Whale Watching Tour

In the months of March, April and May we get visitors from the depths of the ocean. Whale watching time! We will organize an excursion for you that you will certainly never forget. You are on the water for half a day and follow the whales. If you manage to turn your gaze back once, you will discover new sides of Boa Vista.


The humpback whale:

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a common coastal representative of the rorqual whales. It reaches a body height of 12 to 15 meters and has significantly larger flippers compared to other whales. The animals are known for their whale song and vivacity. Due to intensive hunting, the worldwide population has been declining threateningly at times. Since 1966 the humpback whale has been under worldwide species protection.

With an average length of about 13 metres, humpback whales are relatively small baleen whales, reaching a maximum length of 18 metres. The weight is between 25 and 30 tons. The body is very strongly trained compared to all other furrow whales. The coloration is black on the upper side and white to black on the underside up to the flanks, depending on the population and also individual coloration; scar tissue in the form of white patches is formed on the body by infestation with barnacles, and the body can also be covered with golden yellow diatoms. The rostrum is flat and covered with tubercules, knotty skin thickenings, on each of which one or two bristles stand. The blowholes are located centrally on the head. The humpback whale has 14 to 20 throat furrows that extend from the chin to the navel. In the mouth the beards are found, which stand in rows of 270 to 400 individual beards each. The beards can reach a length of 0.8 to 1.0 metres and are rather coarse compared to those of other baleen whales.

The pectoral fins are much larger than those of all other whales, reaching almost a third of the body length. They have bumps and embrasures on the front, to which barnacles can also attach themselves. The dorsal fin is comparatively tiny and very variable in shape and size. It stands on a small bead of blubber and can be either elongated triangular or sickle-shaped. The fluke is again very large and deeply notched. The trailing edge is very rough.

The humpback whale lives in all oceans. The summer quarters are in polar seas, the winter quarters in tropical and subtropical waters, whereby the animals live mainly in shallow sea zones. They cross deeper ocean areas on their migrations between summer and winter areas. During their migrations, humpback whales prefer coastal waters, penetrating bays and river mouths.

Source: Wikipedia

 

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