Wildlife Preservation Autumn 2012.indd - Wildlife Protection Society ...

Austin and Amy Stevens whale-watching off the coast of Fraser Island, Hervey Bay, Queensland
of air from the lungs of an adult
humpback has been timed at 400
kilometres an hour. The water vapour
seen shooting up to seven metres
from the blow-holes is a combination
of moisture from the respiratory tract
and water around the blow-holes
Breaching humpback whale. Photo: Austin Stevens
themselves, vapourised by the force of
the emptied lungs. Considering that
each of a whale’s two lungs is roughly
the size of a small family car, it’s not
surprising that the erupting blow can
often be heard as far as it can be seen
over calm waters.
Since the early days, the humpback
has been recognised as the most
acrobatic of the whales. The most
common manoeuvres include ipper
slapping, tail slapping, head slapping,
spy hopping, arching and breaching.
Nothing is more impressive than
the sight of a full-bodied breach by
a 40-tonne whale, as it launches
itself gloriously out of the water,
with pectoral ns fully extended, to
thunder back below the surface two
seconds later in an explosive wave of
white surging water. This fantastic
feat is achieved by a mere two thrusts
of the incredibly powerful tail.
The spy-hop is often performed close
to a boat. There is little doubt that
whales spy-hop in order to survey
their surroundings, or observe their
observers. Humpbacks have complex
brains, with four lobes compared to
our three. The brains of humpbacks
possess three times as many spindle
neurons as are found in the human
brain, suggesting high emotional
intelligence. Spindle neurons are the
cells involved in processing emotion.
They are responsible for emotional
su ering, and make it possible for us
to feel love. These specialised cells
are unique to humans, great apes,
30 Australian Wildlife Vol 2 - Autumn 2012