Feeding usually takes place with the mother submerging in a horizontal position for approximately 8 minutes at a time with the young calves surfacing for air four or five times during the 8 minutes. The older calves with a little more body weight finding it harder to submerge, are sometimes fed with the mother adopting a vertical position. The mother with head down and tail flukes above the surface of the water allows the calf to get easy access to her teats which are just above the tail stem. The young humpback very soon begins to imitate the behaviour of the adults. Clumsy at first, but repeated tries increases their skills.
Mothers often follow patiently behind their calf allowing plenty of time for practice.
Displays of affection from the mother to the calf which are part of this nurturing stage include the mother stroking her pectoral fins along the under belly of the calf and tumbling the calf off her upper jaw.