Whales Down Under

Humpback Whale – Megaptera novaeangliae

The Humpback Whale is visually spectacular, with its enormous head covered with knobs and barnacles. It has long pectoral fins reaching close to a third of its body length, which reaches around 15 metres. Humpback numbers are on the rise after a history of whaling although the species still remains listed as “vulnerable”. The Humpback Whale is the most commonly encountered species in Australian waters with frequent sightings in Hervey Bay and Cape Byron. The Humpback is a majestic animal known for its complex and beautifully haunting songs. Although large in size, the Humpback mystifies sightseers with dynamic displays of breaching, lob tailing and spy hopping. The Humpback Whale feeds in Antarctic waters during the polar
summer and as winter descends it travels north to warmer waters where it calves and mates.

Blue Whale – Balaenoptera musculus

The Blue Whale is the largest of the 10 species of great whales worldwide. Adults reach an average length of 25 metres and can weigh around 100 tonnes. The Blue Whale is a streamlined pelagic (deep-water) animal that can reach speeds of close to 40 kilometres per hour. Due to whaling, the Blue Whale is to this day listed as “endangered”. The Blue Whale inhabits the oceans of both hemispheres and two subspecies are found in Australia – the true Blue Whale and the Pygmy Blue Whale. The Blue Whale can be sighted off south-western Victoria, the Great Australian Bight and Rottnest Island. Like the Humpback, the Blue Whale spends the polar summer in Antarctic waters and heads north as the freeze descends.

Fin Whale – Balaenoptera physalus

The Fin Whale is second in size to the Blue Whale and has a similar shape and the ability to travel at great speeds. Adults reach an average length of 22 metres and are grey-brown in colour through their top section, pale underneath and feature a distinctive chevron pattern on their head. Like most large baleen species the Fin Whale migrates between polar and warmer waters. Whaling during the 20th century devastated the number of Fin Whales found in the Southern Hemisphere, and as a result they are no longer commonly encountered. The Fin Whale is listed as an “endangered” species and is put at further risk under the “scientific research” exemption of the moratorium on whaling.

Southern Bottlenose Whale – Hyperoodon planifrons

The Southern Bottlenose Whale has a beaked head, short flippers and a stout body, giving it a dolphin-like appearance.
However, unlike dolphins, the Southern Bottlenose Whale can reach seven to eight metres in length. The Southern Bottlenose Whale is an extraordinarily deep diver. It can remain submerged for up to 60 minutes and it is known to make spectacular aerial leaps before plunging deep into the ocean. The Southern Bottlenose Whale is not often observed; it is found beyond the continental shelf and rarely in depths less than 200 metres. It has been seen off the New South Wales and Western Australia coasts. The Southern Bottlenose Whale is thought to migrate between Antarctica and waters of tropical latitude.

High resolution images are available upon request.

For further information, please contact:

Hayley Skinner
PR to Australia Post
P: 03 9522 9943  M: 0418 303 978
Email: hayley.skinner@communicado.com.au

Lesley Lloyd, Australia Post
Philatelic Group
Tel: 03 9204 5264
Email: lesley.lloyd@auspost.com.au

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