The Humpback whale is one of the migratory whale species that passes by the Azores. They have one of the most well studied migration routes: in the summer they feed in mid- and high latitudes; while in the winter they occupy the breeding grounds in tropical and sub-tropical waters. When travelling between the two areas, Humpback whales can be seen in the Azorean archipelago from March to May or in October.
Migration patterns – Humpback whale
(whale: breeding grounds and migration routes of the humpback whale [Map/Still]. Britannica Online for Kids. Retrieved 6 May 2017, from http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-54617)
The songs that make them famous are only performed by the males at the breeding grounds. Therefore, they are tought to be a way of attracting potential mates or to establish dominance over the other males. These songs are only a few minutes long but are repeated for hours! Researchers have showed a lot of interest in them as they are population specific and change over time. To hear a small sample of a humpback whale song click below.
In a recent study published at Functional Ecology, researchers studying the nursing behaviour of humpback whales discovered that calves “speak softly” to their mothers. By deploying non-invasive multi-sensor tags that record depth, movement and sound data from the animals, it was possible to listen to their “conversations”. They believe that, by communicating quietly, the mother-calf pairs are reducing the risk of being attaked by predators like orcas and of being harrased by male humpback whales. You can hear this communication form here.
Humpback Whale/Megaptera novaeangliae
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