Balene Megattera di Samaná
I went to the Samaná Peninsula, in Santo Domingo, to film the Humpback Whales in one of the world’s breeding grounds for these whales. During this period, the Humpback Whales stay until the welps acquire, after the nursing period, their autonomy, but above all to protect them from the Orcas, their main predators. The province is on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the northeastern part of the Dominican Republic. It is known for the mountains of which it is almost entirely formed. Samaná has numerous beaches. Lately tourism is becoming the main economic activity in the province due to its white sand beaches and clear waters. Samaná is one of the main tourist poles in the country. Samaná is also one of the breeding places of the Humpback Whales, during winter and early spring, humpback whale watching is increasingly becoming an important income-generating activity for the province. Thousands of humpback whales come to the coast off Samaná from January to March. balene megattera di samana
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus Megaptera. Adults range in length from 14–17 m. and weigh up to 40 metric tons. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and tubercles on its head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song that typically lasts from 4 to 33 minutes. Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate between feeding areas towards the poles and breeding areas near the equator. They feed in polar waters and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish, and they usually use bubbles to catch prey. They are polygynandrous breeders, with both sexes having multiple partners. Males will follow females and fight off rivals. Mothers give birth to calves in shallower water. Orcas are the main natural predators of humpback whales. The bodies of humpbacks host bernacles and whale lice.
The species has a bulky body with a thin rostrum and proportionally long flippers, each around one-third of its body length. It has a short dorsal fin that varies from nearly nonexistent to somewhat long and curved. Like other rorquals, the humpback has grooves between the tip of the lower jaw and the navel. The grooves are relatively few in number in this species, ranging from 14 to 35. The upper jaws is lined with baleen plates, which number 540–800 in total and are black in color. The dorsal or upper side of the animal is generally black; the ventral or underside has various levels of black and white coloration. Whales in the southern hemisphere tend to have more white pigmentation. The flippers can vary from all-white to white only on the undersurface. Some individuals may be all white, notably Migaloo who is a true albino. The varying color patterns and scars on the tail flukes distinguish individual animals. The end of the genital slit of the female is marked by a round feature, known as the hemispherical lobe, which visually distinguishes males and females. balene megattera di samana
Mating takes place during the winter months, which is when females reach estrus and males reach peak testosterone and sperm levels. Males frequently trail both lone females and cow–calf pairs. These males are known as “escorts”; the male that is closest to the female is known as the “principal escort”, and fights off the other suitors, known as “challengers”. Other males, called “secondary escorts”, trail farther behind and are not directly involved in the conflict. Agonistic behavior between males consists of tail slashing, ramming, and head-butting. Males have also been observed engaging in copulation with each other. Gestation in the species lasts 11.5 months, and females reproduce every two years. Fetuses start out with teeth and develop their baleen during the last months of their gestation. Humpback whale births have rarely been observed by humans. One birth witnessed off Madagascar occurred within four minutes. Mothers typically give birth in mid-winter, usually to a single calf. Before birth, a mother whale will move to shallower water near the coast, which reduces her chances of being harassed by escort males. It is common for the mother to help her newborn calf reach the surface. balene megattera di samana
Young start out with furled dorsal fins, which straighten and stiffen as the calves get older. Calves with furled fins spend more time traveling and surfacing to breathe; calves with straighter fins can hold their breath longer and can rest and circle at the surface more. Older calves are away from their mothers more than younger calves. Calves suckle for up to a year but can eat adult food at six months. Humpbacks are sexually mature at 5–10 years, depending on the population. They may live for over 50 years.
(extract from Wikipedia)
