#whaleweek

[noaasanctuaries]

I believe I can fly.

I believe I can touch the sky.

I think about it every night and day.

Spread my fins and fly away.

Unfortunately, whales can't fly. But, they can jump out of the water, also known as breaching! Though humpback whales are relatively slow swimmers, able to swim at about 15 miles per hour but averaging only two to nine miles per hour, they’re amazing acrobats.

Learn more about humpback whales by visiting:

Humpback Whale

Learn more about humpback whales and what NOAA Fisheries is doing to study this species and best conserve their populations.

📸: Douglas Croft

[whaletalesorg]

It's #FunFactFriday! #Didyouknow that Beaked Whales are one of the most mysterious groups in the cetacean world? Though there are a total of 22 species, only 4 are reasonably well studied. The group as a whole is quite widespread, ranging from the ice edges of both poles all the way to the equator. The two things that all beaked whales have in common are their pronounced "beak" or rostrum and an amazing diving ability. Thanks to a number of physiological adaptations beaked whales are some of the best diving mammals in the world! ⠀ PC: @PeppermintNarwhal ⠀ #whaleweek #whaletales #whales #beakedwhales #whalesareawesome #trivia #dyk #whalewatching #getonaboat #whalesofinstagram

[noaasanctuaries]

Do you hear that? 🐳🔊

Every winter, thousands of humpback whales travel to the warm, shallow waters of Hawai‘i to mate, give birth, and raise their young. These whales are famous for their vocalizations, which are important for communication, orientation and navigation, hunting prey, and avoiding predators.

Learn how researchers use acoustic surveys to understand more about humpback whale populations: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/mar21/new-disentanglement-tool.html

Photo: Ed Lyman/NOAA taken under NOAA permit #14682

Image Description: an adult whale and calf swim side by side near the water's surface

[noaasanctuaries]

Humpback whale season is underway in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

Sightings of the colossal marine mammals peak between the months of January and March, then gradually decline until humpback season ends in early May. Each year provides opportunities for whale watching, research, and citizen science, and the need for entanglement response.

Read about this year’s especially eventful season here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/feb22/season-of-sanctuary.html

Image Description: Trained responder Grant Thompson throws a cutting grapple to gain access to the gear entangling a humpback whale. Photo: Ed Lyman/NOAA under MMHSRP Permit # 18786-06

[noaasanctuaries]

There’s a lot of buzz about whales lately!🐝

Want to stay in the loop and stay informed about our planet’s largest mammals? Check out our handy whale resource collection! Explore a collection of NOAA videos, lesson plans, posters, webinars, web stories, virtual reality, and more to gain a deeper understanding of whale species and NOAA's efforts within the sanctuary system to protect and understand them.

Explore here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/education/teachers/whales/

Description: Minke whale breaches out of the water in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Photo Credit: Anne Smrcina/NOAA

[noaasanctuaries]

This NOAA team spent Valentine's Day disentangling a humpback whale from 550 feet of line and marine debris off the coast of Maui.

Whale disentanglement is a challenging task that requires the innovative tools, unshakable teamwork, and sometimes agonizing patience.

Check out this Earth Is Blue video to see a NOAA-led response team hard at work: https://youtu.be/PiGpCniujng

Read more about the whale season here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/.../season-of-sanctuary.html

[noaasanctuaries]

It's Whale Week!

Whale entanglements are a big problem that a number of our sanctuaries are investigating. But what's the best way to cut a whale free when the line is embedded in the blubber? Check out one innovative idea from Hawaii that stems from bamboo!

Read all about it here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/mar21/new-disentanglement-tool.html

Photo: Michael Griffin/USCG, under NOAA Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program Permit # 932-1905-1

Image Description: a long pole with a curved knife at the end of it cuts through a rope that is wrapped around a whale's head.

[smithsonianlibrariesarchives]

hover whales!

from Suggestions to the keepers of the U.S. life-saving stations, light-houses, and light-ships; and to other observers, relative to the best means of collecting and preserving specimens of whales and porpoises. By Frederick W. True.