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Humpback Whale

(The following information was retrieved from The Kids' Times: Volume II Issue 5 (4/15)

 

Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

 

What do they look like?

Humpback whales are black on their backs and mottled black and white on their  underside.  The shape of the dorsal fin and color pattern on the fluke are as individual to each whale as fingerprints are to humans.  This allows scientists to use these patterns and shapes to identify each whale visually and to distinguish between individuals. 
An adult male humpback whale generally reaches 45-50 feet (13-15 m) in length, and the slightly larger females are 52-56 feet (16-17 m) long.  Adult humpback whales weigh between 25 and 40 tons.  Calves are born only 13-15 feet (4-4.5 m) long, weighing up to 1 ton. 

 

What do they eat? 

A humpback whale’s diet consists mainly of krill, small shrimp-like crustaceans, and small fish such as herring, sand lance, and capelin.  A humpback eats 1-1 ½ tons of food every day!  They do not feed in the winter, but live off the fat reserves stored in their blubber. 

 

Where do they live?

Humpback whales can be found in all the world’s oceans.  They mostly live in coastal and continental shelf waters, though they sometimes feed around seamounts and migrate through deep water.  Every year, they follow a regular migration route from warm waters to cold waters and back.  Some humpback whales make a round trip journey of 10,000 miles!          
In the summer, humpback whales live in  temperate waters where they feed.  In the  winter, they move to tropical waters where  they mate and give birth.

 

Who are their predators?

Killer whales are the main predator of  humpback whales.  Sharks will also attack young, sick, or already dead humpbacks.   
Human activities have also affected humpback whales.  Commercial whalers hunted humpbacks into the 20th century, reducing the number of the  species to possibly 10 percent of the original  population worldwide.  Today, the fact that they live so close to the shore still puts them in danger.  Humpback whales can be hurt or killed by collisions with boats, pollution, and entanglement in fishing gear. 


How many humpback whales are in the ocean?

IAs of 2005, it was estimated that there were approximately 30,000 humpback whales worldwide.  There were approximately 11,600 whales in the North Atlantic, 6,000-8,000 in the North Pacific, and probably at least 17,000 in the entire Southern Hemisphere. Today the estimated number is around 60,000.


Why were they in trouble?

The feeding, mating, and calving grounds of humpback whales are close to shore, and they are slow swimmers.  This made them an easy target for the early whalers.  Between 1905 and 1983, an estimated 200,000 humpbacks were killed in the Southern Hemisphere alone! 


What is being done to help them?

Humpback whales are protected by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, making it illegal to harass or kill a humpback whale in United States’ waters.  In addition, the  International Whale Commission gave humpback whales worldwide protection status in 1966.  Since then it has been illegal to hunt humpback whales  anywhere in the world.  Steps are also being taken to try to reduce ship collisions and fishing gear  entanglement. 

 

Did You Know?

  • Humback Whales can live to be 50 years old!

  • Humpback whales are active and acrobatic. They can throw themselves completely out of the water, during an activity called breaching.

  • Many humpback whales are also home to barnacles that stick to their skin. 

  • Humpback whales produce the most diverse range of sounds known for any whale and some of the longest and most varied sounds of any animal in the world. Their sounds include a  variety of moans, grunts and shrieks produced either by lone individuals or within social groups.

 

 

Today estimations indicate that there are at least 60,000 humpback whales world-wide, however at one point these marine mammals were considered highly endangered due to excessive hunting and commercial whaling.

Since then they have made a huge comeback and are no longer considered a concern from a conservation stand point.

Even though they are no longer considered highly endangered and are currently listed as "vulnerable" (less than threatened) they still face a number of threats from humans such as:

 

  • Noise pollution – As more and more artificial sounds enter the oceans atmosphere growing concerns are developing regarding the likelihood of man-made sounds affecting the hearing of various marine mammal species. These sounds may include sonar, loud jet engines and explosives among other noises.

  • Water pollution – Chemical pollution from oil and other toxic chemicals can have a dramatic affect on whale populations and affect their food supply. Poisoned fish could lead to sickness and death among the whales that consume these foods.

  • Collisions with boats – The increasing use of commercial/personal boats can lead to congested areas of water that may increase the chances of a whale being struck by a passing boat.

  • Overfishing – Areas that are being over fished could lead to shortages in food supplies which could forces the marine mammals to relocate or deal with having difficulties finding food.

  •  

Although not fully understood some researchers and biologists are showing growing concerns regarding the impact some of these types of activities can have on various marine life.

 

10 Fascinating humpback whale facts:

  • A fully grown humpback whale can weigh more than 5 adult elephants, which measure in at 15,000 lbs. each.

  • Humpback whales fast during the winter living off of fat stores they’ve acquired during their feeding season.

  • It is estimated that as much as 90% of the humpback whales population was eliminated during the whaling era.

  • The only known natural predator to hunt humpback whales is a pack of hungry killer whales. Successful attacks are believed to be rare with most attacks ending up in nothing more than scarring and bruises.

  • During mating season only the male humpback whales produce whale songs.

  • Consuming a large variety of fish and krill these marine mammals have the most diverse eating habits of all baleen whales.

  • The scientific name for the humpback whale is, “Megaptera novaeangliae”.

  • Humpback whales are easily identifiable by their abnormally large flippers, big fanned tail and hump-shaped back with a small black dorsal fin.

  • Humpback whales can hunt in cooperative groups of 15 or more when searching for food.

(The following information was retrieved from WhaleFacts.org (4/15)

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