Humpback Whale

Earth:
- Real-life: Least Concern (LC) – IUCN Red List
- EarRes: Endangered (EN) – IUCN Red List
Berbania: Least Concern (LC) – IUCN Red List
Reinachos: Least Concern (LC) – IUCN Red List

The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is one of the larger rorqual species, with adults ranging in length from 12–16 m (39–52 ft) and weighing around 25–30 t (28–33 short tons). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time.

Etymology

Humpback whales are named, predictably, after an obvious hump in front of their small dorsal fin.

Physical Appearance

Humpback whales are named, predictably, after an obvious hump in front of their small dorsal fin. Compared to those of other whales and dolphins, this dorsal fin is small and stubby. This hump is emphasised when they raise and bend their backs in preparation for a dive.

Humpback whales grow to between 15 and 19 metres in length (about the size of a bus) and weigh approximately 40 tons. One of their most noticeable and distinctive features are their long and ungainly-looking pectoral fins (flippers). These can grow to nearly 5 metres long, making them relatively the longest flippers of any baleen whale.

Abilities

Humpback whales can swim, with a typical speed of 5 to 15 km/h and a burst speed of up to 25 km/h. Because of its flexible body and long pectoral fins, this whale is incredibly agile. Some of the most acrobatic large whales, humpback whales engage in play, communication, and parasite removal through their acrobatics, such as tail slapping, pectoral slapping, and breaching. Their massive bodies dwarf our own and they are powerful animals. Yet, they never harm humans and there are many cases of whales intentionally showing their gentle side by avoiding contact that would inflict injury.

Humpback whales are primarily produce clicks, whistles, and pulsed calls as their three main sound types. The purpose of clicks is thought to be navigation and locating physical surroundings. When sound waves hit an object and then return to the whale, the whale can recognize the shape of the object. They grunt, groan, shriek, and even make a low-toned guttural roar. The sounds humpback whales make are called songs. These often include repeated noises and rhythms and can last for a few minutes in some cases and hours in other situations.

Humpback whales are well-known for their coordinated behavior known as "bubble-net feeding," in which they deploy spirals of bubbles to snare fish and filter krill using baleen plates.

Ecology

Like all cetaceans, humpback whales are filter feeders and carnivores. They mostly eat krill, small schooling fish (such as herring, anchovy, sand lance, and capelin), and small crustaceans. On feeding grounds, they consume between 1,000 and 1,500 kilograms of prey per day. This species' role in the ecosystem is to cycle nutrients (nitrogen, iron) from deep water to the surface by dropping their "whale pump." This excrement boosts phytoplankton productivity and is crucial for sequestering carbon in the ocean.

From the 17th to the early 20th centuries, humpback whales were commercially hunted by humans or other races for their meat, oil, and baleen. Although just one or two are caught annually, humpback whales are still killed for subsistence in Greenland and by the Bequians of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is known or assumed that the humpback whales found along the African coast from Gabon to Guinea during the austral winter north of the equator are Southern Hemisphere humpback whales.

Strong, maternally directed fidelity to feeding and breeding grounds is common, while there is occasional switching between grounds, particularly for males but also for females. Whales from the smaller Cape Verde Islands wintering group have so far only been matched with the northeastern feeding grounds, but whales from the Caribbean region have been photographically or genetically matched with whales in each of the summer feeding sites. In the spring, individuals from the Cape Verdes have also been seen in the Azores, where they seem to pause on their route north to eat.

Reproduction

Breeding season: Winter in warm waters
Gestation: ~11–12 months
Calf size: 4–5 m long; ~1,500 lbs at birth
Nursing: 6–10 months, drinking rich milk (up to 50% fat)
Reproductive interval: Every 2–3 years
Mating behavior: Male “singing,” competitions, displays of strength

Behavior

Humpback whales are known for cultural transmission—songs that go across entire oceans—and are quite gregarious on breeding grounds but more solitary on feeding grounds. By nature, these whales—especially the young ones—are gentle and inquisitive. Humpback whales are known to exhibit protective behavior for other species (e.g., pushing seals away from killer whales—likely altruistic or instinct-driven). Although they are normally not harmful, they occasionally approach boats (a behavior known as "mugging").

Although they are still wild creatures, humpback whales can be inquisitive. However, restrictions restrict the amount of time that people can spend in close proximity to whales in order to prevent stress or injury.

Threats and Conservation

Threats

Past whaling (population reduced by >90% before protections)
Ship strikes
Entanglement in fishing gear
Noise pollution disrupting communication
Climate change affecting food supply
Habitat degradation

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List: Least Concern (LC)

Conservation Efforts

Many populations are rebounding dramatically.
Excellent conservation success story compared to other whales.
Some regional populations are endangered (e.g., Arabian Sea).
Protected by international laws (IWC moratorium, Marine Mammal Protection Act).
Habitat protection.
Anti-poaching enforcement.
Rescue and rehabilitation centers.
Awareness campaigns against illegal pet trade.

Distribution and Habitat

Humpback whales can be found in every ocean in the world, but are most concentrated in a band running from the Antarctic ice edge to 81° N latitude. Where they can be commonly fund also depends on the temperature and the time of year. In the summer many spend their time in high-latitude feeding areas such as the Gulf of Alaska or the Gulf of Maine, then in the winter they can be found in the warmer waters near to the equator.

The Humpback Whale is a cosmopolitan species found in all the major ocean basins, and all but one of the subpopulations (that of the Arabian Sea) migrate between mating and calving grounds in tropical waters, usually near continental coastlines or island groups and productive colder-water feeding areas in temperate and high latitudes.

Appendix I: International trade banned and Endangered migratory species
Movement Pattern: Full Migrant
Individual Type: Nomadic/Grouping
Population Trend: Increasing
Population: 84,000
Locomotion: Aquatic
Habitat: Neritic Zone; Pelagic Zone; Benthic Zone.
Earth:
- Extant (Resident): American Samoa; Angola; Anguilla; Antarctica; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Aruba; Australia; Bahamas; Bahrain; Barbados; Belgium; Belize; Benin; Bermuda; Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba; Bouvet Island; Brazil; British Indian Ocean Territory; Brunei Darussalam; Cabo Verde; Cameroon; Canada; Cayman Islands; Chile; China; Christmas Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Colombia; Comoros; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Cook Islands; Costa Rica; Cuba; Curaçao; Côte d'Ivoire; Denmark; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Equatorial Guinea; Falkland Islands; Faroe Islands; Fiji; France; French Guiana; French Polynesia; French Southern Territories; Gabon; Gambia; Galapagos Islands; Germany; Ghana; Greenland; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guam; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Heard Island and McDonald Islands; Honduras; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Jamaica; Japan; Jordan; Kenya; Kiribati; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Liberia; Madagascar; Malaysia; Maldives; Marshall Islands; Martinique; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mayotte; Mexico; Micronesia, Federated States of ; Montserrat; Morocco; Mozambique; Namibia; Nauru; Netherlands; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Nigeria; Niue; Norfolk Island; Northern Mariana Islands; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Peru; Philippines; Pitcairn; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Qatar; Russia; Réunion; Saint Barthelemy; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Martin (French part); Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Sao Tome and Principe; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Sint Maarten (Dutch part); Solomon Islands; Somalia; South Africa; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Spain; Sri Lanka; Suriname; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Sweden; Taiwan, Province of China; Tanzania, United Republic of; Timor-Leste; Togo; Tokelau; Tonga; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; Tuvalu; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; United States Minor Outlying Islands; Uruguay; Vanuatu; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Viet Nam; Virgin Islands, British; Virgin Islands, U.S.; Wallis and Futuna; Western Sahara; Yemen
???