No other whales have them, and the fact that they house a strand of hair and many nerve endings leads scientists to speculate that they may serve some sensory function. The final feature that easily distinguishes humpbacks from other whales, and for which they have received their common name, is the way they curve their back and tailstock region when preparing to dive. Humpback whales are also easy to see in Hawaiian waters because they exhibit many dramatic behaviors. On their breeding grounds, the males compete for access to receptive females, slamming each other with their powerful tail flukes, lunging at and chasing each other, and producing unique and mysterious songs. The females and young are also active, slapping the surface of the water with their long pectoral fins and tails, and hurling their gargantuan bodies into the air in spectacular breaches.
Female humpbacks are also very nurturing mothers.
They stay in close contact with their young while on the breeding grounds, suckle their calves for up to a year, and defend and protect them from predators and rowdy suitors. Calves grow quickly, sustained by their mother's fat-rich milk, and usually double in size during their first year. The calves also seem to learn the feeding areas their mother's prefer. By the time they reach young adulthood, between the ages of four and six, some whales are ready to breed themselves, and the cycle continues. We are lucky to visit the whales in their nursery, in such a beautiful setting.