| In humpback social groups, different whales assume different roles. The names adopted for these roles differ somewhat throughout the world. The basic roles are fairly easy to understand. (That is not to say these roles are easy to distinguish in the wild!) |
| Cows are female humpback whales. Since most humpback behaviors seen in the Hawaiian islands are thought to be related to courtship and mating, it is not surprising that cows are the focus for humpback socialization in Hawaii. |
| A cow can be a mother, in which case it always accompanies (or is accompanied by) its calf. A calf relies on its mother for nourishment, protection and, perhaps, guidance. Often another whale is seen alongside a mother / calf pair. For many years the third whale was assumed to be another adult female, helping the mother to raise her calf. In fact, this third whale is usually a male and is probably interested in mating with the mother rather than raising the calf. |
| Adult male whales are referred to as escorts when in the company of other whales, especially a female. A lone male humpback is sometimes referred to as a singleton. An escort male may accompany a lone cow, or a mother and calf. |
| In the photograph above, the calf is above its mother, which is in turn above a male escort whale. Escort males that accompany resting or traveling mother / calf pairs often adopt a position below the mother and calf. |
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