Humpback whales frequent the Hawaiian islands each year between November and April. These magnificent creatures are as big as a bus and have lungs as big as a VW Bug.
They migrate to Hawaii to mate, birth young, and teach adolescents how to mate. Shockingly, there is no real food for humpback whales in the Hawaiian islands. Instead, all whales making the trip bulk up on food they catch in Alaska and other cold Pacific waters. In the course of a migration, a typical humpback can lose up to half its weight.
This amazing underwater photo is part of a NOAA collection and shows two humpback whales in the singing position. Only male humpbacks are known to sing, and no one knows for sure yet why they sing. Evidence seems to show that they sing as a way to protect their territory.