Off Los Cabos, Baja California
Killer whales do it. Gray whales do it. Even blue whales do it, but only rarely. Humpback whales do it, and they do it best.
Why do whales breach? Many reasons have been hypothesized. Perhaps to signal or threaten other whales; to scare their food species and cause them to “hyper-compact” into convenient concentrations; maybe just for the fun of it; or even to relieve constipation. Or perhaps they would simply rather be birds.
Whatever the reason, we witnessed a marvelous series of breaches by a huge humpback today, in the clears waters off Los Cabos – the southern tip of Baja California. Perhaps 20 or more times this migrant from the north burst up out of the water, most often rotating onto its side or back just before smashing back down. We could hear the “WHOP” as a wave of white-water towered up.
Humpbacks are among the most surface active of all the great whales, and an endless delight to watch. It seems most likely that their breaching, head lunging, pectoral fin slapping, tail-lobbing and mysterious subsurface sounds are in some way related to feeding strategies. Throughout their range – in both the northern and southern oceans - the species is known to use a number of fascinating techniques to force the tiny plankton and small fish, upon which they feed, into tight balls. Even group cooperation can be observed…something that is relatively rare in the animal kingdom. Most amazing is the cooperative bubble-net feeding practiced by a small collection of these “big-winged New Englanders” – Megaptera novaeangliae - that feed through the summer months in Southeast Alaska. From 3 to 20 or more may participate, each with a specific role to play as they force herring or sand lance up to the surface. The fish become “caged” within a rising curtain of bubbles…bubbles that are released by one individual as it spirals slowly upward from 100 feet or more. The cooperative group bursts to the surface as one – mouths agape – engulfing tons of water and frantic fish. The water is expelled through the hair-like baleen plates. The hapless fish are trapped and swallowed.Perhaps the breaching whale we encountered today was just practicing…tuning up for a return migration northward to the coast of British Columbia or Southeast Alaska. Humpback feed very little in these southern waters. Whatever its reasons, it provided endless thrills and another dollop of environmental knowledge for us.Our visit to Cabo San Lucas was brief but rewarding. Some shopped, some snorkeled, some searched the now-green desert for birds. The endemic gray thrasher and Xantus’ hummingbird were welcome finds, as were the moorish idol and yellow-tailed surgeonfish. It was a beautiful and memorable introduction to the tropics and to the unpredictable Gulf of California.
Killer whales do it. Gray whales do it. Even blue whales do it, but only rarely. Humpback whales do it, and they do it best.
Why do whales breach? Many reasons have been hypothesized. Perhaps to signal or threaten other whales; to scare their food species and cause them to “hyper-compact” into convenient concentrations; maybe just for the fun of it; or even to relieve constipation. Or perhaps they would simply rather be birds.
Whatever the reason, we witnessed a marvelous series of breaches by a huge humpback today, in the clears waters off Los Cabos – the southern tip of Baja California. Perhaps 20 or more times this migrant from the north burst up out of the water, most often rotating onto its side or back just before smashing back down. We could hear the “WHOP” as a wave of white-water towered up.
Humpbacks are among the most surface active of all the great whales, and an endless delight to watch. It seems most likely that their breaching, head lunging, pectoral fin slapping, tail-lobbing and mysterious subsurface sounds are in some way related to feeding strategies. Throughout their range – in both the northern and southern oceans - the species is known to use a number of fascinating techniques to force the tiny plankton and small fish, upon which they feed, into tight balls. Even group cooperation can be observed…something that is relatively rare in the animal kingdom. Most amazing is the cooperative bubble-net feeding practiced by a small collection of these “big-winged New Englanders” – Megaptera novaeangliae - that feed through the summer months in Southeast Alaska. From 3 to 20 or more may participate, each with a specific role to play as they force herring or sand lance up to the surface. The fish become “caged” within a rising curtain of bubbles…bubbles that are released by one individual as it spirals slowly upward from 100 feet or more. The cooperative group bursts to the surface as one – mouths agape – engulfing tons of water and frantic fish. The water is expelled through the hair-like baleen plates. The hapless fish are trapped and swallowed.Perhaps the breaching whale we encountered today was just practicing…tuning up for a return migration northward to the coast of British Columbia or Southeast Alaska. Humpback feed very little in these southern waters. Whatever its reasons, it provided endless thrills and another dollop of environmental knowledge for us.Our visit to Cabo San Lucas was brief but rewarding. Some shopped, some snorkeled, some searched the now-green desert for birds. The endemic gray thrasher and Xantus’ hummingbird were welcome finds, as were the moorish idol and yellow-tailed surgeonfish. It was a beautiful and memorable introduction to the tropics and to the unpredictable Gulf of California.
