This time of year, humpback whales make their annual trip to the warm waters of the South Pacific to mate. Today"s image finds us swimming alongside a humpback mother and her young calf near the Polynesian island chain of Tonga. There are six main humpback populations in the southern Pacific, and this pair is part of the one that"s often called the "Tongan Tribe." The humpbacks of the Tongan Tribe return each year from their feeding grounds off Antarctica—a journey of more than 4,000 miles. Through November, the cows will stay in this region while their newborn calves grow strong enough to make the trek back to the cold Antarctic waters where their main food source—the small crustacean called krill—is abundant.
A whale of a hug
Today in History
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Alaska Bald Eagle Festival
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Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
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A path into history
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National Park Week begins
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A gentle wind fills this sail
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Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
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Alaska moose
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Lakeside serenity in Finland
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Till the cows come home
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Westerheversand Lighthouse
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Mangrove Conservation Day
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Zion National Park Turns 100
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A ‘circus of chaos’ for Stravinsky
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Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
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National Go Birding Day
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World Wildlife Day
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Frankenstein Friday
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White dunes, blue lagoons
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Kings of the Kalahari
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Happy birthday to the Peak!
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Wyoming celebrates its statehood
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Aw shucks, It s Oyster Day
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Gazing upon Portraits of Change
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Bathing boxes at Brighton Beach, Australia
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Museum Night in Berlin
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We did not invent this, honest
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Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
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Oymyakon, Russia