Maui Snorkeling Trips

In the animal kingdom, the little ones, no matter what species, are always adorable to animal lovers.  Humpback calves are certainly no exception.  For any observer, the clumsy little ones touch hearts in many ways.  They really seem to struggle to get things right.  The various behaviors we see from tail slapping, pec fin slapping, head slaps and breaches, all need to be perfected, and often times, mother’s gentle (or not so) prodding keeps the little one trying.  To be close enough to hear the breaths of a calf while watching the work outs is truly amazing, but what always gives me goose-bumps is knowing that mother is near by, usually no more than 50 feet from her baby.  The close proximity is, of course, for protection, but all mothers want to make sure that nothing goes wrong.  If a viewer is very lucky, mother may leave the water herself to show how things are expected to be done.

We have so much to learn about these animals, still.  As the lucky researchers, permits on file, are allowed to be feet-to-inches away from these magnificent beings while they busily take notes and video footage, we stay by the sidelines, hoping to be given the latest findings as they come.  Even though research has been conducted since the 1960s, many times the frustrated researcher will say it feels we are no closer in understanding than we were then.  Could it be that, maybe, the whales want it that way?  We can only wonder, and certainly, keep loving them.  They are, after all, some of the largest animals on the planet, whose ancesters have been around for nearly 50 million years.  For most whale watchers, it doesn’t matter how much of them we understand.  It matters most that they are still here for us all to enjoy and love.

1. Striving For Perfection ~ Baby Humpbacks Learn | Maui Snorkeling Trips Says:
   March 27th, 2009 at 1:52 pm

   [...] Striving For Perfection ~ Baby Humpbacks Learn | Maui Snorkeling Trips [...]

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