- Related Topics:
- bubblenetting
humpback whale
News •
-
What is a humpback whale?
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a baleen whale known for its elaborate courtship songs and displays. They range from 39 to 52 feet (12 to 16 meters) in length and weigh about 40 short tons (36 metric tons).
Humpbacks are mainly black on the upper surface and have varied amounts of white below. They are distinguished from other baleen whales by their long, narrow flippers, which are about a third as long as their body. Humpbacks filter feed on krill, plankton, and small fish. They are protected from commercial whaling, and many populations have increased.
5 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is the humpback whale considered a mammal?
The humpback whale is considered a mammal because it possesses key characteristics of mammals. These include having hair (though significantly reduced in some species), giving birth to live young (viviparous), and nourishing their young with milk from mammary glands. Like all cetaceans, humpback whales breathe air, surfacing to exhale through a blowhole in an explosive ventilation. Unlike terrestrial mammals, cetaceans do not breathe reflexively; if they lose consciousness, they stop breathing.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where do humpback whales live?
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) live along the coasts of all oceans and migrate between polar feeding areas in the summer and tropical or subtropical breeding grounds in the winter. They sometimes swim close to shore, even into harbors and rivers. Humpbacks in the Antarctic migrate to the tropics, and can be divided into five distinct populations that migrate separately, though interchange may occur. One humpback whale was seen near the Antarctic Peninsula and later off the coast of Colombia, traveling approximately 8,334 km.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What do humpback whales eat and how do they get their food?
Humpback whales are baleen whales that filter feed on shrimplike crustaceans called krill, small fish, and plankton. They trap these small marine organisms by taking in large mouthfuls of water and using their baleen plates to filter the food.
Humpbacks also use a unique feeding method called bubblenetting, where they blow bubbles in a circle to trap their prey in one place, making it easier to catch large amounts of food at once. This is often carried out by a group of whales working together.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How do humpback whales communicate with each other?
Humpback whales, among the most vocal of all whales, communicate through a variety of sounds, including moans, cries, groans, and snores, which they string together into complex songs lasting 5–35 minutes. These songs, primarily used by males during courtship, help to attract females and assert dominance.
These songs evolve over time as different groups of whales listen to and incorporate patterns from one another. The sounds carry long distances, potentially across entire ocean basins, using low-frequency signals. Humpbacks produce songs by blowing air through a U-shaped ridge of tissue at the top of their larynx, enabling them to sing underwater without drowning.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What special behaviors or traits make the humpback whale unique compared to other whales?
Humpback whales stand out due to their unique behaviors and traits. They are known for their elaborate courtship songs and complex vocalizations, which are used to communicate and attract mates. Humpbacks are also known for bubblenetting, a unique feeding method where they exhale bubbles to trap prey. They are also one of the most acrobatic cetaceans, breaching and slapping the water. These whales undertake long migrations between polar feeding grounds and tropical breeding grounds.
5 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
humpback whale, (Megaptera novaeangliae), a baleen whale known for its elaborate courtship songs and displays. Humpback whales live along the coasts of all oceans, occasionally swimming close to shore, even into harbours and rivers. They undertake long migrations between polar feeding grounds in summer and tropical or subtropical breeding grounds in winter.
Although the humpback is the only species in the genus Megaptera, it is related to other rorquals of the family Balaenopteridae, including the blue whale, fin whale, and sei whale. The latter portion of the humpback’s species name is a Latin reference to the New England colonies, where it was first scientifically described.
Natural history
Humpbacks usually range from 12 to 16 metres (39 to 52 feet) in length and weigh approximately 36 metric tons (40 short [U.S.] tons). The body is black on the upper surface, with a variable amount of white below, and it has about 30 broad ventral grooves on the throat and chest. This cetacean is distinguished from other baleen whales by its long, narrow flippers, which are about a third as long as the body and scalloped on the forward edge. Humpbacks also have large knobs on the head, jaws, and body, each knob being associated with one or two hairs. The dorsal fin is small and set far back on the body.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
Diet consists of shrimplike crustaceans called krill, small fish, and plankton, which the humpback whale strains out of the water with its baleen. Humpbacks use a unique method of feeding called bubblenetting, in which bubbles are exhaled as the whale swims in a spiral below a patch of water dense with food. The curtain of bubbles confines the prey to a small area in the middle of which one or more whales surface.
Species of Least Concern
The most vocal of all whales, humpbacks make a great variety of sounds, from moans and cries to groans and snores. The whales string these together to form “songs” lasting 5–35 minutes. The songs vary among groups of whales in different regions and undergo gradual but distinctive changes from year to year. The songs of humpbacks also play a significant role in reproduction; a 2026 study of humpback males reported that during periods when populations are abundant, the songs of the oldest males were able to attract more mates than those made by of younger, less-practiced males. However, younger males had more breeding success than older males during low-population periods.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
The humpback is also one of the most acrobatic cetaceans. It frequently breaches by leaping belly-up completely clear of the water, then arching backward and returning to the surface with a loud slapping sound. When beginning a deep dive, the animal hunches its back and rolls steeply forward, bringing its tail out of the water and perpendicular to the ocean surface.
Conservation status
The humpback whale was at one time commercially valuable and was greatly reduced in numbers by overhunting in the early and mid-20th century. It has been protected worldwide from commercial whaling since the mid-1960s, and many populations have increased. These population increases have prompted the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to change the status of the humpback whale from endangered to vulnerablein 1990. The IUCN has classified the humpback whale as a species of least concern since 2008.