The Great Snow Squall Of December 2019™ wasn't the only thing to blow into NYC on Wednesday—a humpback whale was also spotted in the freezing waters off Rockaway beach in Queens yesterday afternoon. Watch below as it majestically launches itself in and out of the water while presumably yelling, "How's ya mother, is she good? Please say hi to her from me."
Over the summer, a boatful of Long Island fishermen came into contact with two friendly humpback whales. Also last summer, one was spotted near Rockaway beach, perhaps this very same one. "I was just as excited as my kids, who are 6 and 8. I've lived in New York nearly 20 years, and I've never seen a whale," Justin Hendrix, who captured the video below of the whale, told Gothamist at the time. "It was swimming down the shore slapping the water with its fins."
Citizen science group Gotham Whale counted 272 whale sightings in New York's waters in 2018, a huge improvement on 2011's five sightings. Paul Sieswerda, former curator at the New York Aquarium and founder of Gotham Whale, attributed the increase to government efforts to protect endangered whale populations, and also to clean up along the Hudson River.
In addition to their delightful penchant for breaching, did you know that humpback whales blow bubbles? Scientists believe whales use them as a form of communication—because they make less sound than a vocalization, they may be using them to send a signal without attracting the attention of predators. As for what those messages might mean, there are a lot of theories: they could be used for emphasis or to convey emotion, “the equivalent of a grammatical exclamation point, a superlative word, or a hand or facial gesture,” whale researcher Joy Reidenberg told The Atlantic. “Maybe it’s like slamming our fist on the table when we’re angry, or raising a middle finger.” It could also be used a camouflage, a way of marking territory, or even as sexual pleasure.
