The planet's largest predators have been absolute rulers of the deep ever since. Despite their size, they swim with graceful ease and can do so for long periods without tiring. They play, hurling themselves from the sea and falling back into briny waters with great splashes and obvious enjoyment. And they sing. Each has an almost infinite repertoire of clicks, calls and minor-key melodies that bounce through miles of ocean to tell other whales what's happening in the neighborhood.
Some songs are invitations for courtship.
Though a vast sea may separate them, a he and she eventually find each other. Whales are not fish, but air-breathing mammals that bear their young alive. Immediately after birth, the calf is nudged toward the surface to take its first breath. Whale watchers take great care to respect their territory. A whale watchboat's engines can sometimes disturb them.