Written by the Australia Whale Experience crew, reviewed by Captain Brett Lakey
·Published 12 June 2026
·Reviewed 21 September 2026
Baleen
Fringed keratin plates hanging from the upper jaw that filter prey from a mouthful of seawater. Humpbacks have several hundred.
Blow
The visible exhale when a whale surfaces — vapour and condensed breath, three to four metres high in a humpback.
Blowhole
The paired nostrils on top of the head. Humpbacks are baleen whales, so they have two rather than one.
Breach
Launching most or all of the body clear of the water and landing with a huge splash.
Bubble net
A cooperative feeding technique where whales blow a rising curtain of bubbles to concentrate prey.
Calf
A young whale still travelling with its mother, usually in its first year.
Cetacean
The group that includes all whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Competitive group
Several males escorting one female, jostling for position. Fast, loud and often spectacular.
Cow
An adult female whale. A "cow-calf pair" is a mother travelling with her young.
Escort
An adult travelling alongside a mother and calf, often defending them.
Fluke
The tail. "Fluking up" is lifting it clear as the whale rolls into a deeper dive.
Footprint
The smooth circular patch of water left on the surface by the downstroke of a fluke.
Logging
Resting motionless at the surface, like a floating log.
Lobtailing
Repeatedly slapping the fluke down onto the surface.
Mugging
When a whale chooses to approach a stationary vessel and stay alongside it. The whale’s decision, never ours.
Pectoral fin
The long side flippers — up to five metres in a humpback, the longest of any whale.
Peduncle throw
Hurling the muscular rear third of the body sideways out of the water. Usually an aggressive display.
Pod
A group of whales travelling together.
Rake marks
Parallel white scars, usually on the fluke, left by orca teeth in an attack the whale survived.
Rostrum
The upper jaw and snout, covered in tubercles in humpbacks.
Spy-hop
Rising vertically with the head out of the water to look around above the surface.
Tubercle
The golf-ball-sized bumps on a humpback’s head, each containing a sensory hair follicle.
Ventral pleats
The grooves along the throat that expand so the mouth can take in an enormous volume of water.
Want the behaviours in context rather than alphabetically? Read humpback whale behaviour explained, or start at the knowledge hub.
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Keep reading
WATCHING
Whale species of Queensland
Humpbacks, minkes, southern rights, orca and the dolphins between.
WATCHING
How to spot whales
Reading blows, footprints and bird activity like the crew do.
WATCHING
Whale photography tips
Settings, timing and where to stand for a breach shot.
DATA
Whale sightings log
What our vessel actually recorded, season by season.
BIOLOGY
Humpback whale facts
Size, songs, breaching and bubble-net feeding explained.
BIOLOGY
Humpback whale behaviour
What a breach, tail slap, spy-hop or mugging actually means.
