Humpback Whales

• SIZE: Avg adult male 46ft (14m), 25 tons. Avg adult female 49ft (15m), 35 tons. At birth 16ft (5m), 2 tons.
• BODY: Stocky body with flat, broad head. Series of fleshy knobs on rostrum and lower lip. Up to 400 two ft long (0.7m) dark baleen plates per side and 12-36 ventral throat grooves. Flippers elongate (one-third body length) and flukes broad with irregular trailing edge.
• COLOR: Body black with some white on throat and belly. White on flippers and flukes.
• DORSAL FIN: Fin small, shape varies (can distinguish individuals). Seen at same time as blow.
• BLOW: Broad and bushy, to 10ft (3m) high.
• BEHAVIOR: Usually congregate in groups of 2-12 but larger congregations are common on both winter and summer grounds. Acrobatic: breaching, spyhopping, and lobtailing are common. Variety of vocalizations including complex songs.
• DIVE PATTERN: Blow 4-10 times at 20-30 sec intervals between dives lasting 3-28 mins. Flukes show prior to deep dives.
• HABITAT: Pelagic and coastal. Feed and breed over shallow banks but may traverse open ocean during migration.
• FOOD HABITS: Prey on euphausids and small schooling fish; some use bubbles to help capture prey.
• LIFE HISTORY: Sexually mature at 4-7 yrs. Breed in winter. Single calf born every 1-3 yrs. after gestation of 11.5 mos. Lactation lasts 6-10 mos. May live 50 yrs.
• STATUS AND HUMAN INTERACTIONS: Endangered. Approx. 10,000 worldwide, less than 2000 in N. Pacific. Protected from commercial harvest since 1966.
• CREDIT: Wording from "Guide to Marine Mammals of Alaska" by Kate Wynne. Drawings by Pieter Folkens. All rights reserved.