This cape to the south of Sydney is a popular site to spot humpbacks. One has to spend a reasonable amount of time at the right hours to see them. But the unimpeded view to the ocean alone was breath-taking.
This is what the information I've got says, "The changing seasons drive the migration of all whales. Humpbacks have a wide geographic range and are found in all the world's oceans. During summer months, populations in the southern hemisphere spend their time in Antarctica feeding until last autumn, when they follow an annual migratory route to their winter breeding and calving grounds in the warmer tropical waters of the Pacific. They return south in spring. Southern right whales are similar in that they feed in Antarctica in the summer and then migrate north to Australia to breed and give birth.
"Migration, in terms of energy consumed is a huge commitment by whales, and humpbacks hold the record of having the longest migratory journeys of any mammal on Earth. For example, a humpback whale (off the coast of Columbia) was identified five months earlier feeding off the Antarctic Peninsula – at least 8000km away! There are several reasons why, but probably the strongest is the urge to breed. In simple terms, despite its enormous size at birth, a newborn calf is born without a protective blubber layer, so if it were born in the near-freezing temperatures of the Antarctic waters, it would freeze to death very quickly."
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