Domino (BCY0633) is so easy to identify as an individual with a very distinctive dorsal fin and an extremely distinctively marked fluke which inspired the nickname.
Fall is definitely the season when Humpback hormones appear to lead to more energy going into socializing. We’ve been seeing more groups of 2 and 3 whales associating now than we do in the spring and summer when it is all about feeding. Often, when in these groups, there are acrobatic behaviours like this where Domino (BCY0633) repeatedly tail-lobbed when with another whale (Slits).
Many of the Humpbacks will soon start their migrations to the breeding grounds and these acrobatic behaviours, in this context, may be related to competition and posturing. The majority of the Humpbacks around NE Vancouver Island, and further to the north, are believed to migrate to Hawaii.
-Jackie
For more on the nicknaming of Humpbacks see http://themarinedetective.com/2011/07/23/beethoven-the-humpback-whale-whats-in-a-name/.
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