Gorda Bank and Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
How old was the calf? Minutes? Hours? A few days? Certainly not much more. This magnificent little mammal, small for any whale, surfaced close to our port side. It was alone…but just for a moment. Suddenly a massive bubble blast whitened the water at its side and a huge, black humpback whale- no doubt its protective mother - lunged to the surface. All eyes on our bow were on this pair when two more adult humpbacks exploded to the surface close behind them.
We were over Gorda Bank, off the southeast tip of the Baja California Peninsula, and were observing behavior about which we could only speculate. This was obviously a very young calf, weighing perhaps 1000 pounds and measuring about 12 feet in length. As it surfaced we could see that its tail flukes were still soft and rubbery, quite unlike the firm and powerful cartilaginous flukes of the adults. Its surfacing, breathing and swimming still lacked coordination, reminding us perhaps of a deer fawn struggling to its feet for the first time. It was learning that comfort, confidence and survival meant propulsion to the surface, a rapid exhalation, followed immediately by an even more rapid inhalation…before sea water was drawn in.
Had we just missed the birth? Were the two trailing adults attendants to the mother…midwives, so to speak, as some whale scientists have suggested… or were they aggressive males attracted by pheromones flowing from the mother as a result of the birth process? We could only guess, but we did realize that we had just added yet another memorable encounter to our exciting expedition.
An earlier memory was our wakeup call - the sounds of a male humpback singing his lengthy and complicated song. We had dropped a hydrophone into the clear water off the bow and immediately heard the plaintive moans, squeals, grunts and groans of at least one male. It was likely suspended head down in the water nearby. Humpback songs can continue for hours.
Later, near the busy tourist destination of Cabo San Lucas, we walked a desert trail to gain a greater understanding of the intriguing adaptations of plants to extreme drought and high temperatures, and to search out the many birds that add to the diversity of this Sonoran Desert ecosystem. A male Hooded Oriole, pictured above, added its colours to the bright array of greenery and blossoms triggered by recent soaking rains. Its nest was probably in the Washington palm tree nearby. The Gray Thrasher (below) was a special highlight. It was one of two species seen today (and the fourth for the trip) that are endemic to Baja California…found nowhere else in the world.
This walk, in perfect temperatures, was just what we needed to dry us off after an hour of snorkeling in "tropical" water. We had crossed the Tropic of Cancer early in the morning, during our southbound cruise out of the Gulf of California. Although we were now in the tropics, the water here at Land's End was tempered somewhat by the cold California Current, which flows from the Aleutian chain and the Arctic. Giant damselfish, Cortez rainbow wrasses, reef cornetfish, scissortail damsels, yellowtail surgeonfish, redhead gobies, spotted boxfish, Moorish idols, giant hawkfish and Mexican hogfish were just a few of the many fish found. Packed tightly into a rock crevice was an octopus, possibly Octopus hubbsorum. This species, measuring about 2 feet across, is much smaller than its intimidating but harmless cousin to the north, Octopus dolflini. The giant Pacific octopus can measure 22 or more feet across - the largest octopus in the world.
The geological origin of this part of Mexico and the influences of geology on ocean productivity have been highlighted in lectures presented to us. An all-night run north in the open Pacific Ocean, to the gray whales and sand dunes of Magdalena Bay, will set us up for more tomorrow's exploration, excitement and learning.Bryan Gates, Naturalist
How old was the calf? Minutes? Hours? A few days? Certainly not much more. This magnificent little mammal, small for any whale, surfaced close to our port side. It was alone…but just for a moment. Suddenly a massive bubble blast whitened the water at its side and a huge, black humpback whale- no doubt its protective mother - lunged to the surface. All eyes on our bow were on this pair when two more adult humpbacks exploded to the surface close behind them.
We were over Gorda Bank, off the southeast tip of the Baja California Peninsula, and were observing behavior about which we could only speculate. This was obviously a very young calf, weighing perhaps 1000 pounds and measuring about 12 feet in length. As it surfaced we could see that its tail flukes were still soft and rubbery, quite unlike the firm and powerful cartilaginous flukes of the adults. Its surfacing, breathing and swimming still lacked coordination, reminding us perhaps of a deer fawn struggling to its feet for the first time. It was learning that comfort, confidence and survival meant propulsion to the surface, a rapid exhalation, followed immediately by an even more rapid inhalation…before sea water was drawn in.
Had we just missed the birth? Were the two trailing adults attendants to the mother…midwives, so to speak, as some whale scientists have suggested… or were they aggressive males attracted by pheromones flowing from the mother as a result of the birth process? We could only guess, but we did realize that we had just added yet another memorable encounter to our exciting expedition.
An earlier memory was our wakeup call - the sounds of a male humpback singing his lengthy and complicated song. We had dropped a hydrophone into the clear water off the bow and immediately heard the plaintive moans, squeals, grunts and groans of at least one male. It was likely suspended head down in the water nearby. Humpback songs can continue for hours.
Later, near the busy tourist destination of Cabo San Lucas, we walked a desert trail to gain a greater understanding of the intriguing adaptations of plants to extreme drought and high temperatures, and to search out the many birds that add to the diversity of this Sonoran Desert ecosystem. A male Hooded Oriole, pictured above, added its colours to the bright array of greenery and blossoms triggered by recent soaking rains. Its nest was probably in the Washington palm tree nearby. The Gray Thrasher (below) was a special highlight. It was one of two species seen today (and the fourth for the trip) that are endemic to Baja California…found nowhere else in the world.
This walk, in perfect temperatures, was just what we needed to dry us off after an hour of snorkeling in "tropical" water. We had crossed the Tropic of Cancer early in the morning, during our southbound cruise out of the Gulf of California. Although we were now in the tropics, the water here at Land's End was tempered somewhat by the cold California Current, which flows from the Aleutian chain and the Arctic. Giant damselfish, Cortez rainbow wrasses, reef cornetfish, scissortail damsels, yellowtail surgeonfish, redhead gobies, spotted boxfish, Moorish idols, giant hawkfish and Mexican hogfish were just a few of the many fish found. Packed tightly into a rock crevice was an octopus, possibly Octopus hubbsorum. This species, measuring about 2 feet across, is much smaller than its intimidating but harmless cousin to the north, Octopus dolflini. The giant Pacific octopus can measure 22 or more feet across - the largest octopus in the world.
The geological origin of this part of Mexico and the influences of geology on ocean productivity have been highlighted in lectures presented to us. An all-night run north in the open Pacific Ocean, to the gray whales and sand dunes of Magdalena Bay, will set us up for more tomorrow's exploration, excitement and learning.Bryan Gates, Naturalist
