Secrets of the Whales

Secrets of the Whales is a celebration of the lives, personalities and cultures of whales. Whales have captivated humanity for centuries but, despite our fascination, most of us have had only brief glimpses of these majestic animals, and little has been understood about their lives. Brian Skerry’s work illuminates the latest scientific research which shows that whales, like humans, have traditions and complex societies. His latest work focuses on four key species: sperm whales, humpbacks, orca and beluga whales.

Within genetically identical species, whales have their own languages or dialects, and their own food preferences. For example, in New Zealand waters orca prefer to feed on stingray, while in Norwegian waters they prefer herring, and in each location they have developed techniques for capturing their preferred foods.

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A humpback mother and her female calf approximately 3 days old, off the coast of Rarotonga. Humpbacks rarely return to these waters, which is not the case for other humpback breeding grounds. Cook Islands, South Pacific.

In the Canadian Arctic, a beluga whale with a small stone. Belugas play a game, picking up a stone, swimming with it for a while, then dropping it back onto the seafloor where it will often be retrieved by another beluga. Cunningham Inlet, Somerset Island.

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Brian Skerry

Brian Skerry

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