SAM Wood from “The Bachelor” TV show isn’t the only bachelor wooing eligible females this winter, with the waters off the NSW coastline full of bachelors looking for love – and having a whale of a time while they’re at it!
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service marine mammal expert Lawrence Orel said the whale migration has a number of parallels with the popular reality TV show The Bachelor starting with the fact that male whales looking for love are really called “bachelors” and they are often found in “bachelor pods”.
“Whale migration season brings with it a series of romantic gestures and acts of oceanic chivalry as the whales journey to warm northern waters to find female whales and achieve the ultimate bachelor fairytale ending - a whale calf,” Mr Orel said
In a strategy not dissimilar to human courting rituals, humpback bachelors will sing out for a potential partner with a song that can last for several hours and can be heard hundreds of kilometres away.
Keen Narooma divers, father and daughter duo Jon and Georgia Poyner reported seeing a possible heat run involving male and female humpbacks interacting and possibly mating in the vicinity of Montague Island a couple of weeks ago.
They have seen similar activity while diving with whales off Vanuatu. They also report the waters in the region are alive with sounds of the bachelor whales’ song.
And there were also unusual reports of mass feeding by whales off Narooma and Bermagui in recent weeks.
Click here: Whales in feeding frenzy off Narooma, Bermagui
Whale expert Orel said in true Shakespearian fashion, humpback bachelors are also known to fight for access to females with unsuccessful males grouping together to form bachelor pods.
Once the final rose has been handed to their leading ladies and in an act of chivalry, the humpback bachelors are known to escort their new partner and calf through the dangerous waters back to Antarctica.
“Call it an act of love or a pragmatic approach of safety in numbers- our male whales will help train their offspring to warn off predators and accompany their new entourage back to Antarctic waters for feeding,” Mr Orel said.
Mating takes place every two to three years for a female whale as her gestation period lasts between 10 and 14 months.
Humpback whales migrate around 5000km on average, one of the longest migratory journeys of any mammal on Earth.
The annual whale migration takes place along the NSW coastline between May and November.
Whales migrate north to warmer waters for breeding, then migrate south between September and November towards the waters of Antarctica for feeding.
To find out more about these fascinating creatures visit www.wildaboutwhales.com.au