Humpback calf protects mum from curious bachelor males as this gorgeous calf breached defensively towards the males who were approaching. The youngster was very confident and continued the breaching and tail lobs directed towards the three young bachelor males who had come over to say hello but the calf didn’t want them anywhere near his mum! It soon became clear why the little one was so confident as an enormous male Humpback surfaced right alongside mother and calf, they had the company of a male escort. The big white bellied male was much bigger than the curious bachelors and his presence was definitely noticed as the bachelor pod peeled away and decided it wasn’t worth the drama of starting a competition pod against such an enormous adversary.
The young Humpback calf seemed pleased with his hard work though and we smiled to see the little one happily swimming next to mum with a protection job well done in his mind. All calves show different personalities with some very shy while others are incredibly outgoing. It is also interesting to observe that if they are travelling with a male escort it is similar to having a bodyguard so the calves confidence levels go up a notch. The mother whale is also more relaxed as she no longer needs to worry about the bachelor pods as her male escort will keep them well away. Further mother and calf pods were also spread out through the resting grounds and keeping a low profile so as not to be noticed by the bachelor pod as they were travelling without a male escort. The young males swam alongside us for a while and we could hear the powerful exhalations clearly on this lovely calm morning as they regrouped and pushed out towards Rottnest Island.
