Humpback whale head lunge and blow in active group.
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 34537
Adult male humpback whale singing, suspended motionless underwater. Only male humpbacks have been observed singing. All humpbacks in the North Pacific sing the same whale song each year, and the song changes slightly from one year to the next.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 02813
Humpback whale male escort emits a stream of bubbles during competitive group socializing. The whale is swimming so fast that the bubbles pass back alongside the whale.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 02855
Male humpback whale bubble streaming underwater. The male escort humpback whale seen here is emitting a curtain of bubbles as it swims behind a mother and calf (barely seen in the distance).
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 04434
Adult male humpback whale bubble streaming underwater. The male escort humpback whale seen here is emitting a curtain of bubbles as it swims behind a female during competitive group activities. The bubble curtain may be meant as warning or visual obstruction to other nearby male whales interested in the female.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 04444
Large competitive group of humpback whales, eleven adult humpback whales seen in this image, part of a 16 whale competitive group.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 04459
North Pacific humpback whale, head standing near surface.
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 05941
Male North Pacific humpback whale streams a trail of bubbles. The primary male escort whale (center) creates a curtain of bubbles underwater as it swims behind a female (right), with other challenging males trailing behind in a competitive group. The bubbles may be a form of intimidation from the primary escort towards the challenging escorts.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 05968
Humpback whale, abandoned calf alongside University of Hawaii research boat. This young calf lived only a few days after being abandoned or separated from its mother, and was eventually attacked by tiger sharks.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 05979
Adult male north Pacific humpback whale bubble streaming underwater in the midst of a competitive group. The male escort humpback whale seen here is emitting a curtain of bubbles as it swims closely behind a female, . The bubble curtain may be meant as warning or visual obstruction to other nearby males interested in the female.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 05999
Hawaiian humpback whale underwater, sun beams dappling the whale in clear oceanic waters.
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 06007
Adult male north Pacific humpback whale bubble streaming underwater in the midst of a competitive group. The male escort humpback whale seen here is emitting a curtain of bubbles as it swims closely behind a female, . The bubble curtain may be meant as warning or visual obstruction to other nearby males interested in the female.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 06037
This bull elephant seal, an old adult male, shows extreme scarring on his chest and proboscis from many winters fighting other males for territory and rights to a harem of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15388
A bull elephant seal forceably mates (copulates) with a much smaller female, often biting her into submission and using his weight to keep her from fleeing. Males may up to 5000 lbs, triple the size of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 15408
Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight in the surf for access for mating females that are in estrous. Such fighting among elephant seals can take place on the beach or in the water. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 20370
Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight for territory and harems of females. Bull elephant seals will haul out and fight from December through March, nearly fasting the entire time as they maintain their territory and harem. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides.
Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris
Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California
Image ID: 20371
California sea lion, adult male, profile of head showing long whiskers and prominent sagittal crest (cranial crest bone), hauled out on rocks to rest, early morning sunrise light, Monterey breakwater rocks.
Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: Monterey, California
Image ID: 21586
A SCUBA diver enters a submarine cavern at Santa Barbara Island, underwater cave.
Location: Santa Barbara Island, California
Image ID: 23423