Humpback whales of Madagascar

The humpback whales have very long pectoral fins. Many criteria make it possible to easily recognize the humpback whales like their massive body, an entirely black upper part and a rather whitish lower part … At the time when they get ready for a dive; they show their large black and white color caudal fin. This fin presents an undulation on its posterior edge. The humpback whales are present in many oceans. They constitute a migrating species. From one season to another, they spend time from the high latitudes cool water to the tropical or subtropical warm water. In Madagascar, their place of predilection is the sea of Sainte Marie. During the summer, they do nothing than storing reserves of greases which will be useful during the winter by hunting krill fishes and the fish banks such as herrings and others. To capture their prey, they strike water with its fin and they can also attack directly. During the winter, these whales pay court, mate, reproduce and initiate their babies, the whale-calves, with the life. Each year, from July to September, the arrival of these whales in the sea of Sainte Marie causes a great festivity named “Zañaharibe” which pays homage to this very respected animal considered as God, by the population of Sainte Marie; from where the name “Zañaharibe” which means Grand God is from. The observation of these humpback whales off the island from the beach or on board of chartered boats or while taking part in a safari is a spectacle which you are not ready to forget. The lifting behavior and the melodious songs, very elaborate and unique in its kind are what will attract you and which surely will amaze you that you will not be easily able to leave behind. These humpback whales regular jumps out of the water are spectacular and make their popularity. They express themselves through these imposing gestures such as the striking of the fins pectoral or caudal on the sea. These jumps and these behaviors have their respective significances, like love or mating parade, communication, removal of the parasitic shells, zone marking, intimidation, inspection of the neighborhoods, etc… They offer especially a breathtaking choreographic spectacle. In addition to these jumps, they express many other social behaviors which make the happiness of all those which come there. As a mammal, humpback whales breathe using lungs. This breathing thus obliges them to get regularly out of water. When they make surface, they expel by their vent the air coming from the lungs; and their breath causes usually a genuine water jet of more than 2 meters or form a cauliflower shape cloud in the air. The emission of this breath is followed shortly after by the appearance of the dorsal, squat fin. This one remains visible when the animal makes the round back to start another dive. It is with this gesture of round back preceding the diving that the humpback whales owe their name. For wild sound’s adepts, you will be whispered by the humpback whales with their long complex song. During your boat safari along the sea of Sainte Marie, the whales master keys of ballets are accompanied by serious ceaseless notes made up of quite distinct syllables. The notes which they emit have a very variable amplitude and frequency. It also presents repetition and series of coherent sequences. These whales do emit songs only during the mating season and these songs can last for days, weeks and month. The significance of these songs is not very clear yet, however its perfection achieves the unanimity among all faithful listeners coming from all the four corners of the world. Some consider that they are songs of seduction. The songs are very specific from one whale to another, from one area to another and from one group to another; and a whale’s personal song change little by little all along the years. After a decade period, a whale does not emit any more the same notes which it used to emit before. The mechanism of the humpback whale song is still hidden behind him good number of mystery and of unknown because these animals do not have vocal cords. How they thus manage to produce their songs? This question always remains suspends some. Compared to other Cetacean species which tend to be increasingly rare, the humpback whales population is reconstituted more easily because they generally give birth every three years. It is not rare also to see certain females give birth to baby whale two years in a row. The gestation is about eleven month period. At birth, the baby whale measures 4 to 4,5 meters with a mass of approximately 700 kilograms. During their first six months, they depend exclusively on their mother’s milk. It is after that six months period that they start to nourish by themselves but they will be nursed until they reach their first age. Before leaving their mothers, these baby whales are initiated by their mother in the hot seas. You can observe the protective behaviors of the mother whales and initiations of the baby whales during the festival “Zañaharibe”. The sexual maturity of young whale arrives at the end of five years and they reach their final adult size, 16 meters length on average for a weight of 40 tons, after six years. These whales can live up to half century. But Sainte Marie is not the only place where one can meet them. Maroantsetra is also an ideal place like Anakao in the South and the reserve of the Cape Sainte Marie from June until even October.