The topside of the tail flukes of a Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, being raised prior to a deep dive in Witless Bay, Newfoundland, Canada.
I was very lucky on my only (so far!) trip to Newfoundland to hit the time when the Capelin are running (at the time I visited, this was called the ‘Capelin Run’ though it seems to be called the ‘Capelin Roll’ nowadays). Capelin are a small, schooling bait fish in the Smelt family which arrive in huge numbers to spawn on the beaches at unpredictable dates, usually between mid-June and mid-July.
Their arrival is said to mark the beginning of summer, and attracts many people wishing to catch this seasonal treat (according to the Internet, I was told they are bony and not very tasty), or just see the natural phenomena, as well as the many whales and seabirds that the Capelin attract.
This photo is copyright © Liz Leyden, all rights strictly as agreed in writing with the author or her agent.
My photo of a Humpback Whale diving is for sale as wall art or as various home or personal accessories at Pixels.com.
It is also available to license as a stock photo from iStock.
