Photo of the Day 68

Humpback Whale, South Africa, 2002

Photograph by David Doubilet

Forty tons of gleaming muscle, a humpback whale blasts out of the water near South Africa. Found in coastal waters worldwide, humpbacks are known for their magical songs, haunting sequences of moans, howls, cries, and other noises that often continue for hours on end. Scientists believe they communicate and attract mates through song.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Oceans of Plenty," August 2002, National Geographic magazine)