Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) profile, underwater photos

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) profile, underwater photos

Animal Encyclopedia • Humpback Whales • Facts & Photos

from AGE ™ Travel Magazine
Released: Last update on 7,8K Views

Humpback whales belong to the baleen whales. They are around 15 meters long and weigh up to 30 tons. Its upper side is grey-black and therefore rather inconspicuous. Only the large pectoral fins and underside are light colored. When a humpback whale dives, it first makes a hump – this has earned it its trivial name. The Latin name, on the other hand, refers to the large flippers of the whale.

When watching whales, the first thing you see is the blow, which can be up to 3 meters high. Then follows the back with a small, inconspicuous fin. When diving, the humpback whale almost always lifts its tail fin out of the water and gives it momentum with this flapping of its flukes. Especially in their breeding areas, this whale species is known for acrobatic jumps and is therefore a crowd favorite on whale tours.

Each humpback whale has an individual tail fin. The drawing on the underside of the tail is as unique as our fingerprint. By comparing these patterns, researchers can identify humpback whales with certainty.

Humpback whales live in all oceans on earth. They cover large distances on their migrations. Their breeding areas are in tropical and subtropical waters. Their feeding grounds are in polar waters.

One hunting technique used by the humpback whale is "bubble-net feeding". He circles below a school of fish and lets air rise. The fish are caught in a network of air bubbles. Then the whale rises vertically and swims with its mouth open in the school. In large schools, several whales synchronize their hunting.

A species of whale with many records!

How long are the humpback whale's flippers?
They are the longest fins in the animal kingdom and reach a considerable length of up to 5 meters. The Latin name of the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) means "the one with the big wings from New England". He alludes to the unusually large pinball machines of the whale species.

What is so special about the song of the humpback whale?
The song of male humpback whales is one of the richest and loudest voices in the animal kingdom. A study in Australia recorded 622 sounds. And at 190 decibels, the singing can be heard about 20 km away. Each whale has its own song with different verses that change throughout its life. The animals usually sing for about 20 minutes. However, the longest recorded song by a humpback whale is said to have lasted almost 24 hours.

How far do humpback whales swim?
A female humpback whale has long held the record for the longest distance a mammal has traveled to date. Spotted in Brazil in 1999, the same animal was discovered off Madagascar in 2001. Almost 10.000 km of travel were in between, almost a quarter of a circumnavigation of the world. On their migration between summer and winter quarters, humpback whales regularly cover several thousand kilometers. Usually, however, the journey is only half the record distance of around 5.000 km. In the meantime, however, a female gray whale has surpassed the humpback whale record.


Humpback Whale Characteristics - Facts Megaptera novaeangliae
Systematic question - Which order and family do humpback whales belong to? Systematics Order: whales (Cetacea) / suborder: baleen whales (Mysticeti) / family: furrow whales (Balaenopteridae)
Name Question - What is the Latin or Scientific name of Humpback Whales? Species name Scientific: Megaptera novaeangliae / Trivial: humpback whale
Question on Characteristics - What are the special characteristics of humpback whales? characteristics gray-black with a light underside, very long flipper, inconspicuous fin, blows approx. 3 meters high, makes a hump when diving and lifts the caudal fin, individual patterns on the underside of its caudal fin
Size and Weight Question - How big and heavy do humpback whales get? Height Weight approx. 15 meters (12-18m) / up to 30 tons
Reproduction Question - How and when do humpback whales breed? Reproduction Sexual maturity at 5 years / gestation period 12 months / litter size 1 young animal / mammal
Life expectancy question - What is the life expectancy of humpback whales? Life expectancy about 50 years
Habitat Question - Where and how do humpback whales live? Living Space Ocean, likes to be near the coast
Lifestyle question - What is the lifestyle of humpback whales? Way of life alone or in small groups, techniques of common hunting known, seasonal migration, feeding in summer quarters, reproduction in winter quarters
Diet Question - What Do Humpback Whales Eat? Nutrition Plankton, krill, small fish / food intake only in summer quarters
Range Question - Where in the world are humpback whales found? distribution area in all oceans; Summer in polar waters; Winter in subtropical and tropical waters
Population question - How many humpback whales are there worldwide? Population size approx. 84.000 sexually mature animals worldwide (Red List 2021)
Animal Welfare Question - Are Humpback Whales Protected? Protection status Before whaling was banned in 1966 only a few thousand, since then population recovery, Red List 2021: low concern, population increasing
Nature & animalsanimalsAnimal lexicon • Mammals • Marine Mammals • whales • humpback whale • Whale watching

AGE ™ has discovered humpback whales for you:


Animal observation binoculars Animal photography Observing animals Close-up animal videos Where can you see humpback whales?

Breeding area: eg Mexico, Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand
Food intake: eg Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, Antarctica
The photographs for this specialist article were taken in February 2020 Loreto on the Baja California Sur from Mexico, July 2020 in Dalvik and Husavik in North Iceland as well as at Snorkeling with whales in Skjervøy Norway in November 2022.

Snorkeling with whales in Skjervøy, Norway

Facts that help with whale watching:


Background information knowledge landmark vacation Important characteristics of the humpback whales

Animals systematics order subordination family animal lexicon Classification: Baleen whale
Whale Watching Whale Size Whale Whatching Lexicon Size: about 15 meters long
Whale Watching Whale Blas Whale Watching Lexicon Blow: 3-6 meters high, clearly audible
Whale Watching Whale Fin Dorsal Fin Whale Watching Lexicon Dorsal fin = fin: small and inconspicuous
Whale Watching Whale Fluke Whale Watching Tail fin = fluke almost always visible when diving
Whale Watching Whale Specialties Whale Watching Lexicon Special feature: longest pinball machine in the animal kingdom
Whale Watching Whale Detection Whale Watching Lexicon Good to see: blow, back, fluke
Whale watching whale breathing rhythm whale watching animal lexicon Breathing rhythm: usually 3-4 times before diving
Whale Watching Whale Dive Time Whale Watching Lexicon Dive time: 3-10 minutes, maximum 30 minutes
Whale Watching Whale Jumping Whale Watching Animal Lexicon Acrobatic jumps: often (especially in the winter quarters)


Whale Watching Whale Fluke Whale WatchingWhale Watching with AGE™

1. Whale watching - on the trail of the gentle giants
2. Snorkeling with whales in Skjervoy, Norway
3. With diving goggles as a guest at a herring hunt of the orcas
4. Snorkeling and Diving in Egypt
5. Antarctic voyage with the expedition ship Sea Spirit
6. Whale watching in Reykjavik, Iceland
7. Whale Watching Hauganes near Dalvik, Iceland
8. Whale watching in Husavik, Iceland
9. Whales in Antarctica
10. Amazon river dolphins (Inia geoffrensis)
11. Galapagos cruise with the motor sailer Samba


Nature & animalsanimalsAnimal lexicon • Mammals • Marine Mammals • whales • humpback whale • Whale watching

Copyrights and Copyright
Texts and photos are protected by copyright. The copyrights of this article in words and images are entirely owned by AGE ™. All rights reserved. Content for print / online media can be licensed on request.
Source reference text research

Cooke, JG (2018) :. Megaptera novaeangliae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018. [online] Retrieved on April 06.04.2021, XNUMX, from URL: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/13006/50362794

IceWhale (2019): Whales around Iceland. [online] Retrieved on April 06.04.2021th, XNUMX, from URL: https://icewhale.is/whales-around-iceland/

Online Focus, tme / dpa (23.06.2016): Female gray whale covers record distance. [online] Retrieved on April 06.04.2021th, XNUMX, from URL:
https://www.focus.de/wissen/natur/tiere-und-pflanzen/wissenschaft-grauwal-schwimmt-halbes-mal-um-die-erde_id_4611363.html#:~:text=Ein%20Grauwalweibchen%20hat%20einen%20neuen,nur%20noch%20130%20Tiere%20gesch%C3%A4tzt.

Spiegel Online, mbe / dpa / AFP (13.10.2010): Humpback whale swims almost 10.000 kilometers. [online] Retrieved on April 06.04.2021th, XNUMX, from URL:
https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/rekord-buckelwal-schwimmt-fast-10-000-kilometer-weit-a-722741.html

WWF Germany Foundation (January 28.01.2021, 06.04.2021): Species lexicon. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). [online] Retrieved on April XNUMXth, XNUMX, from URL:
https://www.wwf.de/themen-projekte/artenlexikon/buckelwal

WhaleTrips.org (oD): humpback whales. [online] Retrieved on April 06.04.2021th, XNUMX, from URL: https://whaletrips.org/de/wale/buckelwale/

Wikipedia authors (March 17.03.2021, 06.04.2021): Humpback whale. [online] Retrieved on April XNUMXth, XNUMX, from URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckelwal

More AGE ™ reports

This website uses cookies: You can of course delete these cookies and deactivate the function at any time. We use cookies in order to be able to present the contents of the homepage to you in the best possible way and to be able to offer functions for social media as well as to be able to analyze the access to our website. In principle, information about your use of our website can be passed on to our partners for social media and analysis. Our partners can combine this information with other data that you have provided to them or that they have collected as part of your use of the services. Agree More information