Humpback Whale

IUCN

Scientific Name：Megaptera novaeangliae

Basic Information

Scientific classification

name：Humpback Whale
Scientific Name：Megaptera novaeangliae
Outline：Giant Fish
Family：Balaenopteridae Megaptera

Vital signs

length：12–16 m (females slightly larger)
Weight：c. 25–40 t
lifetime：c. 45–90 years

Feature

Very long flippers; bubble‑net feeding; seasonal long‑range migrations; complex songs; frequent breaching and slapping.

Distribution and Habitat

Global—high‑latitude feeding grounds and tropical/subtropical breeding areas; common at upwellings and fronts.

Appearance

Small rear‑set dorsal fin; long knobbed flippers; deep notched flukes with individual black‑white patterns; head/jaw tubercles.

Details

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a medium‑large rorqual famed for itsvery long pectoral fins (up to one‑third of body length) and spectacular breaches. A baleen whale inBalaenopteridae, it feeds mainly on schooling fishes and krill, often using bubble‑net feeding and other cooperative tactics. IUCN global status: Least Concern (LC) (some subpopulations have higher risk categories).

Basics

Scientific name: Megaptera novaeangliae
Length: ~12–16 m (females slightly larger)
Mass: ~25–40 t

Ecology & Behaviour

Feeds intensively at high‑latitude productive grounds in summer and migrates to tropical/subtropical breeding grounds in winter, often travelling thousands of kilometres. Males sing complex, evolving songs during the breeding season. Behaviours include breaching, tail‑ and flipper‑slapping.

Identification

Robust body; very long, knob‑studded flippers; small, variably shaped dorsal fin set far back; deeply notched tail flukes with individual black‑white patterns used for photo‑ID; tubercles on the head and jaw with bristles.

Threats & Conservation

Entanglement & ship strikes in fixed gear and busy shipping lanes.
Noise from vessels and seismic surveys affecting communication/foraging.
Legacy whaling & climate variability—heterogeneous recovery, shifting prey and migration corridors.

Measures: speed and routing in hotspots, ropeless/weak‑link gear trials, quiet‑ship programs, protection of breeding/feeding areas, and long‑term photo‑ID monitoring.

FAQ

Q1. How to distinguish from blue/fin whales?

Humpbacks have very long flippers, a small far‑back dorsal fin and distinctive fluke patterns; blue whales are bluer with tiny rearmost dorsal fins,
while fin whales show asymmetric jaw coloration.

Q2. What is bubble‑net feeding?

A cooperative tactic where whales create a ring or curtain of bubbles to corral fish before lunging upward with open mouths.

Q3. Do all songs sound the same?

No—males in a region share a song that evolves through the season and can spread between populations.

Q4. Are humpbacks coastal?

Breeding occurs in warm, relatively shallow waters; feeding often occurs in high‑latitude coastal systems near upwellings/fronts, so nearshore sightings are common.