Humpbacks whales carry out seasonal migrations between their high-latitude feeding areas and their low-latitude breeding grounds.
The Cape Verde Islands are one of the two breeding sites for the species in the North Atlantic. The peak of the season is between mid March and mid May.
These acrobatic whales can be sighted off the W and SW coast of Boa Vista. Individuals can be identified from natural markings (i.e. ventral fluke pattern).
Males sing songs that may last for 20 minutes and can be repeated for hours. The function of these complex songs is not still fully understood by scientists.
Whale tour boats are used as platforms of opportunity to collect data on the temporal and spatial distribution of whales, their behaviour, as well as pictures of tail flukes and dorsal fins for individual identification.