A view of the ventral keel and genital area of a female humpback whale. The two mammary slits are visible on either side of the genital slit, Ha’apai, Tonga

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A view of the ventral keel and genital area of a female humpback whale. The two mammary slits are visible on either side of the genital slit, Ha’apai, Tonga

Humpback whales are known for their magical songs, which travel for great distances through the world's oceans. These sequences of moans, howls, cries, and other noises are quite complex and often continue for hours on end. Humpbacks are powerful swimmers, and they use their massive tail fin, called a fluke, to propel themselves through the water and sometimes completely out of it.

Year: 2015

From album: Coastal Environments and Biodiversity

Photographer: Peter Prokosch

Tags: biodiversity Environments fauna Ocean Wildlife water

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Photos included in same album

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Adult male humpbacks sing complex songs during the breeding and migration times, Ha'apai, Tonga

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An adult humpback resting just below the surface, Ha’apai, Tonga

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Greenish sea cucumber (Stichopus chloronotus), Mu Ko Lanta Marine National Park, Thailand

Humpback whale calf feeding, Ha'apai, Tonga

Humpback whale calf, Ha'apai, Tonga

Humpback whale calves, Ha'apai, Tonga

Humpback whale diving, Ha'apai, Tonga

Humpback whale migration, Ha'apai, Tonga

Humpback whale mother and calf, Ha'apai Islands, Tonga

Humpback whale mother and calf, Ha'apai, Tonga

Humpback whales, Ha'apai, Tonga

Ko Haa Islands, Mu Ko Lanta Marine National Park, Thailand

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Moorish Idols (Zanclus cornutus), Mu Ko Lanta Marine National Park, Thailand

Mother and calf humpback, Ha'apai Islands, Tonga

Mother and calf humpback, Ha’apai Islands, Tonga

Mu Ko Lanta Marine National Park, Thailand

Norwegian spring spawning herrings, Ålesund Aquarium, Norway

Parrothfish (Scaridae), Mu Ko Lanta Marine National Park, Thailand

Phippsøya, Seven Islands, Svalbard

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Reef scene with hard and soft corals and feather stars, Ha'apai, tonga

Sea cucumber (genus Bohadschia), Mu Ko Lanta Marine National Park, Thailand

Sea slug, Vanuatu

Soft coral on deep pinnacle, Ha'apai, Tonga

Stingray, poor knights marine reserve, Northland, New Zealand

The pectoral fin of a humpback can reach 5 metres in length, Ha’apai, Tonga

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Two adult humpbacks during the mating season, Ha’apai, Tonga

Young adult humpback swimming towards camera, Ha'apai Islands, Tonga

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