Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
Description
- The humpback whale is black with white patches
on the flippers, bottom surface of the tail flukes and
body; it is identified by this unique back and white
pattern. Males average 47 feet; females, 49 feet. Weight
ranges from 25-45 tons. The head is flattened and the
flippers are the biggest of any species.
Distribution
- The humpback whales summering grounds extend from
British Columbia to much of the Gulf of Alaska and the
winter off of Baja, California and Hawaii. Formerly,
they were abundant along the west coast of Vancouver
Island.
Biology
- They are highly acrobatic animals who breach repeatedly
and have a spectacular blow of 10-13 feet ending in
a beautiful haze of spray. They feed on krill and schooling
fish such as herring, mackerel and cod. The humpback
is usually found in small groups but have been known
to be as large as 200. They mate every 2+ years and
after a years gestation period a 15 foot, 2 ton calf
is born. Due to commercial whaling, less than 2000 humpback
whales are found in the northern Pacific. Now an endangered
and protected species, the numbers are slowly increasing.
Fortunately, many humpbacks are accessible for whale
watching tours.
