Humpback Whale Facts
Scientific name: Megaptera novaeangliae
Humpback
whales are majestic and mysterious creatures; not to mention LARGE! An average
adult can be as long as 50 feet and weigh between 34-45 tons. That is an average
of 70,000 pounds, which is the weight of two and a-half school busses.
Humpback whales spend winter in the Northern Hemisphere feeding on the abundant
krill available in the cold water. During the winter months they migrate south
to warmer waters where cows (female whales) usually give birth to their calves.
At birth, a calf can weigh 1.5 tons and measure 15 feet in length! A calf will
nurse from its mother for about 11 months and during this time it can double in
size.
Whale Songs
One unique characteristic of the
Humpback whale is its production of sounds, also considered social
vocalizations. Both male and female whales produce vocal sounds. However, only
males appear to produce songs. They can sing complex and extensive songs that
can last up to 20 minutes, be heard for a 20-mile radius and be repeated for
hours. Interestingly, males only produce the songs on breeding grounds.
Researchers believe they produce the music by circulating air through the tubes
and chambers of their respiratory system. However, they are unsure why the male
humpback whale produces songs. Two prevailing ideas are that the songs are
either a mating call to females or a warning or challenge to other males in the
breeding area
Listen to sounds clips of whale songs loaned to us by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). NOAA believes that most likely the sounds heard in the clips are produced by male humpback whales during a mating season in 30 to 100 feet of water
Just click on the links below!
Whale Cry
(62K)Haunting Whale Cry (86K)
Long Whale Cry (137K)
Whale Trumpet (83K)
Whale Whistle (102K)
About NOAA: NOAA is responsible for all U.S. weather and
climate forecasting, monitoring and archiving of ocean and atmospheric data,
management of marine fisheries and mammals, mapping and charting of all U.S.
waters, coastal zone management, and research and development in all of these
areas. You can find out more at wwww.noaa.gov. The National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) or "NOAA
Fisheries" is a part of NOAA. NMFS administers
NOAA's programs, which support the domestic and international
conservation and
management of living marine resources. To find out more about NMFS, visit their
website at www.nmfs.noaa.gov.
The information provided is meant to be a brief insight into the world of the Humpback whale. For more detailed information and extensive resources, visit your local library or research Humpback whales on the World Wide Web.
Humpback Whale Related Web Sites
Hawaii
Whale Research Foundation -This
comprehensive web site is full of great information on the natural history of
the humpback whale, with emphasis on North
Humpback
Whale "Gentle Giant of the Sea" -
This web site provides extensive information about humpback whales, paticularly
the humpback whales of Hervey Bay Australia.
Voices
in the Sea - This website from Scripps Institute of Oceanography includes amazing sound clips and video of many
species of whales and other marine mammals, as well as interviews with scientists and conservationists.
Whale
Net - An interactive educational web site
which focuses on whales and marine research
The
Curious Humpback - PBS’s Nature on the WEB
Resources, includes general information about humpback whales.
Whale
Acoustic Project - Since 1991, NOAA's
National
Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) in Seattle, Washington and
Pacific
Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) in Newport, Oregon, have
collaborated on a joint study to assess the potential of long-range acoustic
monitoring of free-ranging populations of large cetaceans. This web site has
information on all types of whales and their vocalizations.
Pacific humpbacks in the Hawaiian islands.