Here are a few facts you may not have known about the first moments and early months in a whale’s life.
1. The gestation period of a pregnant female can last from 10 – 18 months depending on the species.
2. Whales have two main seasons: the mating seeding and feeding season. During mating season, many whale species will migrate to a location near the equator to mate. Similarly, pregnant females will seek out warm, shallow waters to birth their young.
3. Just like humans, the babies receive the nutrients they need through the umbilical cord.
4. Baby whales are usually delivered tail first in order to reduce the risk of drowning although sometimes they are delivered head first and they can swim as soon as they are born, usually staying close to their mother’s side.
5. For the first few months of its life, the baby whale feeds by suckling milk from their mothers nipple. The milk can vary greatly from 35% – 50% fat – the high fat content means the milk can travel through water without breaking up. This is important as the mother sometimes shoots the milk into her baby’s mouth through the water.
6. A Blue whale calf may drink in excess of 50 gallons of milk per day and can easily gain 100 pounds or more each day in its first few months.
7. Whales have been known to suckle for as long as 24 months.
8. While the average age of maturity varies from species to species, most whales will mature between the ages of 7 and 12 when they can then begin mating and bear offspring of their own.
9. Blue whale calves are the largest babies in the world.
10. The exact migration routes of whales are still being studies. The depths that the whales dive to make it hard to track them, so researchers still rely on simple methods like spotting the whales from land, and identifying them through photographs of their markings and their flukes.
The Azores is one of the best places in the world to see whales and dolphins in the wild. Resident sperm whales can be seen throughout the year, whilst blue, fin, pilot and minke whales pass through in the early spring.