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Humpback whales are abundant in
Australian waters. Just on the east coast alone,
numbers are approaching 10,000 animals. This means
that on the east coast on every migration, which
lasts about 3 months, animals pass through on
average about 4 every hour!
Humpbacks have conspicuous blows,
very long (a third of their body length) white
flippers and a dorsal fin that is hump-like, hence
the name. They often lift their tail flukes above
the water when diving and many have distinct white
patches on the underside. In fact, these are so
distinct that researchers can tell individuals
apart. The other species that is most likely to be
confused is southern right whale. Right whales
have no dorsal fin and have obvious pale
callosities (that look spongy) on the top of their
head and around the blow hole. Both species occur
in Australian waters in the winter and return to
the Antarctic for summer. Off southern Australia,
they are most likely to be seen during migration
in June / July and October - December.
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