Humpback Whales
Scientific Name: Megaptera novaeangliae
Fijian Name: ‘tavuto’
The humpback whales or Megaptera novaeangliae is one of the many whales that pass by Fiji waters and are probably best known for their “songs,” which are considered to be the most complex vocalization in the animal kingdom. This gregarious species is also known for its cooperative hunting method, in which a pod of whales forms a circle and produces columns of bubbles to concentrate herds of fish in their midst. The endangered humpback is protected by law and populations have rebounded to nearly back worldwide, about 20 percent of prior numbers. Humpback whales gives viewers a front-row seat to the spectacle of this recovery, travelling from the frigid waters of Alaska and Antarctica to the tropical Pacific isles of Fiji and Tonga to reveal the whale’s complex underwater society.
In taking a firmer step in the protection of whales, Fiji declared its EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) a whale sanctuary in 2003.
