Colour Variation in Humpback Whales
Blog Post by Eirene Carajias, Hayley Charlton-Howard and Dr Kate Robb
A close-up of humpback whale markings!
Photo: Hayley Charlton-Howard
Humpback whales can be found in all of the world’s oceans, and are known to undertake some of the longest seasonal migrations of any mammal on the planet. Despite their wide distribution and long travels, northern and southern hemisphere humpback whale populations are more genetically isolated from each other than they may appear (Jackson et al. 2014). Genetic divergences are evident in a variety of physical characteristics of humpback whales, including body pigmentation. Notably, humpback whales in the northern hemisphere have much darker coloured bodies and tail flukes than those found migrating through southern oceans (British Antarctic Survey, 2014).
Here in the southern hemisphere, we have quite a few different morphotypes, meaning that the external characteristics, like colouration, can be different. Check out the colourations you may see as the southern hemisphere humpbacks make the massive 16,000km migration from Antarctic waters, up both the east and west coast of Australia.
Will 2023 be the year we spot Migaloo 2.0?
Body pigmentation
Humpback whales migrating up on the east and west coasts of Australia show varying degrees of white pigmentation on their bodies. It is common in our waters for humpbacks to have a white or grey underside (ventral), however, this paler colouration can extend onto the sides (lateral), and even onto the top (dorsal) of the whale!
There are four major categories of body pigmentation to describe the lateral and dorsal pigmentations of humpback whales in eastern Australia (Kaufman et al. 1987). Check out the different types!
How do we identify each individual whale?
When on the water it can be tricky to characterise a humpback whale’s body pigmentation, as they typically only show the upper part of the body whilst surfacing, so unless we photograph them whilst breaching, researchers usually use another technique to identify each whale individually…by looking at the patterning and colouration on the underside of the tail flukes.
Just like their body pigmentation, humpback whales of eastern Australia often have large areas of white on their tail flukes. Completely or mostly white flukes are the most commonly seen colourations in Australian waters. In fact, it is very common for tail flukes to be completely white, including the area from the middle tail notch to the peduncle (Option 1). You might also spot whales with dark patches covering this area, where the dark pigmentation extends up the flukes. However, darker tails with less white are rarely seen in Australian humpbacks and are more common in northern oceans (Rosenbaum et al. 1995).
Variations in humpback whale tail fluke pigmentation (Rosenbaum et al. 1995)
Humpback whales have unique patterning on their tail flukes, and many of the eastern Australian humpbacks have pale flukes with occasional ‘dot’ markings.
Photos: Hayley Charlton-Howard
Humpback whales can also show a variety of dorsal fin shapes for identification!
Photo: Hayley Charlton-Howard
But what do we do if the whale isn’t particularly surface active, and doesn’t want to dive deep enough to show its tail? We can use their dorsal fins! Since humpback whales have dorsal fins, these can also be used to aid in individual identification - much like how MMF researchers use dolphins’ dorsal fins! While humpback whale dorsal fins are typically dome-shaped or ‘knobby’, some whales have square-shaped fins, pointed hook-shaped fins, or they may have lost their dorsal fin through predation or a vessel strike. Colouration and scars on the fin can further help with identification.
What about Migaloo?
Migaloo, the famous Australian male humpback whale with albinism, is currently the only known fully white coloured whale in the eastern Australian population of humpbacks. This variation of albinism is caused by a mutation in the tyrosinase gene, which is vital to the production of melanin (pigment). Albinism has been recorded across 22 cetacean species, though individual cases remain low (Polanowski, 2012).
Migaloo, was named by the Indigenous Elders in the Hervey Bay region, meaning ‘white fella’ and was first sighted in 1991 off Byron Bay, New South Wales. Based on size, Migaloo was estimated to be 3-5 years old, which would make him now about 35 years old! Initially, there was discussion around Migaloo being a true albino, as he had brown eyes (rather than red), however on assessing his DNA researchers at the Australian Marine Mammal Centre confirmed genetically he was a true albino.
Very recently (July 2023) off Ballina, a new calf was spotted that was thought to be all white, however with some better images of the calf, it was observed to have pale grey flukes, a black head, a few black spots on the dorsal side of the body, whilst the rest of the body was white.
It is important to remember that on the rare occasion of a white (or mostly white) humpback whale sighting, the whale may be displaying “pseudo-albinism” or extreme mottling (scattered patches of white), as is the case with this calf.
Whale spotted! What next?
Well done! It’s not every day you get to spot a humpback whale (or any whale, for that matter). If you spot a whale, or any marine mammal while you’re out on the water, snap a photo and let us know! MMF Researchers use your photos to help build our understanding of the distribution and abundance of these incredible species.
You can submit your photos to TrakMM, an MMF initiative that allows the community using Victoria’s waterways to log sightings of marine mammals. You can also send your images to sightings@marinemammal.org.au with your name and details of your sighting. Our Dolphin and Whale Spotting Victoria Facebook group is also another fantastic way to share your sightings of marine mammals with our amazing community of citizen scientists!
If you’re out on the water and spot whales, or dolphins, please be aware of various government approach regulations in place for keeping your distance. This ensures the safety of both you and the whale. For more information, head to our boating regulations page.
If you see a sick or deceased whale or dolphin in Victoria, please report it immediately to the Whale and Dolphin Emergency Hotline on 1300 136 017.
When submitting a sighting, feel free to give information about colouration or any obvious markings that could be used to distinguish an individual. This can help track the life history of an individual, which paths they use for their migration, and who they interact with!
Photo: Hayley Charlton-Howard
Check out our other blogs for more information!
Making a Move: Whale Migrations
The Marine Mammal Foundation is a not-for-profit charity organisation, protecting the marine environment through research, community engagement and education. Please consider supporting us with a tax-deductible donation.
Sources
British Antarctic Survey. "Humpback whale subspecies revealed by genetic study." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 May 2014.
Jackson, J. A., Steel, D. J., Beerli, P., Congdon, B. C., Olavarría, C., Leslie, M. S., & Baker, C. S. (2014). Global diversity and oceanic divergence of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1786), 20133222.
Kaufman, G. D., Smultea, M. A., & Forestell, P. H. (1987). Use of lateral body pigmentation patterns for photographic identification of east Australian (Area V) humpback whales. Cetus, 7(1), 5-13.
Rosenbaum, H. C., Clapham, P. J., Allen, J., Nicole-Jenner, M., Jenner, C., Florez-González, L., ... & Baker, C. S. (1995). Geographic variation in ventral fluke pigmentation of humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae populations worldwide. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 124, 1-7.
Polanowski, A. M., Robinson-Laverick, S. M., Paton, D., & Jarman, S. N. (2012). Variation in the tyrosinase gene associated with a white humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Journal of Heredity, 103(1), 130-133.