Humpback Whale
About
Adult humpbacks can grow to 17 meres long and weigh up to 40 tons (the same as about 28 cars!). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins, several bony bumps on its head and a distinctive hump on their backs. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviours, making it popular with whale watchers. Male humpbacks produce a haunting and quite complex song, and they sometimes sing for over half an hour!
Humpbacks are found in oceans and seas around the world. They swim huge distances every year - over 16 thousand miles, between feeding grounds in cold, polar waters, and tropical or subtropical waters where they breed and give birth.
Like other large whales, the humpback was a target for the whaling industry. Humans once hunted the species to the brink of extinction; its population fell to around 5,000 by the 1960s. Numbers have partially recovered to around 135,000 animals worldwide. Entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution continue to affect the species.
Quick Facts
Lifespan: 80-90 years
Habitat: All oceans
Food: Krill (up to a ton a day!), small fish and plankton
Fun fact: A humpback was recorded at a depth of 616 metres!
Humpbacks are powerful swimmers. They use their huge tail fins, called flukes, to propel themselves through the water, and sometimes leaping completely out of it, landing with a tremendous splash. Scientists aren't sure if this breaching behaviour serves a purpose, or whether whales simply do it because it feels good!
Despite their enormous strength, humpbacks are not very fast swimmers, and they are known as fighters, not runners! Their main predators are orcas, and the whales have developed several defensive and offensive moves:
Breaching: The whale launches at least 40% of its body backwards out of the water, landing with a huge splash. They usually do this just for fun!
Penduncle Throw: The posh name for swinging their massive tail over the surface.
Fin Slap: They swim on their side, slapping the surface with their long fins.
Head Lunge: The whale launches its head out of the water forwards, slapping down on to the surface.
Spy Hopping: This is when the whale pops its head vertically out of the water to have a look around.
Humpbacks are not aggressive, however, and have been observed displaying great kindness. In the icy waters of the Arctic a pair of humpbacks came across a seal stranded on a small chunk of ice. There was a gang of orcas circling around the seal, trying to wash it into the sea. As the whales approached, the seal slipped from the ice and into the water. Despite the dangers, the nearest whale swam in and rolled onto its back, allowing the seal to clamber onto its upturned belly. It then swam away until the seal could escape to safety. Amazing.
Protection
Considered of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of species, and a Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.
If you spot a humpback whale, report your sighting to your local Wildlife Trust. If you spot a humpback whale whilst at sea, maintain a distance of at least 100m. If the whale approaches you, maintain a constant speed and allow them to interact on their own terms and leave at will. If you find a stranded whale (dead or alive), please report it to the local wildlife trust.