the middle of the 20th century, whaling had left many populations severely depleted. The International Whaling Commission introduced a moratorium which continues to this day. However, there are still some exceptions to this moratorium. This allows countries like Norway, Iceland and Japan and the aboriginal communities of Siberia, Alaska and northern Canada to continue their annual whale hunts.

In addition, several species of small whales are caught as bycatch in fisheries for other species. Exposure to contaminants and pollution also threaten whales. Scientists also believe that underwater sonar testing by the navies of various countries leads to whale beachings. Mass whale beachings occur in many species, mostly beaked whales that use echolocation systems for deep diving. Whales are also threatened by climate change because higher water temperatures in the Antarctic Ocean are reducing populations of krill, a small-shrimp-like crustacean that is the main food source for some whale species.
Legal Status/Protection

International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, Washigton, December 2, 1946. Various species of whales are listed under the *Endangered Species Act as either “threatened” or “endangered”. All whales are protected under the **Marine Mammal Protection Act.

* The Endangered Species Act requires the US federal government to identify species threatened with extinction, identify habitat they need to survive, and help protect both. In doing so, the Act works to ensure the basic health of our natural ecosystems and protect the legacy of conservation we leave to our children and grandchildren.

** The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits, with certain exceptions, the take of marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on the high seas, and the importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products into the U.S.

Feds reviewing humpback whale status
Marine mammal’s population has grown steadily while on endangered list
Image: Humpback whale
Itsuo Inouye / AP file
A humpback whale jumps at a whale watching point, off Okinawa, Japan, on March 25, 2008. An extensive study by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service indicates that the humpback population in the North Pacific has grown 4 to 7 percent a year in recent decades.
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updated 4:23 p.m. ET Sept. 27, 2009

HONOLULU - The federal government is considering taking the humpback whale off the endangered species list in response to data showing the population of the massive marine mammal has been steadily growing in recent decades.

Known for their acrobatic leaps from the sea and complex singing patterns, humpback whales were nearly hunted to extinction for their oil and meat by industrial-sized whaling ships well through the middle of the 20th century. But the species has been bouncing back since an international ban on their commercial whaling in 1966.

"Humpbacks, by and large, are an example of a species that in most places seems to be doing very well, despite our earlier efforts to exterminate them," said Phillip Clapham, a senior whale biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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The government is required by law to review the endangered species status of an animal or plant if it receives "significant new information." The National Marine Fisheries Service, a NOAA agency, received results last year from an extensive study showing that the North Pacific humpback population has been growing 4 to 7 percent a year in recent decades.

Public comment is being accepted until Oct. 13 on the upcoming review, which is expected to take less than a year. It's the first review for humpbacks since 1999.

A panel of scientists will then study the data and produce a scientific report on their analysis in late spring or early summer. It's unclear what the decision on delisting the humpback will be.

"I don't know where the humpback people are going to come out," said David Cottingham, who heads the marine mammal and sea turtle conservation division at the Fisheries Service. "It would be premature to talk about it."

Delisting humpbacks would ‘be hasty’
Some environmental groups are already opposing the possibility of a delisting.

Miyoko Sakashita, the ocean programs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said that ongoing climate change and ocean acidification are emerging threats that may hurt humpback whales.

"Ocean conditions are changing so rapidly right now that it would probably be hasty to delist the humpbacks," Sakashita said.

Ralph Reeves, who chairs the cetacean specialist group at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, said the U.S. should remove humpbacks from the list if populations have sufficiently recovered.

He said conservationists must "be prepared and willing to embrace success" if they're to maintain what he called a "meaningful" endangered species program.

"The whole process, the credibility of it, depends on telling people that things are really bad when they're really bad and tell people that they aren't so bad when they aren't so bad," Reeves said.

N. Pacific humpbacks show resilience
There are now an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 humpbacks in the North Pacific, up from just 1,400 in the mid-1960s.

An early 1990s survey of humpbacks in the North Atlantic showed the population there was some 10,600. The results of a follow-up to that study, expected by the end of the year, are likely to show this population has grown, too.

The global humpback population is estimated to be about 60,000, according to the Swiss-based Conservation of Nature union.

Helping the humpbacks is that they reproduce once every two to three years, as opposed to every three to five years for other whale species. They also have a diverse diet, including krill and herring, capelin and other fish.

"They feed on a lot of different kinds of things, so they're adaptable," Clapham said. "They seem to be a resilient species generally with a lot of options."

There are some subpopulations of humpbacks, however, that aren't as robust. A South Pacific group that feeds in the Antarctic and then migrates to the warm waters off New Caledonia, Samoa and Tonga to breed and calve isn't doing as well.

Whale experts say this is because commercial whaling, and later, illegal whaling by the Soviet Union, shrunk this population so dramatically that it's had a harder time recovering.

There are also humpback populations about which relatively little is known. These include humpbacks that spend the winter in tropical waters off southern Japan and the Philippines and the summer near Russia's Far East coast.

This group also appears to be relatively small, with only about 1,000 whales.

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There is a chance the review could lead to the removal of healthier subpopulations from the endangered species list while other groups that are still at risk could be left on.

Something similar happened in 1994 when the federal government removed a U.S. West Coast population of the gray whale from the endangered species list but left on the list a separate population of gray whale that lives off Russia's Pacific coast.

The U.S. doesn't have authority over species management in the waters of other nations, but it may prosecute U.S. citizens and corporations that violate U.S. endangered species law overseas.

Taxonomy








B. bonaerensis (southern Minke whale)




B. acutorostra (northern Minke whale)









B. physalus (fin whale)






B. edeni (pygmy Bryde's whale)






B. borealis (Sei whale)




B. brydei (Bryde's whale)









B. musculus (blue whale)




Megaptera novaeangliae (humpback whale)




Eschrichtius robustus (Gray whale)




A phylogenetic tree of animals related to the humpback whale

Humpback whales are rorquals (family Balaenopteridae), a family that includes the blue whale, the fin whale, the Bryde's whale, the Sei whale and the Minke whale. The rorquals are believed to have diverged from the other families of the suborder Mysticeti as long ago as the middle Miocene.[3] However, it is not known when the members of these families diverged from each other.

Though clearly related to the giant whales of the genus Balaenoptera, the humpback has been the sole member of its genus since Gray's work in 1846. More recently though, DNA sequencing analysis has indicated the Humpback is more closely related to the Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) and to certain rorquals, such as the Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) than it is to other rorquals such as the minke whales.[4][5] If further research confirms these relationships, it will be necessary to reclassify the rorquals.

The humpback whale was first identified as "baleine de la Nouvelle Angleterre" by Mathurin Jacques Brisson in his Regnum Animale of 1756. In 1781, Georg Heinrich Borowski described the species, converting Brisson's name to its Latin equivalent, Balaena novaeangliae. Early in the 19th century Lacépède shifted the humpback from the Balaenidae family, renaming it Balaenoptera jubartes. In 1846, John Edward Gray created the genus Megaptera, classifying the humpback as Megaptera longpinna, but in 1932, Remington Kellogg reverted the species names to use Borowski's novaeangliae.[6] The common name is derived from the curving of their back into a when diving. The generic name Megaptera from the [[Ancient Greek |Greek]] mega-/μεγα- "giant" and ptera/πτερα "wing",[7] refers to their large front flippers. The specific name means "New Englander" and was probably given by Brisson due the regular sightings of humpbacks off the coast of New England.[6]
Description and lifecycle
A diving humpback whale, showing hump and tail fins

Humpback whales can easily be identified by their stocky bodies with obvious humps and black dorsal colouring. The head and lower jaw are covered with knobs called tubercles, which are actually hair follicles and are characteristic of the species. The tail flukes, which are lifted high in some dive sequences, have wavy trailing edges.[8] There are four global populations, all under study. North Pacific, Atlantic, and southern ocean humpbacks have distinct populations which complete a migratory round-trip each year. The Indian Ocean population does not migrate, stopped by that ocean's northern coastline.

The long black and white tail fin, which can be up to a third of body length, and the pectoral fins have unique patterns, which make individual whales identifiable.[9][10] Several hypotheses attempt to explain the humpback's pectoral fins, which are proportionally the longest fins of any cetacean. The two most enduring mention the higher maneuverability afforded by long fins, and the usefulness of the increased surface area for temperature control when migrating between warm and cold climates. Humpbacks also have 'rete mirable' a heat exchanging system, which works similarly in humpbacks, sharks and other fish.
A humpback whale tail has wavy rear edges.
A tail from a different individual - the tail of each humpback whale is visibly unique.

Humpbacks have 270 to 400 darkly coloured baleen plates on each side of the mouth. The plates measure from a mere 18 inches (46 cm) in the front to approximately 3 feet (0.91 m) long in the back, behind the hinge. Ventral grooves run from the lower jaw to the umbilicus about halfway along the bottom of the whale. These grooves are less numerous (usually 16–20) and consequently more prominent than in other rorquals. The stubby dorsal fin is visible soon after the blow when the whale surfaces, but disappears by the time the flukes emerge. Humpbacks have a 3 metres (9.8 ft) heart shaped to bushy blow, or exhalation of water through the blowholes. Early whalers also noted blows from humpback adults to be 10–20 feet (3.0–6.1 m) high. Whaling records reveal understanding of the species-specific shape and height of blows.

Newborn calves are roughly the length of their mother's head. A 50-foot (15 m) mother would have a 20-foot (6.1 m) newborn weighing in at 2 short tons (1.8 t). They are nursed by their mothers for approximately six months, then are sustained through a mixture of nursing and independent feeding for possibly six months more. Humpback milk is 50% fat and pink in color. Some calves have been observed alone after arrival in Alaskan waters.

Females reach sexual maturity at the age of five with full adult size being achieved a little later. According to new research, males reach sexual maturity at approximately 7 years of age. Fully grown the males average 15–16 metres (49–52 ft), the females being slightly larger at 16–17 metres (52–56 ft), with a weight of 40,000 kilograms (44 short tons)); the largest recorded specimen was 19 metres (62 ft) long and had pectoral fins measuring 6 metres (20 ft) each.[11] The largest humpback on record, according to whaling records, was killed in the Caribbean. She was 88 feet (27 m) long, weighing nearly 90 short tons (82,000 kg).

Females have a hemispherical lobe about 15 centimetres (5.9 in) in diameter in their genital region. This allows males and females to be distinguished from the underside, even though the male's penis usually remains hidden in the genital slit. Male whales have distinctive scars on heads and bodies, some resulting from battles over females.

Females typically breed every two or three years. The gestation period is 11.5 months, yet some individuals can breed in two consecutive years. Humpback whales were thought to live 50–60 years, but new studies using the changes in amino acids behind eye lenses proved another baleen whale, the Bowhead, to be 211 years old. This was an animal taken by the Inuit off Alaska. More age studies are currently active.
Identification

The varying patterns on the humpback's tail flukes are sufficient to identify an individual. Unique visual identification is not currently possible in most cetacean species (other exceptions include Orcas and Right Whales), making the humpback a popular species for study. A study using data from 1973 to 1998 on whales in the North Atlantic gave researchers detailed information on gestation times, growth rates, and calving periods, as well as allowing more accurate population predictions by simulating the mark-release-recapture technique. A photographic catalogue of all known whales in the North Atlantic was developed over this period and is currently maintained by Wheelock College.[12] Similar photographic identification projects have begun in the North Pacific by SPLASH (Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpbacks), and around the world. Another organization (Cascadia Research) headed by well-known researcher John Calambokidis, along with Dr. Robin Baird, joined with others from NOAA, hoping to prepare a public online catalog of more than 3500 fluke identification pictures.
Social structure and courtship
Humpbacks frequently breach, throwing two thirds or more of their bodies out of the water and splashing down on their backs.
See also: Whale surfacing behaviour

The humpback social structure is loose-knit. Usually, individuals live alone or in small transient groups that assemble and break up over the course of a few hours. Groups may stay together a little longer in summer in order to forage and feed cooperatively. Longer-term relationships between pairs or small groups, lasting months or even years, have rarely been observed. Recent studies extrapolate feeding bonds observed with many females in Alaskan waters over the last 10 years. It is possible some females may retain these bonds for a lifetime. The range of the humpback overlaps considerably with many other whale and dolphin species — (for instance, the Minke Whale). However, humpbacks rarely interact socially with them. Humpback calves have been observed in Hawaiian waters playing with bottlenose dolphin calves.

Courtship rituals take place during the winter months, when the whales migrate toward the equator from their summer feeding grounds closer to the poles. Competition is usually fierce, and unrelated males dubbed escorts by researcher Louis Herman frequently trail females as well as mother-calf dyads. Groups of two to twenty males typically gather around a single female and exhibit a variety of behaviors in order to establish dominance in what is known as a competitive group. Displays may last several hours. Competitive group size may ebb and flow as unsuccessful males retreat and others arrive to try their luck. Techniques used include breaching, spy-hopping, lob-tailing, tail-slapping, flipper-slapping, peduncle throws, charging and parrying. "Super pods" have been observed numbering more than 40 males, all vying for the same female. (M. Ferrari et al.)

Whale song is assumed to have an important role in mate selection; however, scientists remain unsure whether the song is used between males in order to establish identity and dominance, between a male and a female as a mating call, or a mixture of the two. All these vocal and physical techniques have also been observed while not in the presence of potential mates. This indicates that they are probably important as a more general communication tool. Recent studies show singing males attracting other males. Scientists hypothesize that the singing may be a way to keep migrating populations connected. (Ferrari, Nicklin, Darling, et al.) It has also been noted that the singing begins when the competition ends.[13]
Feeding
A group of 15 whales bubble net fishing near Juneau, Alaska
Aerial view of a bubble net off Cape Fanshaw, Alaska

Humpbacks feed only in summer and lives off fat reserves during winter. They feed only rarely and opportunistically while in their wintering waters. The humpback is an energetic feeder, taking krill and small schooling fish, such as herring (Clupea harengus), salmon, capelin (Mallotus villosus) and sand lance (Ammodytes americanus) as well as Mackerel (Scomber scombrus), pollock (Pollachius virens) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) in the North Atlantic.[14][15][16] Krill and Copepods have been recorded from Australian and Antarctic waters.[17] Humpbacks hunt fish by direct attack or by stunning them by hitting the water with its pectoral fins or flukes.
A pair of humpback whales feeding by lunging.

The humpback has the most diverse repertoire of feeding methods of all baleen whales.[18] Its most inventive technique is known as bubble net feeding: a group of whales swims in a shrinking circle blowing bubbles below a school of prey. The shrinking ring of bubbles encircles the school and confines it in an ever-smaller cylinder. The whales then suddenly swim upward through the bubble net, mouths agape, swallowing thousands of fish in one gulp. This ring can begin at up to 30 metres (98 ft) in diameter via the cooperation of a dozen animals. Some of the whales blow the bubbles, some dive deeper to drive fish toward the surface, and others herd other fish into the net by vocalizing.[19] Humpbacks have been observed bubblenet feeding alone as well.

Humpback whales are preyed upon by Orcas. The result of these attacks is generally nothing more serious than some scarring of the skin, but it is likely that young calves are sometimes killed.[dead link][20]
Song
Main article: Whale song
Humpback swimming on his back in Antarctica

Both male and female humpback whales produce sounds, however only the males produce the long, loud, complex "songs" for which the species is famous. Each song consists of several sounds in a low register that vary in amplitude and frequency, and typically lasts from 10 to 20 minutes.[21] Humpbacks have been observed to sing continuously for more than 24 hours. Cetaceans have no vocal cords, so whales generate their song by forcing air through their massive nasal cavities.

Whales within a large area sing the same song. All of the humpbacks of the North Atlantic sing the same song, and those of the North Pacific sing a different song. Each population's song changes slowly over a period of years—never returning to the same sequence of notes.[21]

Scientists are still unsure of the purpose of whale song. Only males sing, suggesting that the purpose of the songs is to attract females. However, many of the whales observed to approach a singer are other males, with the meeting resulting in conflict. Singing may therefore be a threat to other males.[22] Some scientists have hypothesized that the song may serve an echolocative function.[23] During the feeding season, humpbacks make altogether different vocalizations for herding fish into their bubble nets.[24]
Population and distribution

The humpback whale is found in all the major oceans, in a wide band running from the Antarctic ice edge to 65° N latitude, though not in the eastern Mediterranean or the Baltic Sea. There are at least 80,000 humpback whales worldwide, with 18,000-20,000 in the North Pacific, about 12,000 in the North Atlantic, and over 50,000 in the Southern Hemisphere, down from a pre-whaling population of 125,000.[8]

Humpbacks are migratory, spending summers in cooler, high-latitude waters, but mating and calving in tropical and subtropical waters.[21] An exception to this rule is a population in the Arabian Sea, which remains in these tropical waters year-round.[21] Annual migrations of up to 25,000 kilometres (16,000 mi) are typical, making it one of the farthest-travelling of any mammalian species.

A 2007 study identified seven individual whales wintering off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica as those which had made a trip from the Antarctic of around Template:Convert/km\mi. Identified by their unique tail patterns, these animals have made the longest documented migration by a mammal.[25]

In Australia, two main migratory populations have been identified, off the west and east coast respectively. These two populations are distinct with only a few females in each generation crossing between the two groups.[26]
Whaling
Main article: Whaling
See also: Whaling in Japan

One of the first attempts to hunt the humpback whale was made by John Smith in 1614 off the coast of Maine. Opportunistic killing of the species is likely to have occurred long before, and it continued with increasing pace in the following centuries. By the 18th century, they had become a common target for whalers.

By the 19th century, many nations (the United States in particular), were hunting the animal heavily in the Atlantic Ocean, and to a lesser extent in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It was, however, the introduction of the explosive harpoon in the late 19th century that allowed whalers to accelerate their take. This, along with hunting beginning in the Antarctic Ocean in 1904, led to a sharp decline in most whale populations.

It is estimated that during the 20th century at least 200,000 humpbacks were taken, reducing the global population by over 90%, with the population in the North Atlantic estimated to have dropped to as low as 700 individuals.[27]

To prevent extinction, the International Whaling Commission introduced a ban on commercial humpback whaling in 1966. That ban is still in force. By that time the total population had been reduced to an estimated 5000 whales.[28]

Prior to commercial whaling, population numbers could have reached 125,000. North Pacific kills alone are estimated at 28,000.[8] The full toll is much higher. It is now known that the Soviet Union was deliberately under-recording its kills; the total Soviet humpback kill was reported at 2,820 whereas the true number is now believed to be over 48,000.[29]

As of 2004, hunting of humpback whales is restricted to a few animals each year off the Caribbean island Bequia in the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.[18] The take is not believed to threaten the local population.

Japan had planned to kill 50 humpback whales in the 2007/08 season under its JARPA II research program in the Antarctic Ocean, starting in November 2007. The announcement sparked global protests.[30] After a visit to Tokyo by the chairman of the IWC, asking the Japanese for their co-operation in sorting out the differences between pro- and anti-whaling nations on the Commission, the Japanese whaling fleet agreed that no humpback whales would be caught for the two years it would take for the IWC to reach a formal agreement.[31]
Conservation
A dead humpback washed up near Big Sur, California

Internationally this species is considered "least concern" from a conservation standpoint as of 2008. This is an improvement from vulnerable status in the prior assessment. Most monitored stocks of humpback whales have rebounded well since the end of the commercial whaling era,[2][32] such as the North Atlantic where stocks are now believed to be approaching pre-hunting levels. However, the species is considered endangered in some countries, including the United States.[33][34] The United States initiated a status review of the species on August 12, 2009 and is seeking public comment on potential changes to the species listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.[35] Comments must be received by October 13, 2009. Areas where population data is limited and the species may be at higher risk include the Arabian Sea, the western North Pacific Ocean, the west coast of Africa and parts of Oceania.[2]

Today, individuals are vulnerable to collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing gear, and noise pollution.[2] Like other cetaceans, humpbacks are sensitive to noise and can even be injured by it. In the 19th century, two humpback whales were found dead near sites of repeated oceanic sub-bottom blasting, with traumatic injuries and fractures in the ears.[36]

Once hunted to the brink of extinction the humpback whale has made a dramatic comeback in the North Pacific Ocean. A study released May 22, 2008 estimates that the humpback whale population that hit a low of 1,500 whales before hunting was banned worldwide, has made a comeback to a population of between 18,000 and 20,000.[37]

The ingestion of saxitoxin, a Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) from contaminated mackerel has been implicated in humpback whale deaths.[38]

Some countries are creating action plans to protect the humpback; for example, in the United Kingdom, the humpback whale has been designated as a priority species under the national Biodiversity Action Plan, generating a set of actions to conserve the species. The sanctuary provided by National Parks such as Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and Cape Hatteras National Seashore, among others, have also become a major factor in sustaining the populations of the species in those areas.[39]

Although much was learned about the humpback from whaling, migratory patterns and social interactions of the species were not well understood until two studies by R. Chittleborough and W. H. Dawbin in the 1960s.[40] Roger Payne and Scott McVay made further studies of the species in 1971.[41] Their analysis of whale song led to worldwide media interest, and left an impression in the public mind that whales were highly intelligent species, contributing to the anti-whaling stance of many countries.

In August 2008, the IUCN changed the whale's status from Vulnerable to Least Concern, although two subpopulations remain endangered.[42]
Whale-watching
Main article: Whale-watching
Humpback near Hervey Bay, Queensland

Humpback whales are generally curious about objects in their environment. Some individuals, referred to as "friendlies", approach whale-watching boats closely, often staying under or near the boat for many minutes. Because humpbacks are often easily approachable, curious, easily identifiable as individuals, and display many behaviors, they have become the mainstay of whale-watching tourism in many locations around the world.

There are many commercial whale-watching operations on both the humpback's summer and winter ranges:
North Atlantic North Pacific Southern Hemisphere
Summer New England, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, the northern St. Lawrence River, the Snaefellsnes peninsula in the west of Iceland California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia Antarctica
Winter Samaná Province of the Dominican Republic, the Bay of Biscay France, Hawaii, Baja, the Bahía de Banderas off Puerto Vallarta Sydney, Byron Bay north of Sydney, Hervey Bay north of Brisbane, North and East of Cape Town, New Zealand, the Tongan islands,

As with other cetacean species, however, a mother whale is generally extremely protective of her infant, and places herself between any boat and her calf before moving quickly away from the vessel. Skilled tour operators avoid stressing the mother.
Famous humpbacks
Migaloo

A presumably albino humpback whale that travels up and down the east coast of Australia has become famous in the local media, on account of its extremely rare all-white appearance. Migaloo is the only known all-white humpback whale in the world.[43] First sighted in 1991 and believed to be 3–5 years old at that time, Migaloo is a word for "white fellow" from one of the languages of the Indigenous Australians. Speculation about Migaloo's gender was resolved in October 2004 when researchers from Southern Cross University collected sloughed skin samples from Migaloo as he migrated past Lennox Head, and subsequent genetic analysis of the samples proved he is a male. Because of the intense interest, environmentalists feared that he was becoming distressed by the number of boats following him each day. In response, the Queensland and New South Wales governments introduce legislation each year to create a 500 metres (1,600 ft) exclusion zone around the whale. Recent close up pictures have shown Migaloo to have skin cancer and/or skin cysts as a result of his lack of protection from the sun.[44]

In 2006, a white calf was spotted with a normal humpback mother in Byron Bay, New South Wales.[45]
Humphrey
Main article: Humphrey the whale

One of the most notable humpback whales is Humphrey the whale, twice-rescued by The Marine Mammal Center and other concerned groups in California.[46][47] In 1985, Humphrey swam into San Francisco Bay and then up the Sacramento River towards Rio Vista.[48] Five years later, Humphrey returned and became stuck on a mudflat in San Francisco Bay immediately north of Sierra Point below the view of onlookers from the upper floors of the Dakin Building. He was pulled off the mudflat with a large cargo net and the help of the Coast Guard. Both times he was successfully guided back to the Pacific Ocean using a "sound net" in which people in a flotilla of boats made unpleasant noises behind the whale by banging on steel pipes, a Japanese fishing technique known as "oikami." At the same time, the attractive sounds of humpback whales preparing to feed were broadcast from a boat headed towards the open ocean.[49] Since leaving the San Francisco Bay in 1990 Humphrey has been seen only once, at the Farallon Islands in 1991.
Delta and Dawn

A humpback whale mother and calf captivated the San Francisco Bay Area in May 2007.[50] This pair appeared to have gotten lost on their Northern migration, swam into the bay and up the Sacramento River as far as the Port of Sacramento. First spotted on 13 May, the whales inspired intense news coverage and were named Delta and Dawn. Whale fans became worried as the whales, both injured with what were possibly cuts caused by boat propellers, continued their stay in the brackish waters, despite efforts to get them to return to the sea. Unexpectedly, on 20 May they headed back towards the bay, but they tarried near the Rio Vista bridge for 10 days. Finally, on Memorial Day weekend, they left Rio Vista, California; passing Tuesday night, 29 May, through the Golden Gate Bridge out to the Pacific Ocean.http://naturescrusaders.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/killer-whale.jpg

my whale

What is a Whale?
LIVING IN THE OCEAN

Whales are large, magnificent, intelligent, aquatic mammals. They breathe air through blowhole(s) into lungs (unlike fish who breathe using gills). Whales have sleek, streamlined bodies that move easily through the water. They are the only mammals, other than manatees (seacows), that live their entire lives in the water, and the only mammals that have adapted to life in the open oceans.

Whales breathe air. They are NOT fish. They are mammals that spend their entire lives in the water.

Cetaceans are the group of mammals that includes the whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Like all mammals: Whales breathe air into lungs, Whales have hair (although they have a lot less than land mammals, and have almost none as adults), Whales are warm-blooded (they maintain a high body temperature), Whales have mammary glands with which they nourish their young, Whales have a four-chambered heart.

SIZE

The biggest whale is the blue whale, which grows to be about 94 feet (29 m) long - the height of a 9-story building. These enormous animals eat about 4 tons of tiny krill each day, obtained by filter feeding through baleen. Adult blue whales have no predators except man. The smallest whale is the dwarf sperm whale which as an adult is only 8.5 feet (2.6 m) long.

The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever existed on Earth. It is larger than any of the dinosaurs were. They are also the loudest animal on Earth.

TWO TYPES OF CETACEANS
Cetaceans include the whales, dolphins and porpoises. There are over 75 species of Cetaceans. Whales belong to the order Cetacea (from the Greek word "ketos" which means whale), which is divided into the following groups:

Toothed whales (Odontoceti) - predators that use their peg-like teeth to catch fish, squid, and marine mammals, swallowing them whole. They have one blowhole (nostril) and use echolocation to hunt. There are about 66 species of toothed whales.

Baleen whales (Mysticeti) - predators that sieve tiny crustaceans, small fish, and other tiny organisms from the water with baleen. Baleen is a comb-like structure that filters the baleen whales' food from the water. Baleen whales are larger than the toothed whales and have 2 blowholes (nostrils). There are 10 species of baleen whales.

SWIMMING AND OTHER WATER ACTIVITIES

Whales have a streamlined shape and almost no hair as adults (it would cause drag while swimming). Killer whales and Shortfin Pilot whales are the fastest, swimming up to 30 miles per hour (48 kph).

Whales swim by moving their muscular tail (flukes) up and down. Fish swim by moving their tails left and right.

Breaching: Many whales are very acrobatic, even breaching (jumping) high out of the water and then slapping the water as they come back down. Sometimes they twirl around while breaching. Breaching may be purely for play or may be used to loosen skin parasites or have some social meaning.

Spyhopping: This is another cetacean activity in which the whale pokes its head out of the water and turns around, perhaps to take a look around.

Lobtailing: Some whales stick their tail out of the water into the air, swing it around, and then slap it on the water's surface; this is called lobtailing. It makes a very loud sound. The meaning or purpose of lobtailing is unknown, but may be done as a warning to the rest of the pod of danger.

Logging: Logging is when a whale lies still at the surface of the water, resting, with its tail hanging down. While floating motionless, part of the head, the dorsal fin or parts of the back are exposed at the surface.

MIGRATION

Many ceteaceans, especially baleen whales, migrate over very long distances each year. They travel, sometimes in groups (pods), from cold-water feeding grounds to warm-water breeding grounds.

Gray whales make the longest seasonal migration of any of the whales. They travel about 12,500 miles each year.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Cetaceans have very strong social ties. The strongest social ties are between mother and calf. A social group of whales is called a pod. Baleen whales travel alone or in small pods. The toothed whales travel in large, sometimes stable pods. The toothed whales frequently hunt their prey in groups, migrate together, and share care of their young.

REPRODUCTION

Cetaceans give birth to live young which are nourished with milk from their mothers - they don't lay eggs. Cetaceans breed seasonally, usually in warm tropical waters, and females usually have one calf every 1-3 years. The gestation times range from 9-18 months. Whale calves can swim at or soon after birth. Mother whales care for their young for an extended period of time, usually at least a year, feeding them milk and protecting them.

Young cetaceans are frequently mottled in color, camouflaging them from predators. Newborns have a sparse covering of hair which they lose as adults.

WHALE SONGS
Complex whales songs can be heard for miles under the water. The humpback's song can last for 30 minutes. Baleen whales sing low-frequency songs; toothed whales emit whistles and clicks that they use for echolocation The songs are thought to be used in attracting mates, to keep track of offspring, and for the toothed whales, to locate prey.

CLASSIFICATION OF CETACEANS
Cetaceans are divided into the following suborders:

• Odontoceti (toothed whales) - killer whales or orcas , beluga whales , narwhals , sperm whales , the beaked whales, dolphins , and porpoises.
• Mysticeti (mustached whales) or baleen whales - blue whales , humpback whales , gray whales , bowhead whales , minke whales, and right whales. These large whales are filter feeders and are among the largest animals on earth. They have baleen plates instead of teeth, which are used to filter tiny organisms, like krill and small fish from the water. They use their tongue to dislodge the food from the baleen and swallow it. Baleen is made of keratin, the same protein that our hair and nails are made of.
• Archaeoceti - the extinct whales, which includes Basilosaurus, the earliest known primitive Eocene whale.

PRIMITIVE WHALES AND EVOLUTION
Primitive whales evolved during the mid-Eocene period, about 50 million years ago. Fossil remains indicate that whales evolved from hoofed land mammals - perhaps the shore-dwelling, hyena-like Mesonychid that returned, bit by bit, to the sea roughly 50 million years ago.

Another possible step in whale ancestry is the otter-like Ambulocetus, an extinct mammal the size of a sea lion, 10 feet (3 m) long and about 650 pounds. Its limbs allowed it to swim and could also support it on land. It had long, powerful jaws with shark-like teeth, a small brains, and a pelvis fused to its backbone (like land-dwelling mammals but unlike whales).

Basilosaurus, a very primitive, extinct whale, had a tiny head and pointed snout with teeth, unlike modern-day whales which have large heads and a blunter snout. It was about 82 feet (25 m) long.

ENDANGERED WHALES
There are many species of whales that are in danger of going extinct. Most baleen whales (the huge whales targeted by commercial whalers) are listed as endangered or protected species. Most other whale species are doing well and are not endangered.