Humpack Whale

Facts about Humpack Whales, "Scientific name for Humpback whaleis Megaptera novaeangliae" Humpack Whales are found in oceans and seas around the world. The Humpack Whale are species of baleen whales and among the largest in rorqual species.

The Humpack Whale are known for their stocky bodies that have hump and black dorsal coloring. Their heads and lower jaws have knobs known as tubercles and these tubercles have hair follicles. The Humpack Whale tails have wavy trailing edges and when the animals are diving in the water the tails are noticeable.

The tail fins are black and white and they are very long in fact they are believed to be a third of the body length. The pectoral fins have very unique patterns which gives them their identity. No cetacean that has such long fins that these humpback whales and they play a very major role in the whale’s life. Due to their size, they help the humpback whales have an increased temperature control. This is helpful especially in cold and warm climates when the whales are migrating.

In each side of the Humpack Whale mouth you can see the baleen plates. These plates measure around 18 inches(45.7 cm) in the front and 0.91 m long in the back. Their dorsal fins are visible when the whales resurface from the water but disappear afterwards.

Humpback whales females reach maturity at the age of five. Their male counter parts reach at the age of seven years. The females are slightly larger than the females measuring around 6 to 6 13/64 inches (15 to 16 cm) long though there were cases of 19 meters reported. The males are around 42 1/2 to 46 feet (13 to 14 meters) long. Their pectoral fins measures around 6 meters long. the largest ever humpback whale to have been reported was around 89 ft (27 meters) long weighing around 99.2tons (90 metric tons).

The Humpback whales are differentiated by their sexual organs. The females have hemispherical lobe of around 38.1 inches (15 cm) in diameter around their genital area whereas the male’s penis is hidden in the genital slit.

The Humpback whale are not social animals. The Humpback whale are only seen groups when foraging but hardly maintain a close knit. The female Humpback whales have been observed to maintain long time bond after a cooperative feeding.

Humpback whales court during winter months. This usually happens after their migration which always takes place during summer. The males enter into fight trying to mark their breeding territory. The Humpback whale form competitive groups and fight with the beaten party giving up for the strong ones. The fighting involves tail-slapping, peduncle throws and parrying among others. The sing a song that takes around 20 minutes and though the significance of the song is not well known, it is believed to be a mating song to establish their dominance.

Female Humpback whale breed after every two to three years. Gestation period lasts for around 11 1/2 months. The birth occurs around January, February, July and August.

The newborn are born measuring 20 feet (6 meters) which is considered to be the size of their mothers head. The Humpback whale are nursed for around six months where after they are introduced to solid foods and mix that with sucking for another six months. Their milk is known to be very fat at around 50 percent and pink in color.

Humpback whales are heavy feeders that feed on krill and schooling fish. They are known of feeding during summer.