Elding began its dedicated research of the three main encountered species, white-beaked dolphins, minke whales and humpback whales, in the year 2007. Our research area is within the bay of Faxaflói, just outside of Reykjavík, and is conducted during our daily whale watching tours.
Our head research coordinate recently wrote an article on the humpback whale we encounter on our tours: "Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglia) are a part of the baleen whale family and can be seen in oceans around the world. They occur both in polar and tropical waters, as they are a migratory species. Polar regions serve them as their feeding habitat whereas the subtropical and tropical regions are their birthing grounds. While migrating between these regions, humpback whales can cover incredible distances of up to 25,000 km!! They are loved by whale watchers everywhere as they are famous for their acrobatic jumps, their curiosity and playfulness."
Learn more about the humpback whales of the world here.