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humpback whale

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humpback whale

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Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching.
(credit: Al Giddings—Images Unlimited)
Long-finned baleen whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). They live along all major ocean coasts, sometimes swimming close inshore or even into harbours and up rivers. Humpbacks grow to 40–52 ft (12–16 m) long. They are black above, with some white below, and have large knobs on the head and jaws. The humpback migrates between polar waters in summer and tropical or subtropical breeding grounds in winter. It feeds on shrimplike crustaceans, small fish, and plankton. It is probably the most vocal of all whales (with “songs” of 5–35 minutes) and one of the most acrobatic (capable of turning a somersault). Much reduced in number by overhunting, humpbacks have been protected worldwide since the 1960s, and some populations seem to be increasing.



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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
Many whale species including blue, fin, right, sperm and humpback whales were hunted to the verge of extinction during the 19th and 20th centuries, and Norway and Japan played central roles in the destruction of Antarctica's once-bountiful whale populations.
Thar she blows! by Woodard, Colin / E
Included are the sleeping habits of the bottlenose dolphin, harbor seals, elephant seals, northern fur seals, walruses, humpback whales, beluga whales, manatees, sea otters, and walruses.
Water Beds by Children's Bookwatch
on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, there was the story of a 45 to fifty-foot female humpback whale who had become entangled in a web of crab traps and lines.
Humans help: hurt humpback by Soule, Teresa / New Life Journal
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