humpback whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

adult female 15 m
adult male 13.5 m
newborn calf 4.2 m
weight 30,000 kg to 48,000 kg

width of adult fluke: 4.6 m
length of adult flipper: 4 m

Unconfirmed average 40-50 years
maximum possibly up to 80 years

Males sing elaborate structured songs on the breeding grounds. In areas were group feeding is observed (e.g. Southeast Alaska) it is often accompanied by stereotyped feeding calls

black or dark grey except for variable white patches on the underside of the body, flippers and tail flukes

very long flippers (the longest of all cetaceans)

a small dorsal fin located on a hump

bumps (tubercles) on their head, jaw and flippers

individuals can be identified from fluke markings, allowing them to be studied by scientists

very energetic and show spectacular breaching behavior

Humpback whales spend spring, summer and autumn on feeding grounds in temperate or high latitude waters

In the winter months, they travel to lower latitudes where the water is warmer and where they mate and give birth

one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal

worldwide distribution with two stocks in the North Atlantic Ocean and two stocks in the North Pacific Ocean

The western North Atlantic holds the healthiest population of humpbacks

tiny shrimp-like crustaceans called euphausiids (you-FOH-sids) known as krill

schooling fish such as herring and sand lance

filter feeders-move water through their baleen plates to capture prey

may lunge feed or entrap prey using "bubble nets"

humpback whales reach sexual maturity at approximately five years of age

gestation period is roughly 11 to 12 months

calves nurse for around 10 to 12 months and then leave their mother

adult females typically give birth every two to three years to a single calf

Humpback whale (Atlantic): Not at Risk

Humpback whale (Pacific): Threatened
by Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)