Humpback whales have a reputation for singing elaborate love songs during the mating season. Both males and females can make sounds, but only the males make long songs that can last from a few minutes to over half an hour. Scientists who have studied the songs have found that they change every season, almost as if the whales have been composing new songs all year and can’t wait for the new release. What is amazing is that large groups of male whales will unite and sing the same song together! How can female whales resist the appeal of a boy band? Let’s take a look at how whales mate and reproduce to continue their vast legacy.
How do whales mate?
Mating in water has its challenges! In water, for example, there is nothing solid to lie on or lean against. Also, whales and dolphins need to breathe every 3 to 15 minutes. Anything but a quick mating process would cause whales to feel the need to reach the surface to breathe! As we will describe below, several whale species have their own courtship and pre-mating rituals.
How do humpback whales mate and reproduce?
Humpback whales migrate while breeding and birth season, taking an incredible journey of more than 5,000 miles. For example, the northern Pacific humpback whale spends its summers in the waters around northern California, northern Japan, and the Bering Sea. During the mating season they migrate to four different breeding areas; Hawaii, Islands south of Japan, Mexico and Central America. They travel down in pods, some in small pods of 2-3 and others in larger pods, and some make the journey alone. Off the coast of Hawaii, there is a group of 5,000 or more humpback whales that congregate between December and May each year, where they form competition pods for mating.
What is a match pod?
Once in the breeding grounds the whales form competition pods. A female whale is usually paired with a primary escort (male) and a group of males will try to fight for their right to overthrow the escort and earn mating rights. A competition pod can hold just a handful of whales or a larger group of 12-15. The whales will bump heads, slap tails and splash their fins to get the female’s attention. The female can also chase at high speed and the males will chase her. Some whales may give up and leave the competition pod while others join in to see if they have what it takes. In the end, one male wins the mating rights and the female and male can dive down and back up together. Whales fertilize internally so the male will deposit his sperm in the female and fertilize one egg. The females will carry the loner baby for almost a full year with a gestation period of 11 months. Whales are not monogamous and males and females do not form close bonds after mating.
What do we know about baby humpback whales?
About a year later, the female whale returns to the migratory area to give birth to their calves. Whales are mammals so they give birth to live young and the babies are breastfed from their breast milk. Baby humpback whales can be 12-16 feet in length. Think how a baby whale might look awkward when it first learns to use its fins and tail! They will stay quite close to their mothers for about a year before venturing out. Mothers and calves migrate with the mother to teach her young the route so that they know the way as they grow older. When male whales get a little older, they will learn the singing tradition by singing along with the older experienced males.
How do blue whales mate and reproduce?
Blue whales, the largest whale species and the largest animal, are difficult to follow and study, so the information we have about it is still evolving. We have found that some migrate seasonally to nesting sites, while others appear to be more residential. The presence of krill, their main food source, seems to be the bigger factor in where the whales are. Blue whales are more solitary and spend most of their time alone with the exception of the breeding season. During the courting period, male whales may participate in what is called a “heat run” in which two males run after a female in pursuit. Blue whales and humpback whales share the same internal fertilization and the males will fertilize the females. We don’t know much about the reproductive cycle of blue whales, but scientists estimate that the gestation period is 10-12 months, with the female returning to the breeding grounds to give birth as well.
What do we know about baby blue whales?
Ever since blue whales are the largest animal you would think they have the biggest babies and you would be right. AN baby blue whale can weigh up to 6000 lbs at birth! At that size, it’s no surprise that the mother only has one baby at a time. All whales are mammals so the baby will sniff her mother for milk early on and for the next six to eight months, once they are weaned, they will stay with their mother for a few more years before venturing out on their own.
How do dolphins mate and reproduce?
dolphins are a type of whale and have been extensively studied in the wild and in captivity. Dolphins are playful animals, and researchers have years of data and observations about their mating and reproductive behavior. Female dolphins become sexually mature between 7-12 years old and males a little later between 10-15 years old. Since dolphins prefer warm waters, they seasonally migrate to warmer waters, but it is different from a migration for breeding purposes due to the fact that dolphins can mate all year round.
When mating, the male can be observed swimming around, adopting an s-stance (with their nose up, fins down, backwards and tail down, their bodies curved in the shape of an “s”) and vocalizing. The male and female can chase each other and playfully rake their teeth together. One of the pairs may seem to go limp and lie on their side as the male approaches to mate and deposit his sperm in the female for fertilization. The male dolphin does not linger, they are not monogamous and do not mate for life. The female will carry the baby for about 12 months. Dolphins only carry one baby at the same time.
What do we know about baby dolphins?
After a gestation period of 12 months, the baby dolphin is born alive. Baby dolphins are born tail first and their dorsal fin is folded over until they are born. They are 40-50 inches long and can weigh between 20-40 lbs. Their skin color is darker than the adults and appears to have stripes, but these will fade and their color will change to light gray (for most species). Female dolphins have been seen assisting the new mother during birth and the females in the pods will care for the young with the mother.
The male dolphins do not assist in caring for calves and tend to form pods with other males. Dolphins are mammals and their young will suckle their mother’s milk for 2-4 years and stay with their mother for 3-6 years. When dolphins leave their mothers, they tend to team up and form pods with old dolphins forming juvenile pods. Young dolphins seem to enjoy playing with each other and can play tag with seaweed or catch with a puffer fish. AN BBC Earth video show dolphins playing catch with a puffer fish underwater!