Females nurse their calves for almost a year, though it takes far longer than that for a humpback whale to reach full adulthood. Calves do not stop growing until they are 10 years old. Humpbacks are powerful swimmers, and they use their massive tail fins, called flukes, to propel themselves through the water and sometimes completely out of it.
These whales, like others, regularly leap from the water, landing with a tremendous splash. Scientists aren't sure if this breaching behavior serves some purpose, such as cleaning pests from the whale's skin, or whether whales simply do it for fun. How scientists are unlocking the hidden world of whale culture. A favorite of whale watchers, humpbacks also slap the water with their flukes and pectoral fins, rise nose-first out of the water called "spyhopping" , and do penduncle throws, a behavior unique to this species in which they raise their entire rear torso and tail out of the water, twist, and slam their lower half down onto the ocean surface.
Rarer displays include flapping their fins like wings and occasionally gathering in "super groups" of as many as , though scientists don't know why. Humpback whale numbers were severely reduced before the ban on commercial whaling, but the numbers in many population groups have since improved. Today, the biggest threats to humpback whales are collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing gear.
All rights reserved. Common Name: Humpback Whale. Scientific Name: Megaptera novaeangliae. Type: Mammals. Diet: Omnivore. Whale watching vessels, recreational boats, and other vessels may cause stress and behavioral changes in humpback whales. Because humpback whales are often found close to shore and generally surface in an active state, they tend to be popular whale watching attractions. There are several areas within the United States where humpback whales are the central attraction for the whale watching industry, including the Gulf of Maine particularly within the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary , California, Alaska particularly southeast Alaska , and the Hawaiian Islands.
Our work includes:. Partnering to implement the Whale SENSE program , a whale watching stewardship, education, and recognition program to increase wildlife viewing standards. We conduct various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of humpback whales.
The results of this research are used to inform management decisions and enhance recovery efforts for this ecologically, economically, and socially important species that is endangered in certain areas.
Collaborating with international scientists to track the movements and behavior of humpback whales as they migrate across international boundaries. Be responsible when viewing marine life in the wild. Observe all larger whales from a safe distance of at least yards by sea or land. Learn more about our marine life viewing guidelines. Report a sick, injured, entangled, stranded, or dead animal to make sure professional responders and scientists know about it and can take appropriate action.
Numerous organizations around the country are trained and ready to respond. Never approach or try to save an injured or entangled animal yourself—it can be dangerous to both the animal and you. Learn who you should contact when you encounter a stranded or injured marine animal. Vessel collisions are a major cause of injury and death for whales. Here are some tips to avoid collisions:.
Watch your speed in areas of known marine mammal occurrence. Keep speeds to 10 knots or less to reduce potential for injury. Keep a sharp lookout. Look for blows, dorsal fins, tail flukes, etc. However, be aware that most captains report never seeing a whale prior to colliding with it. Protect your boat, protect your passengers. Boats can be heavily damaged and even "totalled" after colliding with a large whale. Collisions can also injure passengers. Stop immediately if within yards.
Slowly distance your vessel from the whale. Learn more about vessel strikes. This hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone in the United States. NOAA Fisheries has made significant progress toward the protection of humpback whales worldwide. We have taken many steps to reduce injury and mortality caused by fishing gear, reduce the threat of vessel collisions, minimize the effects of vessel disturbance and noise, and protect habitats that are essential to the survival and recovery of this species.
NOAA Fisheries developed a recovery plan in to identify actions that would advance the recovery of this species and protect its habitats. Reduce or eliminate injury and mortality caused by fisheries and fishing gear and by vessel collisions. Collect as much data as possible from dead whales through our Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Program. Given the change in listing status of humpback whales in , we are currently evaluating recovery plan needs for the currently listed DPSs.
Read the recovery plan for the humpback whale. Together with our partners, we undertake numerous activities to support the directives of the humpback whale recovery plan, protect humpbacks, and reduce adverse impacts from human activities.
NOAA Fisheries collaborated with state and federal agencies to create a monitoring plan for the nine distinct population segments of humpback whales that have recovered and are no longer protected under the ESA. Although the original listing of this species predated the requirement for critical habitat designations, the revision to the humpback whale listing under the ESA triggered the requirement for NOAA Fisheries to designate critical habitat to the maximum extent prudent and determinable.
A proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the Central America, Mexico, and Western North Pacific DPSs of humpback whales was published in and a final rule was published on April 21, Learn more about the critical habitat designation. Humpback whale at water's surface. In , the U. Around humpbacks spend spring and summer in the rich feeding grounds of Stellwagen Bank before they head south in the late fall to mate and give birth in the warmer waters of the Dominican Republic.
The sister sanctuary agreement strengthens coordination and management efforts between the two sanctuaries and improves humpback whale recovery in the North Atlantic. NOAA Fisheries supports responsible viewing of marine mammals in the wild and has adopted a guideline to observe all large whales from a safe distance of at least yards by sea or land in all areas.
In addition, federal approach regulations for humpback whales in Alaska and Hawaii require, with limited exceptions, that you:. Not place your vessel in the path of oncoming humpback whales, causing them to surface within yards of your vessel. WhaleSENSE is a voluntary education and recognition program developed by NOAA Fisheries and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation in collaboration with the whale watching industry to recognize whale watching companies committed to responsible practices in the U.
Atlantic and Alaska. Entanglement in fishing gear is a leading cause of serious injury and death for many whale species, including humpback whales. In the Pacific, we are working with state fishery management working groups to reduce the risks of entanglements in Dungeness crab pot fisheries, including the California Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program RAMP used to detect and respond to increased entanglement risk.
NOAA Fisheries Science Centers are engaged in significant efforts to improve the scientific understanding of the drivers that may be influencing the risks of entanglements for whales along the U.
William Benton, Publisher, Chicago. Encyclopedia Britannica, vol The New Encyclopedia Britannica, vol Univeristy of Chicago Press, Chicago. David Macdonald, ed. Humpback whale. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Facts on File Press, New York. Ridgway, S. Ridway and Sir Richard Harrison, eds. Handbook of Marine Mammals.
Academic Press Harcourt Brace, London. Beddington, R. Beverton, and D. Lavigne, eds. Megaptera novaengliae. Marine Mammals and Fisheries. George Allen Unwin, London. Weinrich, M. Schilling, and C. Evidence for acquisition of a novel feeding behaviour: lobtail feeding in humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae. Animal Behaviour, 44 6 Wiley, D. Does maternal condition affect the sex ratio of offspring in humpback whales?
Animal Behaviour,46 2 Leatherwood, S. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. To cite this page: Kurlansky, M. Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts.
While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control. Megaptera novaeangliae humpback whale Facebook. Geographic Range Humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae , live in polar and tropical waters, particularly those of the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans. Biogeographic Regions arctic ocean native atlantic ocean native pacific ocean native Habitat The habitat of humpback whales consists of polar to tropical waters, including the waters of the Artic, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, as well as the waters surrounding Antartica and the Bering Strait.
Baleen plates are usually all black with blackish bristles. Mating System polygynous The reproductive habits of humpback whales are typically mammalian. Range number of offspring 1 low Average number of offspring 1 Average number of offspring 1 AnAge Range gestation period 11 to Behaviors seen during courtship and feeding are as follows: A whale may slap the water with one of its pectoral flippers. Belly flipping. A whale may lie on its back and alternately slap the water with one flipper at a time.
Head up. A whale may raise the dorsal portion of its head horizontally to the surface, then sink back down underwater without tavelling foward.
Rolling corollaries of the animal include a raised flipper or flukes lifted vertiically, not horizontally Megaptera novaeangliae also shows aggressive behaviors. Key Behaviors natatorial diurnal motile migratory territorial social Communication and Perception Perception Channels tactile chemical Food Habits Like minke whales, and fin whales , humpbacks are generalized feeders.
Humpbacks have five main feeding behaviors the first three are more commonly observed than the last two : Ring of foam. Humpbacks have an elaborate feeding behavior in which they lie on the ocean's surface and swim in a circle. While doing so, they strike the water with their flukes forming a "ring of foam," which surrounds their prey. Then, they dive under the ring and resurface in the center with mouth open, allowing them to capture the prey within the ring.
Humpbacks feed by swimming vertically or obliquely up through aggregations of plankton or fish. This occurs only when their food is abundant. Bubble behavior. When these whales use underwater exhalation to create bubble clouds and bubble columns. Tail slashing. In this method of feeding, the individual whale swims in a large circle while slashing its tail through the water.
The actual feeding takes place in the center of the turbulence. Inside loop behavior. A whale can make a shallow dive, while hitting the water with its fluke as it submerges. Sexual maturity is reached at about five years of age and females usually give birth every second year thereafter. Humpback whales were very heavily exploited during centuries of commercial whaling.
Despite the extreme reductions in numbers, humpbacks seem to be making a strong recovery following protection. Aboriginal people hunt humpback whales in small numbers, but greater mortality levels occur due to entanglement with fishing gear and collisions with ships. This species is protected in Svalbard. Humpbacks have shown a strong recovery following the cessation of commercial whaling and they are sightings in Svalbard are increasing, particularly on the west coast of Spitsbergen and in the Hinlopen and Olga Straits.
In a white humpback was observed; this was the first official registration of a leukistic individual in the northern hemisphere and in the Atlantic Ocean. Skip to main content. Humpback whale. Norwegian Polar Institute » Arter » Humpback whale. Description Humpbacks are one of the most easily recognized and best known of the large whales.
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