Left Column Bottom

Right Column

Humpback Whales

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

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 www.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.

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 Pacific humpbacks in the Hawaiian islands.

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.