Humpback Whales: Giants on the Move
Note— this is a spec piece with Generation Z as the intended audience.
If you’re coming to the Hawaiian islands this winter, you may be hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the world’s largest animals: the humpback whale. They’re majestic, mysterious creatures who sing haunting songs throughout the sea. What’s not to love? Today we’re answering five common questions about these magical mammals.
Are they friendly?
Why aren’t whales in Hawai’i year-round?
How long does it take them to migrate?
Do they migrate as one big group?
Can I touch a whale?
1. Are they friendly?
Quick answer: sure.
Humpback whales don’t display aggressive behavior towards humans. Do they find people with immaculate vibes to hang out with like in the movies? No, but they are curious by nature. They occasionally approach boats or kayakers to see what all the fuss is about (which makes for a cool viral video).
It’s important to not come too close to humpbacks in Hawaiian waters. If they approach you (possibly because of your immaculate vibes) stay where you are until they pass.
The most dangerous part about them is their size. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), humpbacks can grow to 60 feet long and weigh 40 tons. These guys are like swimming semi-trucks (gentle ones). That sounds intimidating, but they have baleen plates instead of teeth which allow them to feed on small fish and krill (in other words, if you’re not an anchovy, you’re not on the menu).
2. Why aren’t whales in Hawai’i year-round?
Like famed artist Pitbull, humpback whales are worldwide. The ones we see in Hawai’i are from a population who migrate from Alaska every winter.
These whales like to give birth in warm, shallow water. However, there’s simply not enough food in the tropics compared to the super productive waters of Alaska.
The whales come to Hawai’i in the winter after spending the summer up north, fattening up on oily fish and shrimp— something most humans wish they could do. Their fat stores sustain them until they return to Alaska. It would be like going from an all-you-can-eat buffet to a fasting retreat: eventually you’d want the buffet again.
3. How long does it take them to migrate?
If a person wanted to “migrate” to Hawai’i, they’d hop on an airplane for a few hours. A whale couldn’t do that as they don’t have government issued forms of ID or money for a plane ticket. Therefore humpback whales must swim the entire 3000 miles. Amazingly, NOAA reported they can make the trip in as little as 28 days.
To get some perspective: the average human walks at about 3 miles per hour (mph) according to an article in Medical News Today. A study in Animal Biotelemetry found that humpback whales from the Hawai’i population migrated at an average of 2.7 mph (4.5 kilometers per hour).
If we asked you to walk from Voodoo Donuts in Portland, Oregon (no affiliation, we just like donuts) down to Everglades National Park, Florida (to feed donuts to an alligator, obviously) and gave you 28 days to do it, you might be a little stressed. That’s about 107 miles a day. There would be no time to stop at other donut-centric locations along your way.
But a whale could do it. And we wouldn’t have to bribe them with donuts. Or alligators.
4. Do they migrate as one big group?
Humpback whales generally travel alone or in small groups that later disband, like Fleetwood Mac or Panic! At The Disco. That’s not to say they never aggregate at all.
While humpback whales don’t live in pods (large groups) like Hawaiian spinner dolphins or families going to Disneyland, they do occasionally cooperate. When hunting in their feeding grounds, humpbacks may create “group coordinated bubble nets.” Some whales exhale bubbles around a school of fish while some force the prey to the surface. They scoop up the fish once the school is concentrated enough.
5. Can I touch a whale?
No. Like shopping in an artist’s gallery, there is a strict look-but-don’t-touch policy. This is because humpback whales are protected by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammals Protection Act. In fact, it is illegal to be closer than 100 yards to a whale in the state of Hawai’i.
There are other places in the world where you can touch a whale, like St Ignacio, Mexico. However, this is not Mexico, this is Hawai’i: the land of kama’aina, spam musubis, and leaving the whales alone.
A fun fact for the road:
Whales can’t read the rest of our portfolio, but you can! Check out our other spec pieces by clicking the button below.