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Facts and Knowledge:
During its migration the humpback whale can be seen in coastal waters around the world. At breeding sites it utters a mournful "song" that is one of the most haunting sounds ever heard. The humpback whale is easy to distinguish from other baleen whales. It has a broad tail, long, white edged flippers, and prominent knobs on its snout. The humpback's narrow flippers are almost one third of its body length. They help this giant mammal maneuver with grace both under the water and at its surface.
Habits:The humpback whale may be found in all the oceans of world at certain times of year. There are three times of year. There are three main populations: on in the North Pacific, and one in the North Atlantic, and one in southern oceans. These populations are divided into separate "stocks". The humpback breeds in warm coastal waters. Its spends the rest of the year in colder regions. Migration betweein the two areas follows set routes, and there is little missing between different stocks. One of the longest migrations is undertaken by Antarctic whales.
They swim 4,000 miles north and breed in the Gulf of Panama. Humpbacks are often a female and her calf at the breeding area. These clusters may be males vying for the females attention and acting as escorts. Threat displays of the humpback include blowing a screen of bubbles, lashing the tail sideways through the water, and crashing the tail on the waters surface. The whale often spyhops (raises its head vertically about the waves) or breaches (leaps out of the water to return with a tremendous splash). It may also lie belly up with its flippers in the air.
Breeding:The humpback usually utters its evocative song during breeding season. Most "singers" are solitary males trying to attract mates. The song is a sequence of cries, chirps, clicks, moans, and groans. It varies from one whale to the next and may last for 35 minutes. It can be heard underwater for 18 miles. Mating has not been directly observed. But whale s have been diving together and rising vertically to the surface, belly to belly, and it is thought that they are mating at these times.
Gestation lasts almost a year, and the young are born back at the warm breeding grounds. The newborn calf is 13 to 16 ft long. It stays close to its mother for a year, taking at least 10 gallons of milk from her everyday for the first five months. The bond between mother and calf is very strong. The female humpback has been known to protect her calf even when she has been mortally wounded by harpoons.
Food & Feeding: The humpback whale spends spring and summer, and fall in its polar feeding areas. In the Southern Hemisphere it feeds mainly on krill. In the north it eats capelin and shoal fish. WHen food is plentiful near the surface, the whale lunges toward it with its jaws wide open, taking in a mouthful of water and prey. Grooves under its jaw allow it to enlarge its mouth cavity for this purpose. The whale strains the water out through it baleen plates (horny filtering in the sides of the mouth), leaving the prey inside. The humpback uses various methods to trap prey. Tail slapping and breaching may startle fish. Rising bubbles or "nets" or air from whales that are deep underwater can confuse and enclose prey..
Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle, related Species
Height:
Length; Adults, 42 to 45 ft. up
to 52 ft
Weight: Adults about 72 tons
Breeding:
Sexual maturity: 2 to 5 years
Breeding Season: WInter female breeds
every 2 - 3 years
Gestation: 11 to 12 months
No of young: 1 calf , rarely
2
Weaning: 1 Year
Lifestyle:
Habit: Sociable, migratory
Call: Complex songs lasting 6 - 35 minutes
and other sporadic sounds. Frequencies from 40 to 50 khz
Diet: krill, fish, squid
Life span: up to 50 years
Related species: The humpback is one of
the six species in the Balaenopteridae family that have a dorsal fin.
The others are the blue, fin, sei, minke, and Brvde's whales.
Distribution: The humpback whale frequents
cold and polar seas for the most of the year and subtropics and tropical
in winter. A few populations live year round in the tropics.
Conservation: Hunting has reduced the
total population of the humpback whale from about 150,000 to between 6,000
and 8,000. Commercial hunting has ended , but the population is still vulnerable.
The Humpback Whale:
Blowhole: On top of the head. Spray
may rise to about 10 feet.
Snout: Covered in knobs.
Tail: Very large flukes may be slapped
hard on the water to make a loud noise.
Flippers: Long, powerful, and serrated.
Used in surface displays and to protect young.
Hump: Visible when the whale rises to
blow a number of times.
Tail: Raised just before the whale arches
forward to sound. (dive).
Did you know:
Scientist did not record the humpbacks whales
complex song until 1969. Recordings of the song have been sent into
space on the Voyager probes.
The humpback usually swim at 2 to 9 miles per
hour, but it can reach 17 mph.
The humpback whale sometimes makes threat
displays against boats, especially when they are on its breeding grounds.
An average humpback needs over a ton of food
per day, containing more than one million calories.
Scars from the teeth of killer whales are often
seen on humpbacks, especially on the tail. But it is unlikely that
the predators could kill a healthy adult humpback whale.
The humpback dives deep to feed, even to the
seabed 650 feet down. It has been known to stay under water for 30
minutes.
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