How many whales are usually seen in a pod?
Humpback whales do not appear to form stable groups or long term bonds, with the exception of the mother and calf bond, which lasts a little less than a year. In Maui, mother-calf pods are seen more frequently than single adults or larger groups of four or more whales. Sometimes an escort whale will join the mother and calf. It is assumed that the escort is a sexually active male. Typically, he remains with them for less than a day — most associations last only a couple of hours, or in many cases, only a few minutes. Larger pods are often formed by a group of males as they compete with each other to get near to a sexually receptive female. On rare occasions, Pacific Whale Foundation researchers have encountered pods of more than 20 whales.
