Humpback whales may not be the largest whales in the sea, but did you know that they can grow up to 60 feet?
That’s 18 meters long, and they can weigh up to 40 tons! That’s massive and amazing at the same time.
Nan Hauser, a marine biologist and the President/Director of the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation, has dedicated 31 years of her life to the service, protection, and preservation of marine life.
For many decades, Nan has been hands-on in monitoring marine life.
According to her bio:
“Nan’s research includes population identity, Photo ID, acoustics, genetics, surface & underwater behaviour, navigation, and migration of cetaceans. Her satellite tag work includes results on how whales migrate over long distances using linear constant course segments.”
Three years ago, during one of her explorations, she and her team spotted a humpback whale!
Humpbacks are endangered species, but one of the latest news about them is that their population is slowly increasing.
These majestic creatures are known for their beautiful songs.
Some researchers say that Humpback whales sing to court females, but there are also studies about how their songs help them explore the seas around them.
Nan, who was already an expert on whales, decided to swim a little bit closer to the humpback whale. This was her chance to study the beautiful whale.
She already knew that Humpback whales are playful and gentle, but she decided not to be too close or touch it so she won’t startle the gentle giant. However, she was shocked when the Humpback whale started coming after her instead.
Nan decided to get away from the whale, but this only made the majestic animal eager to get closer to her. This was all unexpected, and Nan was surprised about the whale’s actions.
Then, the whale started pushing and nudging her!
“He put his eye next to my eye. I was like what is going on here. He didn’t want to hurt me,” Nan told the interviewer.
Even though Nan is already an expert, being in this situation would still cause anyone to be frightened.
“He had me on his head and he rolled me over and I was on his chin and then I was down his pectoral fin and he wouldn’t leave me alone. He wouldn’t stop!”
The marine biologist knew that whale wasn’t there to harm her.
But it was still confusing what the whale wanted from her. This was the first time that she encountered anything like this!
“I was really scared. I mean, who wouldn’t be scared? Rolling around and rolling down the back of a whale,” Nan said.
The Humpback whale was persistent!
“I kept thinking, ‘Get me out of here!’ Then he lifted me up on his pec fin. Literally out of the water and I’m yelling to everybody on my boat, ‘Somebody come help me.’”
It was after 10 long minutes before Nan finally got an idea of what was happening!
Not far away, she saw a big tiger shark lurking!
Tiger sharks are known to attack humans and are also aggressive when provoked.
It turns out that the gentle Humpback whale was trying hard to protect Nan!
“I went, ‘Oh my God, he was protecting me,” Nan told her interviewer. “The whale got me to the boat he made sure I’m Ok.”
Everything was caught on video as Nan was filming underwater.
It was majestic, exciting, and touching!
The giant Humpback whale was trying its best to let Nan know that there was a threat lurking.
“I love you too, I do. I love you!” Nan told the Humpback whale as it bid her goodbye.
Humpback whales are known to display altruistic acts for other species and Nan never imagined that she will experience it herself.
Source: ronproject.com
