Understanding Humpback Whales
Hawaiians looked upon the ocean as an ever-changing spirit. Unlike the land, which represents a solid foundation, the ocean was fluid and represented diversity. It is an aquatic highway that connects different cultures and peoples throughout the world. As diverse as these cultures are in tradition and lifestyle, one connection they all share is the concept of origin. We all want to know where we come from. Hawaiians believed this question was best answered in the Kumulipo, an ancient Hawaiian creation chant that traces humanity’s origins to a cosmic night and establishes the concept of biological evolution.
Herb Kawainui Kane, a Hawaiian Historian, best explains it by saying, “The entire universe was an orderly, fixed whole in which all the parts were integral to the whole, including man, himself. Man was descended from the gods but so were the rocks, so were the animals, so were the fish. Thus man had to regard the rocks, the fish and the birds as his relatives. It’s an ecological point of view which Western man is only beginning to discover now.”
One of the largest sea creatures to come from the ocean in this chain of evolution is the whale or koholō. Hawaiians believed it to be a manifestation of Kanaloa, god of the sea, who is said to be the god responsible for helping the Polynesians find Hawai‘i. Different texts have cited legends speaking of a whale that led early Polynesian voyagers to the Hawaiian Islands. Typical migration patterns reflective in whales today would suggest that if these Polynesian voyagers had been traveling during the months of November through May, this legend could very well be fact.
In the winter, North Pacific humpback whales start their migration from polar waters to tropical breeding grounds. This 5,000-7,000 mile round trip journey happens every year. Although scientists can’t say exactly why this happens, they do have a good idea as to how it happens.
Going back to the theory of evolution, humpback whales belong to a group of species known as cetaceans. The word cetacean has roots in the Latin word cetus (whale) derived from the Greek word ketos (sea monster). Although they are monstrous in size, monsters they are not. Rather, humpback whales have been given the pet name of “gentle giants.” Before they became giants, cetaceans were archaeocetes, a species evolved from a group of hoofed terrestrial herbivores called condylarths. You may be familiar with two types of condylarths - the camel and hippopotamus. As these archaeocetes evolved, they developed a unique anatomy classifying them as cetaceans and preparing them for life underwater. Their nostrils moved to the top of their head while their bodies became indistinguishable from their necks, which over time, began to elongate. Their forelimbs became paddle-shaped while their hind limbs started to shrink. The tail, once used for balance on land, now became a mechanism for propulsion and direction underwater. This was the beginning of a highly evolved oceanic voyager.
The tail or flukes of a whale is one of its most identifiable features. Scientists use the markings in this area to identify and track different whales. It’s like a fingerprint. On average, the width of a humpback’s flukes ranges from 10-15 ft. wide. By moving it up and down, a whale is able to move forward. Although whales are not fast swimmers, they can travel at speeds of up to 20 mph. Scientists have noticed that during migration, they will maintain an average speed of 3-8 mph. In the North Pacific, there are three groupings of whales that migrate to different areas of the world to feed and breed. Whales that breed in Central America feed in the west coast of the U.S.; the ones breeding in the Philippines feed in Russia; and the whales that breed in Hawai‘i migrate to Alaska, British Columbia and Canada.
During this long migration, whales communicate through song. The frequencies of these songs vary from the highest frequency that a human can hear to the lowest. These songs are long complex patterns that start with a short sound called a unit. A series of units are turned into a phrase and these phrases make up a theme. It’s similar to letters. One letter makes a short sound; and when you put them together, they form words that turn into a story that follows an overall theme. The reason they communicate this way is because sound travels faster and longer underwater.
November through May marks whale watching season in Hawai‘i. As mentioned earlier, whales migrate to Hawai‘i to mate and to give birth. They rely on stored energy, saved up from six months of feeding to get them through this cycle. According to Gregory D. Kaufman and Paul H. Forestell’s book Hawaii’s Humpback Whales, there are many behavioral patterns that are frequently seen among humpback whales in Hawai‘i. Usually these whales travel alone, but when they do travel in a pod (group), they travel in small numbers usually no more than four or five. Therefore, the following list of behavior patterns are divided into two categories: group and individual. These different explanations will help you to better understand the actions of these aquatic dinosaurs. Every year more and more people discover the wondrous beauty of whales. You can get ahead of the game by learning about their behaviors and being well prepared before you head out to sea to make your viewings more enjoyable and meaningful.
