Humpback Whale Gentle Giant of the Sea

Humpback Whales belong to the group of whales known as rorquals, a group that includes the Blue Whale, Fin Whale, Bryde's Whale, Sei Whale, and Minke Whale. Rorquals have two characteristics in common: dorsal fins on their backs, and ventral pleats running for the tip of the lower jaw to the navel area. They are characterised by the possession of baleen plates for sieving the krill upon which they feed. Humpback Whales are regular visitors to the coastal waters off southern Queensland. Each year, during winter, humpback whales migrate from Antarctic waters, pass through South Island New Zealand , to the warm waters of the tropics for calving.

Many humpback whales arrive in Hervey Bay from late July and remain until November when they begin their return to the southern ocean. Whale watching in Hervey Bay has become an important attraction for tourists and naturalists. In recent years visitors to Hervey Bay, from mid-July to early November, have discovered the awe inspiring experience of watching the majestic humpback whale, and their encounters with the whales on the waters of Hervey Bay have been unforgettable. These majestic creatures have made Hervey Bay a regular stop on their annual migration to Antarctica after giving others and calves are now relaxed and at home with the whale watching boats which carefully approach their playground, and the guaranteed sightings are counted as "an experience of a lifetime". The humpbacks have made Hervey Bay their own, and as one of the most active and acrobatic of species they provide an awesome sight with their antics, including spectacular displays of breaching, tail flapping
About 20 operators offer whale watching tours, all vessels leaving from the Urangan Boat Harbour with the fleet offering
Some vessels have sound systems to enable passengers to hear the whales sing, offer educational videos on the journey to the Hervey Bay Marine Park.
All vessels have experienced crew who provide knowledgeable commentary which provides a greater interpretation of these gentle creatures.
As the years go by, the whales seem increasingly comfortable with the cruise vessels and often come so close you can almost reach out and touch them. Of course, tour operators adhere strictly to Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, designed in consultation with the Hervey Bay operators, to protect the whales and keep them coming back to Hervey Bay year after year. Other marine life which can be sighted during a day's whale watching include dolphins, turtles, and occasionally dugong.










Humpback Whale Facts

• The humpback whale takes its name from the habit of breaking the water surface with a large area of its back when diving.
• Approximately 3,000 Humpback whales will migrate this season between Antarctica and the Great Barrier Reef
• Humpbacks are still the third most endangered species of all the big whales, but now their numbers are increasing 13% each year.
• They are the fifth largest animal on this planet, growing up to 15 metres in length with a weight of up to 45,000kg (99,000lbs) - equivalent to 11 elephants or 600 persons each!
• Humpbacks are the most acrobatic of all of the great whales
• The species displays a wide variety of leaping, rolling and breaching movements which provide fascinating viewing for whale watchers.
• The humpback whale is also well known for its complex underwater vocalisations or whale songs particularly during breeding.
• Adult whales have been seen to breach 20 - 30 times within 5 minutes, displaying awesome grace and power.

Humpback Whale Feeding
The humpback is the fifth largest whale. A diet of krill (thumb sized prawn-like animals) and small crustaceans support its massive bulk. There are a number of different species of krill, although it is Euphausia superba which is the largest and most abundant in the Antarctic. The whales sieve food from huge amounts of water through specialised fringed mouth plates made of baleen. Baleen, also known as "whalebone" is not really bone, but is made of keratin, the same protein substance as our own hair and nails, and the horns of cattle. Instead of teeth, they have hundreds of thin, horny baleen plates attached to their upper jaws. The plates have bristly inner edges which intertwine to form a filtering mechanism. The humpbacks baleen is coarse and stiff, excluding the possibility of feeding on smaller forms of plankton. The scientific name for baleen whales, mysticetes, comes from the Greek word mystax which means moustache!


Baleen whales consume between 1 and 8 tones (2000 and 9000 pounds) of fish and krill a day! They do not feed all year round, however, but only during half of the year when they are in the cold, nutrient-rich waters of their antarctic summer feeding grounds. Approximately 25% of what they eat during the summer is stored in the form of fat to provide extra energy and insulation during their winter fast when they migrate to warmer waters.

Humpback Whale Migration

Humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to the sub-tropical coastal waters of western and eastern Australia and Fiji to give birth and mate during winter and spring.
Each year at least 1200 humpbacks migrate 5000km to the eastern coast of Australia. Groups of whales or 'pods' start to arrive at the southern Great Barrier Reef in mid-June and in the following weeks they move further along the Great Barrier Reef concentrating in the southern Whitsundays area. On the southern migration back to Antarctic waters, a large proportion of the whales stop over for a few days in Hervey Bay. Most humpbacks will have left the Queensland coast by the beginning of November.
The Humpback whales that visit Australia's coastal waters spend their summer months feeding in the Antarctic. With the onset of the southern hemisphere winter the Humpbacks migrate an average of 2,500km from polar waters to their tropical breeding grounds, undertaking some of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom. Although similar migrations of the same species occur in the northern and southern hemispheres, the two populations never interbreed, even where they use the same equatorial breeding waters, because the northward and southward convergences on tropical waters occur six months apart. Whereas most migrating whales avoid land masses, the Humpbacks follow the coastline reasonably close to shore, which makes them an ideal






Humpback Whale Breeding
Humpback whales mature in less than 10 years. Birth of young and mating apparently takes place in the warmer waters of the Great Barrier Reef . The cold Antarctic waters are unsuitable for reproduction, although providing the richest source of food. Courtship is playful and splashy, often social, involving an energetic group that races along the surface at breakneck speeds, churning the water up into turbulent knots of breaching, slapping whales. Males may compete aggressively over a single receptive female.

Gestation lasts for 11-12 months and calves are nursed until they are a year old and about 8m long. Calves are about 5m long at birth and weigh 1.5 tonnes. The cow's milk has a high fat content (35% compared with 2% for human milk) and milk production can be up to 600 litres a day. Therefore, a suckling calf increases its weight five to eight times during 11 months. The calf develops a protective layer of blubber so it can follow its mother back to cold Antarctic waters. Mother/calf pods often have an adult male escort.
Why Whale Watching in Hervey Bay

Many people say "Hey, we see the whales every year swimming past the beach just down the road!". They are right! Humpback Whales swim along the east coast of Australia (as well as other countries around the world).
What makes Hervey Bay so unique is the fact the whales are not in transit. The whales come into Hervey Bay to rest, play and frolic. The mothers use the rest to teach the newborn calves the necessary skills for their calves survival in the deeper, colder waters of the Antarctica.
t is not unusual for a pod of whales to play, breach (when the whale breaks the water, rising up to three quarters of its body out of the water) and tail slap around the boats. The whale watching guidelines state that a vessel should stop 300 metres from a whale but fortunately the whales do not know the rules More often than not they swim up to the side of the boat for a look at
What is also important to remember (especially if your not a good sailor or you are not even sure how well you will handle the water), whale watching everywhere else is on the open sea. Whale watching in Hervey Bay is done in the usually calm conditions of Hervey Bay. This is due to protection offered by Fraser Island to the east and the mainland of Australia to the south and west. It is only when the wind is coming from a northerly direction that the conditions can get a little rough which is thankfully not very common.iscover Hervey Bay - Humpback Whales Links

Animal Zone
From the UK's BBC some wonderful stuff on all sorts of animal species including whales. There is also a excellent world whale watching map that highlights whale watching world wide. Well worth a look.
The Oceania Project
The Oceania Project is a non-profit education and research organisation dedicated to raising awareness about Cetacea (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises ) and the Ocean Environment.
Whale Watching in Queensland, Australia
One of the best whale watching sites I have ever seen. Well worth checking out. Excellent work!!!
Whale Tales
A very good site based in the US with very good information on all species of whales.
WhaleTimes
WhaleTimes will take you on an adventure to the ocean. Do you like seals, sharks, penguins and whales? Then you're going to love WhaleTimes. Find out how your favourite animals survive in the sea. What they eat, where they live and much more.
Whale Club
This Marine Mammal Website features educational links, gift shop, photos, adoption kits, information explaining how you can help save marine mammals and much more.
Discovering Whales - The Humpback Whale
The Virtual Whale Project 3D Animation and sound environment for the visualisation of the feeding behaviours of Pacific Humpback Whales
Whale Net
Focusing on whales and marine research, WhaleNet is dedicated to interdisciplinary education.