October 17th - A trip to "Humpback Land" with 5 whales!
We got another taste of humpback soup today when we found 5 humpbacks milling around off the east side of Valdez Island today. BCZ0342, Zephyr (KEZ0006), Two Spot (KEY0010), Snoopy (BCY0770), and El Diablo (BCX0132) were having a party, circling, rolling, and pec slapping the water.
El Diablo and Snoopy are the only 2 whales in this group with confirmed breeding grounds, both of which are in Hawaii. Zephyr is likely also a Hawaii whale, given that their mom, Divot, is a Hawaii whale and humpbacks show incredible site fidelity. This means they return to the same breeding grounds they were born at, and the same feeding grounds their mom showed them when they were calves.
Not much is known about BCZ0342, but they have been sighted in our area since 2004!
We also know that Zephyr and El Diablo are both female, while Two Spot and Snoopy are both confirmed males.
One of the most interesting things is that, while El Diablo is a confirmed female, they have never been seen with a calf. El Diablo was first recorded in Hawaii in 1993, making them at least 29 years old. Humpbacks reach sexual maturity around 8 years old and typically have a calf every 2-4 years. The fact that El Diablo is a confirmed female who has never been seen with a calf suggests that she may be infertile.
We watched this group of 5 years rolling and splashing in the waters for an hour before departing to find harbour seals and sea lions before making our way back to the harbour.
All the photos today were taken by marine naturalist Vanessa Vereschahen.
Two Spot (KEY0010).
BCZ0342.
Zephyr (KEZ0006).
Left to right: Snoopy (BCY0770) and Zephyr (KEZ0006).
Left to right: Snoopy (BCY0770) and Zephyr (KEZ0006).
Left to right: Zephyr (KEZ0006).
BCZ0342.
