| Whale, Humpback | |||
| Genus | Megaptera | ||
| Species | novaeangliae | ||
| Status | Endangered | ||
| Number Left | Fewer than 10,000 | ||
| Habitat | Ocean | ||
| Distribution | The Atlantic and north Pacific oceans | ||
| Length | 57 feet (17.5 meters) | ||
| Weight | 10.5 tons (10,670 kg) | ||
| Behavior | Humpback whales can hold their breath for up to one hour. They breathe through blowholes, which are nostril-like organs at the top of their head. Their breath can blow a cloud of vapor that can be seen from far away. | ||
| Feeding | The humpback whale belongs to the toothless, or baleen family. Baleen are long, rough, hairy growths that hand down from the roofs of its mouth and help collect food. As the whale swims, the baleen act as a sieve, trapping krill, plankton, and tiny fish. | ||
| Communication | Humpbacks are famous for their beautiful and eerie songs. They can last as long as thirty minutes. Solitary males sing these songs in ther winter breeding grounds, but the cause is not known. Some scientists think they do this to attract mates. | ||
| Conservation |
During the nineteenth century, the demand for whale products grew so large that over two million whales were killed in commercial whale hunts. Their blubber, or fatty material beneath the whale's skin, was boiled down to make oil for lamps. Baleen was used to make items like wagon springs and women's undergarments.
In 1966, laws were finally passed against the whaling of humpbacks. Because of this, their population has slowly increased, but the killing of whales continues. Some countries try to say they are involved only in "scientific whaling." They claim to catch whales in order to study them, when in fact the animals are still cut up and sold for profit. | ||
| Interesting Facts |
Whales are the largest animals on earth, and even though they look like fish, they are actually warm-blooded mammals.
Baleen whales are usually much larger than toothed whales. Scientists use photographs of each humpback whale's tail to identify individual animals. Each tail pattern is unique, just like human fingerprints. | ||
| Animal Communication Panel | |||
