We had three mums and three calves all together for a big playgroup this morning and a few other pods off in the distance watching in on all the activity. Female Humpbacks will often encourage interactions with other mother/calf pods as this is a great opportunity for the little ones to learn and practice their Humpback behaviours. It was so much fun to watch the calves peduncle slap and tail slap towards each other for a while before practicing some twisting and turning, trying to get a good handle on that elusive balance!
We also sighted the calves pec slapping today and learning to be polite Humpbacks thanks to their ever watchful mothers who seemed very relaxed to sit back and watch the calves have some fun. Although that didn’t stop the mums from joining in every now and again to demonstrate what a lot of practice results in… perfect balance and control. This is a very important time for the calves as each resting ground on the migration south attracts a lot of Humpbacks that will linger around for a day or two resting and with so many around it becomes a very socially active area amongst the mothers and calves.
ID Log
Date – 20.10.16
Species – Humpback
Lat – Undisclosed Long – Undisclosed
Notes – Female of calf that had many barnacles
