On our recent trip to Baja and just off the Gorda Banks at the southern tip of the peninsula we encountered a group of Humpback Whales. A female was quietly swimming along with her primary escort but there were four male pretenders in attendance. As a consequence, there was a lot of aggressive behaviour including breaching. This made the encounter interesting and enjoyable to watch.
These whales are typically 14-17m in length and can weigh up to 40 tonnes. They have distinctive long pectoral fins and highly variable markings on their flukes. These markings allow individual whales to be recognised. They have large tubercles on the top of their heads which are hair follicles. They often fluke when diving.