📷 Wikimedia Commons · Free License
📷 Giles Laurent
📷 Giles Laurent
IUCN: Least Concern
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassMammalia›OrderArtiodactyla›FamilyBalaenopteridae›GenusMegaptera
About
The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual and is the only species in the genus Megaptera. Adults range in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons.
The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and tubercles on its head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song that typically lasts from 4 to 33 minutes.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Open oceans, polar feeding grounds, tropical breeding grounds
🍃Diet Filter feeder — krill, small schooling fish via bubble-net feeding
📏Size & Weight 13–16 m; 25–30 tonnes
⏳Lifespan 80–90 years
🗺Range All major ocean basins; long annual migrations
MammalMarine
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Open oceans, polar feeding grounds, tropical breeding grounds
🍃Diet Filter feeder — krill, small schooling fish via bubble-net feeding
📏Size & Weight 13–16 m; 25–30 tonnes
⏳Lifespan 80–90 years
🗺Range All major ocean basins; long annual migrations
Photo Credits
#1Wikimedia Commons · Free License
#2Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0
#3Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0
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