In the winter, whales from the Antarctic journey north past New Zealand and into Australia's northern coastal waters. Come spring they return to the Antarctic. The annual Humpback Whale migration along the coast of Jervis Bay happens from mid-June to November. Cruises are available at this time. Take a whale watching cruise. Click here.
Humpbacks are one of the most active whales in terms of behaviour - they frequently breach, slap their tails and fins on the water surface, and males engage in vigorous, even violent competition for mates on their breeding grounds. Unlike their 'cousins' the blue, sei and minke whales, humpbacks (Megaptera novaeangliae) are not slender and graceful - they tend to be quite stout and stocky, with exceedingly long pectoral fins (their 'arms').
They are much slower swimmers than these other species. Humpback whales grow to about 15m, and 40 tonnes in weight. Like all baleen whales, females are slightly larger than males. Humpback breeding areas are fairly well known (unlike those of most other baleen whales). In Australia they breed inside the Great Barrier Reef on the East Coast and on the Northwest Shelf, along the west Kimberly coast.
They migrate close to the shore, and at the right times of the year can be easily seen as they travel past. Humpback whales feed in Antarctic waters on krill of various kinds, but also eat small fish and plankton during their migration south from their breeding areas. Humpbacks communicate among themselves with their famous and beautiful song. A song is usually quite short, less than ten minutes, but can be repeated many times, sometimes for hours without stopping. It is thought to be mainly a method for mature males to advertise themselves to females as sexual partners.
Source:
Australian Antarctic Division, Australian Federal Government.
