Don’t mess with mum.

A male humpback approached her calf too fast. Males pursuing females can accidentally injure calves, they’re focused on the mother, not what’s underneath.

So she chased him off. Watch her use that pectoral fin to pivot, keeping her body between the threat and her baby.

This is Hervey Bay, Australia. The humpbacks here were nearly gone by the 1960s. A century of hunting had almost finished them.

Now they’re back in their tens of thousands. The mothers raising calves in these waters are the great-granddaughters of the survivors.

📽️ Pacific Whale Foundation