Humans are not the only species that do irrational and unbelievable things for love. Most recently, a fisherman spotted a gigantic adult humpback whale who had travelled all the way to Cornwall to find a potential partner for the mating season. What's even more incredible is that it was seen doing a strange little dance in an attempt to seduce a nearby whale.
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Luckily, the man caught the whole interaction on film, and it's a sight to behold!
Mating season
The video was posted by AK Wildlife Cruises Falmouth, and they explained that a local fisherman, called Andrew ‘Jimmy’ Robinson, had stumbled upon this magnificent creature when he was out on his boat on Wednesday (22 December). Adult humpback whales are known to grow up to 60 feet in length, and the one seen by Robinson was about 40 to 50 feet long.
While sightings like this are incredibly rare in the UK, the winter months happen to be mating season, so the team believes that it could have been calling out to another whale by using this ‘pec flapping’ technique. They wrote:
Humpbacks are extremely rare in Cornwall but in the winter months they can be seen out there and their active behaviour makes them easier to find than many other species.
This behaviour is believed to be used to attract mates, and Andrew may have seen another blow from a whale in the distance so there could have been another out there.
HUMPBACK WHALE IN FALMOUTH BAY We’re out of the water for the next few months, but local fishermen Andrew ‘Jammy’ Robinson filmed this amazing footage of a humpback whale just 2 miles offshore last Wednesday! The whale was estimated to be about 40-50 feet in length as a full grown adult humpback, and can be seen repeatedly pec slapping in this video. This behaviour is believed to be used to attract mates, and Andrew may have seen another blow from a whale in the distance so there could have been another out there. Humpbacks are extremely rare in Cornwall but in the winter months they can be seen out there and their active behaviour makes them easier to find than many other species. We’re gutted to not be able to head out to find these guys, but searching from the cliff tops you never know what you may see! I’ll certainly be up there next time the winds calm down. Thanks to Andrew for allowing us to use the footage, and to Kirstie Edwards and Tom Hicks for sending this to us with all the info. Amazing! Who knows, maybe they’ll be around when we’re back in March
Posted by AK Wildlife Cruises Falmouth on Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Pec flapping
In another Facebook post, AK Wildlife Cruises Falmouth addressed concerns expressed by several viewers who took the flapping as a sign of distress. They clarified:
We’ve had a few comments asking whether the whale is in distress or tangled in net or lost or struggling to communicate given the behaviour in this video.
There’s no reason to worry as the behaviours displayed are completely normal for humpbacks, they’re just not something we’re used to seeing as we don’t get humpbacks all that often!
According to Whale Watch, a whale watching tour operator in Western Australia, pec flapping is actually how female whales flirt! They explained:
The female whales will lay on their sides lifting one pectoral fin and allowing it to fall to the surface creating a big sound and splash. They will also roll onto their back and lift both pectoral fins out of the water getting double the sound effect this way!
Here’s another video of our humpback friend because why not! We’ve had a few comments asking whether the whale is in distress or tangled in net or lost or struggling to communicate given the behaviour in this video. There’s no reason to worry as the behaviours displayed are completely normal for humpbacks, they’re just not something we’re used to seeing as we don’t get humpbacks all that often! For those hoping to see this beautiful creature, it has been a week now since it was spotted, so it could’ve moved some distance, but hopefully it’s still somewhere around the southwest coast! We hope you all have a merry Christmas and if you do see anything exciting out there, let us know! On our trips in the past we’ve seen Humpback Whales, Fin Whales, Pilot Whales, White Beaked Dolphins, Risso’s Dolphins and more rarities from the UK, so always keep one eye on the water, and join us for a better shot at seeing something special! Thanks again to Andrew Robinson for sending us these special videos we’ve loved sharing some joy in these times where the news isn’t always positive!
Posted by AK Wildlife Cruises Falmouth on Friday, December 24, 2021
