Each winter, Humpback whales migrate south from their Arctic feeding grounds to bread and rear their young in the sheltered waters of Banderas Bay, making it one of North America’s premier whale watching sites. Every year when the Humpback whales come back they arrive singing their latest hit!
A Humpback Whale (megaptera novaeangliae) flukes down in Banderas Bay.
Males sing during the breeding season
Both male and female Humpback whales produce sounds to communicate. However, only males produce the more complex songs for which the Humpbacks are famous. The long, complex songs can only be heard during the breeding season (from mid-December untill the end of March in Banderas Bay). The song lasts more than 10 minutes and is repeated constantly, sometimes for over 24 hours. The whale comes only to the surface every 15 minutes to breathe.
Why are they singing?
Even though Humpback whales are the most studied of the large whales and have been studied for over 50 years, the purpose of their song is still not well understood. The purpose is most likely sexual: attracting a mate and displacing or deterring competitors. Or it might function to keep other whales away from a mother and calve while a male is escorting them during the migration journey.
How can whale songs be heard and recorded?
The Humpback whale song can be heard at distances up to 20 miles (32 kilometers) by using hydrophone. A hydrophone is a device which can be used to listen to underwater sounds and record those.
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Hydrophone (underwater microphone)
Vallarta Adventures has a hydrophone and records the singing Humpback whales every season. Whale songs are often used in music for mediation because some people believe the Humpback whale songs have an healing effect on humans.
Sit back, relax and enjoy listening to “the most elaborate single display of any animal species” (Wilson, 1975).
Click here to listen to Singing Humpback Whales in Banderas Bay
(Source with this article: ´Singing Humpback Whales Associate with Mothers and Calves´by The Whaleman Foundation , Ocean Mammal Institute and Albright College.)
Vallarta Adventures GUARANTEES whale sightings!
Banderas Bay is approximately 500 square miles in area. Finding whales in this massive territory is challenging every time again, since the whales keep moving. Vallarta Adventures is convinced in its ability to find whales. We GUARANTEE whale sightings in January and February. If you book one of our Whale Watching tours and don´t see a whale, you can come for FREE again!
Vallarta Adventures Whale Photo Safari
Whale Photo Contest: Win $500 USD!
A photo captures a single moment in time, and Vallarta Adventures Whale Photo Safari is a specialized excursion designed to capture the magical moment when you encounter wild dolphins and majestic Humpback whales in Banderas Bay. The essence of the Whale Photo Safari is to find the wildlife and enjoy those precious moments when you can sit peacefully and watch the whales and dolphins play, breach, or just hang out.
Did you know that many of the photos used in our articles were actually taken by our guests during one of our whale watching tours?
Send us your pictures from your whale watching tour in Puerto Vallarta and not only will you have the chance to win $500, you will also help us catalog the whales which visit Banderas Bay each year.
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