How to identify a Humpback calf can be tricky as the little ones have so much growing to do but one part of their body will always help us remember them, the fluke. The underside of every Humpback Whale fluke is unique to them and a great means of capturing an image that we can use to identify them in future interactions. Young calves will have much growing ahead of them with every aspect of their body growing in size each and everyday. The fluke will also grow and change in appearance but even from a young age the basic scars and shape of the fluke will remain enabling us to be able to capture their very first ID image. Entering this seasons calves into the catalogue is always exciting as we have a fantastic opportunity to monitor for these little ones as they get older.
Meeting them in future seasons enables us to know exactly how old they are and how long it has taken them to mature and their overall body condition. Many Humpback Whales currently in the catalogue were only ever discovered as adults and their age is not well known or recorded. Observing this ever growing population and learning more about each and every individual that we can will teach us much more about these wonderful whales. Today we had many mothers and calves in the resting grounds as they all ensured to retain a comfortable reactionary distance from the other pods. A few relaxed pec slaps and excitable calves playing with seaweed at the surface was also observed. Today was a more relaxed morning with the whales and we wondered if the possible predation activity observed from yesterday had flowed on into this morning. Mother whales will always be on guard and should an overly aggressive shark be lingering they will need to keep a watchful eye out at all times.
