The Humpback Whale

Guardians of the Whales

The humpback whale, or Megaptera noveangliae is one of the most well known whales. Classified seperately from other whales similar to it, the humpback whale has long flippers that may grow to almost a third of the body's length. They generally grow to be about nineteen or twenty meters (62 feet, 4 inches) in length and may weigh up to 48 tons. Their color is normally black with patches of white, but each whale has a fluke pattern that is like a human fingerprint. These patterns have allowed scientists to identify and keep track of certain whales. Humpback whales are baleen whales. There ranges from 270 to 400 pairs of baleen plates in their mouths that grow up to 42 centimeters (16 inches) long. They have grooves along their throat that are unlike other whales. The humpback whales are usually found alone or in groups of two or three. During breeding or feeding, they may gather in groups up to fifteen. They can dive for a reported twenty minutes, but most dives average at fifteen minutes. A mature female reproduces every two or so years. After a twelve month gestation period, they give birth to a single calf that is four and a half to five meters long. The calf nurses for ten to eleven months, at which time they are weaned at a length of eight or nine meters long. Humpback whales migrate seasonally between high latitude summer grounds and low latitude winter grounds. They can be found mostly in shelf waters and shallow banks. The humpback is widely distributed in most oceans. Less than a thousand whales can be found in the North Pacific. The North Atlantic contains about 2000 whales. The Southern oceans, who previously numbered in the 100,000's, are believed to contain only 2500 today.

Andrea Vanessa & Erica @ the Advanced Technologies Academy