Is That a Hump on Your Back or are You Just Happy to See Me?!
By: Matt
| The Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, is a baleen whale and is part of the rorqual family including the fin whale, sei whale, blue whale, Bryde's whale, and minke whale. The whale is given its name based on the shape of its dorsal fin and how it looks when the whale is diving. The genus name, Megaptera, means "large winged" which is based on the wing-like flippers that are usually one-third the length of its body. On the underside of their tail flukes, each whale has a different pattern that is used as "fingerprints" in identifying individual whales. The humpback performs complex and cooperative feeding techniques. They have 14-35 long throat pleats that open up when the whale takes in water during feeding. The humpback has a bulky head with bumpy protuberances that each have a bristle attached for what could be the whales' sense of touch. These whales are very acrobatic by breaching and slapping the water when they come to the surface. In the Northern Hemisphere, humpbacks are 49-52 feet. In the Southern Hemisphere, they can be 60 feet. The average weight for a full grown adult is 35-60 tons. |  |
To listen to a Humpback Whale sing, click here!
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Status, Conservation Efforts, Distribution and Migration
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