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.
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
Systematics | Order: whales (Cetacea) / suborder: baleen whales (Mysticeti) / family: furrow whales (Balaenopteridae) |
Species name | Scientific: Megaptera novaeangliae / Trivial: humpback whale |
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 |
Height Weight | approx. 15 meters (12-18m) / up to 30 tons |
Reproduction | Sexual maturity at 5 years / gestation period 12 months / litter size 1 young animal / mammal |
Life expectancy | about 50 years |
Living Space | Ocean, likes to be near the coast |
Way of life | alone or in small groups, techniques of common hunting known, seasonal migration, feeding in summer quarters, reproduction in winter quarters |
Nutrition | Plankton, krill, small fish / food intake only in summer quarters |
distribution area | in all oceans; Summer in polar waters; Winter in subtropical and tropical waters |
Population size | approx. 84.000 sexually mature animals worldwide (Red List 2021) |
Protection status | Before whaling was banned in 1966 only a few thousand, since then population recovery, Red List 2021: low concern, population increasing |
Nature & animals • animals • Animal lexicon • Mammals • Marine Mammals • whales • humpback whale • Whale watching
AGE ™ has discovered humpback whales for you:
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.
Facts that help with whale watching:
Important characteristics of the humpback whales
Classification: Baleen whale
Size: about 15 meters long
Blow: 3-6 meters high, clearly audible
Dorsal fin = fin: small and inconspicuous
Tail fin = fluke almost always visible when diving
Special feature: longest pinball machine in the animal kingdom
Good to see: blow, back, fluke
Breathing rhythm: usually 3-4 times before diving
Dive time: 3-10 minutes, maximum 30 minutes
Acrobatic jumps: often (especially in the winter quarters)
Whale 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 & animals • animals • Animal lexicon • Mammals • Marine Mammals • whales • humpback whale • Whale watching
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