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Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
Subspecies
None
Life span
They live for up to 77 years.
Statistics
Body length is 11.5m-15m. They weigh 25-30 tonnes.
Physical Description
These whales are black or grey except for their long flippers and underside of flukes, which carry white patterns. They have a small dorsal fin located on a hump and bumps on their head, jaw and flippers.
Distribution
Humpbacks have a 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.
Diet
Humpbacks are generalised feeders. They are highly opportunistic and mobile. 95 per cent of the North Atlantic humpbacks diet is fish and feeding takes place in the summer. The baleen is made of keratin and is an adaptation for filter feeding.
Behaviour
Humpbacks live in groups of 2-5.
Reproduction
Breeding takes place in tropical waters in the winter, usually once every two years.
Conservation status
Humpbacks are rare although there has been some recovery of populations in recent years.
Notes
Humpbacks are very energetic and show spectacular breaching behaviour. Individuals can be identified from flipper markings, allowing them to be studied by scientists.
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