Earlier this month, Caroline Popovic (La1ère.FranceTV—Martinique) brought attention to a young humpback whale, measuring between 4 and 6 meters,  who has been spotted around Schœlcher, Case-Pilote, and in Fort-de-France bay. She writes:

If the humpback calf does not find its mother quickly, it will die. Observers in Martinique estimate its length between 4 and 6 meters. It is therefore around 3 months old. Like all humpback calves this age, it depends on breast milk for his survival.

Normally the baby whale has to breastfeed for almost a year. Its daily consumption would be over 45kgs of breast milk per day. Even after weaning, humpback calves stay close to their mothers for several months. They do not reach the adult height of 15m until they are 10 years old.

Humpback whales can live up to 40 years. Adults weigh about 40 tons.

The Caribbean a maternity ward for humpback whales

This little lost whale was born in the Antilles.

Every year humpback whales leave the cold waters of Canada and North America to settle in the region. Many of these cetaceans stop in the Dominican Republic. Others prefer to continue to Grenada.

They travel in groups of between 2 and 15 individuals. The females give birth in the warm waters of the Caribbean. Breast milk, rich in fat, allows calves to accumulate a good layer of fat before returning to cold northern waters. [. . .]

Translated by Ivette Romero. For full article, photos, and related videos, see https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/martinique/baleineau-a-bosse-cherche-sa-maman-entre-case-pilote-schoelcher-et-fort-de-france-1384514.html