A Deep Dive into the World of Humpback Whales

🌊The Gentle Giants of the ocean🌊

Humpback whales live in all oceans around the world. They travel great distances every year and have one of the longest migrations of any mammal on the planet. Some populations swim 5,000 miles from tropical breeding grounds to colder, more productive feeding grounds. Humpback whales feed on shrimp-like crustaceans (krill) and small fish, straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates, which act like a sieve.

The humpback whale gets its common name from the distinctive hump on its back. Its long pectoral fins inspired its scientific name, Megaptera, which means “big-winged” and novaeangliae, which means “New England,” in reference to the location where European whalers first encountered them. Humpback whales are a favorite of whale watchers―they are often active, jumping out of the water and slapping the surface with their pectoral fins or tails.

👉🏻Discover more from NOAA Fisheries👈🏻

We think humpback whales are pretty flippin' cool! 🐋 Here are just a few reasons why:

Humpback whales grow up to 60 feet (18.3 m) long and 80,000 pounds (36.3 metric tons).
Humpback whales can live for 80 to 90 years.
Humpback whales have some of the longest migrations of any mammal with some populations swimming 5,000 miles (8,047 km) between breeding and feeding grounds. Populations that migrate between Alaska and Hawaii can complete the 3,000-mile (4,828 km) trip in just 36 days.
Humpback whales eat up to 3,000 pounds (1.4 metric tons) of food a day, including krill and small fish.
Male humpback whales create and sing songs that can be heard up to 20 miles away.
Humpback whales are named for the distinctive hump on their backs.
Humpback whales are active and can be seen breaching out of the water, slapping the surfacing with their fins and tails and twirling underwater.
Humpback whale tails can be as wide as 18 feet (5.5 m).
The scientific name for humpback whales, Megaptera, translates to “big-winged” in reference to their long pectoral fins.

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