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Scientific Name: Megaptera
novaeangliae (Long-winged New Englander)
Size: 40-50
feet
Weight: 35-45 tons (equal to the weight of 500 people!)
Speed: 16 mph maximum
Status: Endangered
Humpback
whales have a distinctive pigmentation pattern on the underside of their tail or
fluke. This black and white pattern
can be seen when the whale lifts its fluke out of the water when it dives.
The pattern is different for each humpback, allowing researchers to identify
individuals without the use of synthetic markers. The pattern also helps
researchers to estimate population, life expectancy and migration patterns.
Notice the very different fluke patterns below:
  
Humpback
whales have the longest pectoral fins of any whale in relationship to their body
length. The flippers are up to a
third of the total length of the whale, or about 15 feet long.
The flippers are also primarily white throughout the North Atlantic
population.
Humpbacks are famous for their songs that they
sing. These songs are structurally
similar to the songs of birds. In
the winter, when the whales are on their breeding grounds (Silver Bank, Puerto
Rico for the North Atlantic population), the male humpbacks will hold their
breath and sing for up to an hour. All
the males of the same population sing the same song, and that song changes a
little each year, as if they are changing a verse. Most commonly, it is believed
that these songs are used to attract a female, though other theories exist.
One such theory is that the songs are used to establish a territory.
Rarely will a male humpback approach another male who is singing.
The
humpback whale is frequently seen off the New England coast during the summer.
They gather near off shore ledges and banks where small fish are
plentiful. Humpbacks are baleen
whales, meaning they have no teeth. Instead,
they have hundreds of hard, flexible plates of baleen inside their mouth.
Each plate has a hair-like fringe on the inner edge.
The baleen acts like a strainer to help the whale collect its food.
The whale finds a school of small fish, like sand eels or herring, or
cloud of krill, opens it mouth and engulfs the school or cloud.
Then it pushes all the water out of its mouth and past the baleen plates.
As this happens, all the small fish or krill get trapped on the inner
hairy edge. The whale then scoops off the food with its tongue and
swallows it whole. Occasionally, we
are lucky enough to witness Humpbacks feeding in the areas where we watch them.
Where
to Go to Watch Humpback Whales
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