Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Nonfiction by Portia Thompson

After a long and challenging car ride consisting of screaming and crying, we pull over, sit under the blazing hot sun and wait. Suddenly there’s a resounding crash, like an avalanche, as a tail slaps the water. A humpback whale! A few minutes passed, which consisted of staring at the ocean until my eyes burned. Finally, there was a spray a mist like a volcanic eruption of water droplets from two whales. What made the moment even more special was that it was a mother and her baby calf swimming only inches apart from each other. I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of love and awe as I watched the humpback whales gracefully breaching the surface of the water. Sitting there watching the whales with my three-month-old daughter made me wonder, does the humpback whale have it all figured out? Does being a mom come naturally? Does she get overwhelmed? Does she get tired? Does she wish she sleeps when the baby sleeps? Does she have days where she just wants to skim along the surface and do her best to just get by? How does she do it all?

A humpback whales’ melodic and beautiful songs that can be heard across the ocean remind me that I’m not alone. Humpback whales create complex melodies, almost like lullabies, for their babies. Females make specific social calls while nursing their babies, and their calves make similar calls while near their mothers. These sound waves can travel up to 20 miles away. The high melodic chirps, clicks, and whistles, while we still can’t understand them, demonstrate that these whales communicate and care for one another. Each night I sing my baby to sleep, and if she doesn’t fall asleep after a few minutes, I switch and make my husband sing her to sleep. The melodic, soothing lullabies usually calm her cries, sometimes in just a couple of minutes, other times, it’s hours of nonstop crying. I’m starting to realize this whole “mom” thing doesn’t ever end.

While we watched the whales glide peacefully through the water, I couldn't help but think about the dedication and care that goes into raising a child. Like the humpback mother and her baby calf, a mother’s love knows no bounds. Migration is a vital part of humpback whales’ lives as they travel up to 5000 miles every year. This is because they feed in the polar waters and then migrate to tropical areas to breed and give birth. Hawaii is one of the many places humpback whales can be seen during their migration. While humpback whales are in breeding grounds, they will not feed the entire time. That’s six months without any food. This means that a humpback whale mother will produce 50 gallons of milk a day, vital for its calf's survival, from its stores of blubber. Due to all the energy required to make milk for her hungry calf, she can lose up to one-third of her body weight, a semi truck’s worth. The whale will lose a whopping 20,000 lbs. Another piece of the puzzle of motherhood fell into place, knowing that a mother's sacrifice for her baby must be one of those instinctual feelings. It’s as if it were written into my DNA, my genetic script, telling me that I must care for, protect, and nourish my child. While I may not need to sacrifice a third of my body weight to feed her, I do probably change one-third of my body weight worth of sour, musty-smelling diapers every day, a sacrifice worth each and every trip to the dumpster. Besides sacrificing nearly all their energy for their babies, female humpback whales are also very protective of their calves. They will constantly stay near them and use their canoe-sized flippers and shipping container-sized tail to shield the calf from danger. For added protection and security, the whales will swim in large pods allowing other adult whales to protect the baby. It’s as if the calf was a quarterback and the rest of the pod huddles around to keep them safe. The love and protection that the mother provides is strong and selfless. Humpback whale mothers are the ones to teach their calves essential survival skills such as finding food and avoiding predators. While it is my responsibility to teach my young one, her development comes as part of a community that supports her. We humans tend to say, “it takes a village to raise a child,” but we are not the only animals who live by this saying. I never have to do these things alone. I have my amazing husband to support me and all my friends, as well as my family. Like humpback whales who travel in pods, I’m grateful for my protective pod. My daughter may never remember the whales we watched together, the times I’ve bounced her on my tired knee, sung songs to her for hours on end, or snuggled up to her all night. She won’t realize all the time and energy it took for me to feed her and care for her every cry, but I will remember these moments. I will cherish these memories with her as they create a connection between us. There’s something unique about motherhood that creates a strong bond between you and your baby that nothing can replace. This special bond between us will be cherished forever. Motherhood is ineffable. However, this whale mother encapsulated it so easily. Looking down at my baby in that moment I realized that I am not alone in this journey and that I have beautiful examples all around, from which I can gain motivation and strength. As we packed our small family back into the car with the sound of protesting cries from our baby girl, I knew that just like the humpback whale, I would be able get us home safely.