Interesting Whale Facts

Predominantly the humpback whale is the main species to be spotted when whale watching in Hervey Bay. Below are some interesting facts about humpback whales that you will see when whale watching in Hervey Bay.

• They can hold their breath under water for over half an hour
• Humpback whales are the most acrobatic of all the great whales with moves including breaching, tail slap and spy hopping which is when the whale pokes its head out of the water and looks around for about 30 seconds.
• They have no teeth and instead have baleen plates to catch plankton and krill (their main source of food)
• They have two blow holes – one for each lung! Their lungs are each the size of a small car!
• A pod of whales is defined as more than one and normally between two and six whales
• Humpback whales are easier to tell apart by the markings on the underside of their tall fins. Each one has a unique pattern on his or her tail
• Humpback whales only eat in summer, feeding off their fat reserves (blubber) during the winter when migrating
• Female Humpback’s have BFF’s! The Mingan Island Cetacean Study group have been using photographic techniques to study humpback whales for the last 16 years and have found that female humpback whales not only make friends with one another but reunite each year. They remember their pals and even find them across the ocean and among other whales which is a fairly shocking discovery since scientists believed that humpback’s are generally an unsocial species. When a female humpback meets her friend they simply float along together, eating and enjoying each other’s company. Friendships between females and males or even male to male friendship are mostly unheard of and for reasons that no one can explain, only the ladies like to hang out with each other.