Baby humpback playing

A B.C. conservation group captured a young humpback whale playing with a large log in the harbour off Comox, on Vancouver Island. 

Lifeforce Ocean Friends posted the video to social media, which was taken Dec. 2. Director of the organization Peter Hamilton said the video shows Lorax, a four-year-old female humpback, displaying a rare type of play. 

"Logging is a term referring to when whales and dolphins are resting. This rare type of 'play logging' adds to our knowledge of their complex lives,” Hamilton said. "I watched her repeatedly going back and forth diving with the large log, lifting it onto her head and actively playing with it. Her playtime lasted for over 45 minutes. Then she joined two other humpbacks.”

The activity has been sighted several other times over the past few years from humpbacks in the area, including Lorax. 

"In 2015, she was the first humpback to curiously approach the Lifeforce research boat when we relocated our work to Vancouver Island. She was alone because they are only raised by mom during the first year. This time she had no interest in the boat or me as she was totally immersed with the log," Hamilton said. 

Lifeforce Ocean Friends promotes the conservation of whales through education about whale habitats and needs.