Whale Watching in Bahia Ballena

Humpback whales are the largest living mammal on the planet. They can be 52 feet long and 80,000 pounds. Even the calves are huge, measuring 15 feet long at birth and weighing a ton. Amazingly they grow to this size by slashing through clouds of tiny plankton and krill and straining the food out of the water with 300 or more baleen plates, which are like long brush bristles. Unlike other whale species, humpbacks spend a lot of time at surface level, which makes them easier to spot. The humpback whale gets its name from the dorsal fin that sits on a large “hump” on the back, which is noticeable when the whale arches its back and dives.

Humpbacks enjoy breaching (jumping out of the water), fluke flipping (smacking their back tails on the water’s surface) and fin slapping. But one of the oddest behaviors is something called spy hopping. This is when a humpback decides to take a calmer look at the non-water world around him. You can see humpbacks in a vertical position, like long pickles standing up, half submerged.

Scientists don’t really understand a lot of this behavior. Some feel it’s all intended to communicate with the rest of the pod. Others believe the whales leap clear of the water to try and rid themselves of parasites like sea lice and barnacles. Still others feel the humpback launches itself out of the water because it can. They are playing and they do this for sheer enjoyment.