Humpback Whale Surfacing

Seeing animals in the wild has become one of life's pleasures for me. Especially when it's a giant humpback whale. A creature so large yet so majestic. Being able to see a few of them surface and lobtail was one of the most exciting moments of my journey to Antarctica. Admittedly, there were many, exciting moments on that trip.

The weirdish mouth is due to the fact that a humpback is a baleen whale. Basically, it has a giant filter in it so that when it opens its mouth underwater, it takes in a bunch of water. The whale then pushes the water out, with the baleen acting as a filter to allow water to flow out while keeping food such as krill inside the whale. The baleen filters are made out of the same material as fingernails, but are more bristle-like.

A humpback whale surfaces in the Pendleton Strait while cruising in the Antarctic.