WHALE WITH WINGS
Here in Skjálfandi Bay the most common sighted species during our tours is the humpback whale. They are the most famous species of baleen whales in our planet and probably the most photographed.
They attract a lot of attention due to their array of acrobatic displays, mainly seen on their breeding grounds. Despite their big size and heavy weight (humpback whales are capable of reaching 18 meters in length and weighing up to 40 tons) they are still capable of launching their body out of the water!
And how is this possible? Why do other whales are not as gracious when they want to take themselves out of the water?
We do believe that a very important factor it's the whale's big flippers. Actually the humpbacks have the longest flippers of all whales. It can be up to a third of their body size, so for some of these animals it could easily reach 4 or 5 meters in length.
It allows them to manoeuvre its body more efficiently and to increase their speed, creating momentum and propelling their body out of the ocean.
In the photographs we can see examples of their beautiful big flippers.
You may notice something different in the photo below. Here the flipper of this humpback whale is mostly black on the upperside, something that is unusual of the humpbacks here in the bay.
Normally, the humpback whales that we spot on the bay have their flippers all white which is a characteristic of the whales that belong to the North Atlantic population.
First photograph taken by our guide Rui Duarte and second photograph taken by one of our clients Fabius Linder @fabius.lin.
- Sara