However, the reason why Xiang Yang climbed onto the boat quickly was not because of the two big guys in front of him.
The humpback whale has a big mouth and a small throat, so it cannot swallow a human. Unless Xiang Yang actively provokes it, the humpback whale will most likely not attack Xiang Yang.
What Xiang Yang is worried about is whether there is another true ocean overlord - the killer whale - in this sea area where humpback whales appear.
The relationship between humpback whales and killer whales is difficult to describe, they are a pair of inseparable enemies.
If the two humpback whales, a male and a female, are compared to Big Bear and Little Bear, then the killer whale is definitely Bald Qiang.
Humpback whales and killer whales are real enemies. When killer whales prey on marine mammals including their own kind, seals, sea lions, dolphins and other marine life, nearby humpback whales will rush to support them. In the most exaggerated cases, humpback whales will even rush from more than ten kilometers away!
From 1951 to 2020, marine biologists have recorded more than 2,100 similar incidents.
For this reason, the humpback whale even earned a special nickname: the green forest hero of the ocean.
It's quite interesting to say that killer whales are well-known killers in the ocean, and they are also well-known social killers with high IQs. However, a group of about 10 killer whales cannot defeat two adult humpback whales.
However, it is too simple to measure the relationship between killer whales and humpback whales by whether they can hit you. The relationship between the two is too complicated. The advantage of humpback whales over killer whales is that they are stronger and have thicker skin, so they can bite and hit more easily.
The advantage of killer whales over humpback whales is that they can work as a team. If a group of killer whales encounters two large and one small humpback whales, the killer whales can often use teamwork to squeeze, hit and kill the young humpback whales while their own group escapes unscathed.
Precisely because killer whales like to prey on humpback whale calves, humpback whales will immediately rush to rescue when they hear the sound of killer whales attacking marine mammals in the distance. Regardless of whether the attacked are of the same species or not, humpback whales will interfere with the killer whales' hunting. This may be an intervention in potential threats. It is better to save a thousand by mistake than to let one go!
Humans are also mammals, and the two docile humpback whales were very friendly to the crew on the ship.
The slightly larger female humpback whale swam around the fishing boat, flapping the sea surface with its powerful wings, creating waves and occasionally causing the crew on the boat to shout excitedly.
The male whale circled the fishing boat, constantly emerging from the water like a small iceberg, and then fell to the bottom of the sea like a meteorite, revealing its black, striped belly and pectoral fins.
The two humpback whales seemed to enjoy the fishermen's screams and kept slapping the sea surface with their pectoral fins and floating their heads above water.
The male whale even made a beautiful cry from his mouth.
The call of the humpback whale is very strange, loud but not ear-piercing, just like a mermaid singing, very long and rhythmic.
Xiang Yang looked at the female whale that was raised in the sea by human power, and felt happy for a moment. He quickly asked Fang Youqun to get some cheap small sea fish from the freezer.
Because Xiang Yang's fishing boat had just gone out to sea and had only dragged one net, the fishing net he used had a larger mesh, so there were not many small fish on the boat. In total, there were only two foam boxes holding about 20 to 30 kilograms.
"Go!" Xiang Yang grabbed a handful of small sea fish and threw them at a humpback whale.
The female whale immediately jumped out of the sea and caught the fish. Then she watched Xiang Yang slap the water with his pectoral fins and made a clear cry from his mouth.
"It's not the wintering season for humpback whales yet." He Mingde also grabbed a handful of small marine fish and threw them to the other male whale. "They haven't completely stopped eating yet, but they won't actively hunt for food anymore."
Humpback whales have the habit of migrating from north to south. During their migration, they hardly eat anything for several months, but in the summer they eat for eighteen hours a day.
"Then take this opportunity to feed them more." Xiang Yang grabbed another handful of sea fish and threw them onto the sea.
The female whale opened her mouth gracefully when she saw the fish, and the male whale watched from the side without any habit of snatching the food.
Soon, the two foam boxes of fish were divided up by the two humpback whales, but both whales were still circling the fishing boat and were unwilling to leave.
"Captain, they don't look like they are full yet. Do you want me to get some bigger fish?" Fang Youqun asked.
"Full?" Xiang Yang rolled his eyes. "Even if I feed you, they won't be full."
The crew members immediately burst into laughter, causing Fang Youqun to laugh awkwardly.
"We've been waiting for so long but haven't seen any killer whales. It seems that these two humpback whales are migrating. There should be no killer whales nearby." Xiang Yang put on his breathing mask again, "I'll go down to the sea to take a look."
The crew members were immediately horrified, "Going to the sea? Captain, these two big guys won't eat you, will they?"
Xiang Yang smiled and explained the habits of humpback whales to the crew.
After listening to Xiang Yang's words, the crew realized that the creatures preyed on by such a big whale were actually so small. The crew was still confused, but Xiang Yang had already jumped from the deck into the sea.
Humpback whales do not prey on humans. There has been no record of a humpback whale preying on humans over the years. There is even a video online showing a humpback whale accidentally swallowing a diver and then spitting the diver out after a while, with the diver being unharmed.
Seeing Xiang Yang jump into the sea, the male whale let out a cry, and the two humpback whales slowly swam towards Xiang Yang.
Xiang Yang was immediately delighted when he saw this. If these two guys swam faster, Xiang Yang would have turned around and fled to the deep sea. The main means of attack of the humpback whale is to accelerate in a short period of time and violently hit the opponent with its head. Any creature hit by the humpback whale's head will generally have its skin cracked and bleed to death. Seeing other mammals swimming slowly past is a sign of goodwill by the humpback whale.
The two humpback whales were getting closer and closer to Xiang Yang without any sign of attacking. Xiang Yang was completely relaxed and even took the initiative to swim towards the two humpback whales.
The crew members on the ship were all very nervous, thinking that they would be killed if they were attacked by such a big guy.
Finally, the two humpback whales swam side by side to Xiang Yang. Xiang Yang reached out and touched the slightly cold skin of one of the humpback whales.
The humpback whale flapped its pectoral fins slowly, looking docile.
Xiang Yang was immediately happy. He had seen a video before where a marine biologist encountered dozens of beluga whales on the seabed. Not only did those beluga whales not attack the biologist, but they played with the biologist in the sea.
Xiang Yang never thought that one day he would be able to play with whales on the seabed, and these were humpback whales that were even larger than beluga whales.
At this time, another humpback whale cried out happily, gently touched Xiang Yang with its head, and pushed Xiang Yang's body a short distance in the sea.
Xiang Yang followed the humpback whale's gaze and discovered that countless barnacles were growing on the humpback whale's smooth and slightly wrinkled back. The barnacles grew along the humpback whale's back and all the way to its abdomen. They were so densely packed that they looked extremely terrifying.