The family drama you see playing out here in the Pacific Ocean near Maui, Hawaii, is a humpback whale calf getting a little nudge from its mom. She presumably wants the sleepy youngster to practice surfacing, something these amazing marine mammals are famous for doing in dramatic fashion. Winter is calving season for the Hawaiian population of humpbacks. Thousands arrive from their feeding grounds in the North Pacific to swim and breed in the warm Hawaiian waters, making them a common sight from November until April. Because they"re known to hang around near the ocean"s surface, breaching or slapping the water with their tails, humpbacks are a favorite of whale watchers everywhere.
A whale of a picture
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Golden larches and Prusik Peak, the Enchantments, Washington
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Go with the rainbow flow
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Castle on a hill
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The Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic
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Here we mark the price of freedom
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Autumn comes to the Porcupines
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Great horned owl near Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida
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Native American Heritage Day
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The dry days of winter in Etosha
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Here s looking at you
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Celebrating the International Day of Forests
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Seitan Limania Beach, Crete
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Festivus
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Jaguar in the Pantanal wetlands
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The party’s just starting
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Bridge to infinity
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Schönbrunn Palace Park, Vienna, Austria
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European hedgehog
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The Cutty Sark turns 150
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Shhh, the movie is about to start
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International Womens Day
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New York City skyline
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Books for children of all ages
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Poinsettia Day
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Tafilalet oasis in Morocco
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Welcome to ‘Hollywood North’
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Ode to the sun
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Room at the top?
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Vacuum Chamber 5 at Glenn Research Center
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Extraterrestrial Culture Day