Humpback whales are huge mammals that live in the oceans of the world, coming to the surface only to breathe. Like humans, they are purposeful, playful, intelligent social animals with complex languages. Like us, in pursuit of females the males are aggressive. The whales have to prove themselves. They have many vocalizations but only the males produce the long “songs,” as they are called. Not long ago, like many species they were hunted around the globe for their oil, which was used in lamps. Humpback populations fell drastically until the 1960s, when a moratorium was put in place. Until recently it was thought humpbacks lived to 40 or 50 years. Recent research has nearly doubled that. This is something we learned on the Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruise. “Some of the whales we might see could even remember the whaling years,” our guide said. “Somehow they have forgiven us.”