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Humpback whales are medium size baleen whales.
Humpback Whale Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Balaenopteridae
Genus: Megaptera
Species: Novaeangliae
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Other Names: Big-winged New Englander,
Humpback Whale in Foreign Languages:
Cherokee: Gasoquati Daqua
Danish: Pukkelhval
Dutch: Bultrug
Finnish: Ryhavalas
German: Buckelwal
Greenlandic: Qipoqqaq
Italian: Megattera
Navajo: Loo'tsoh Bigha a Yilk'idigii
Polish: Humbak / Dlugopletwiec
Portuguese: Baleia-corcunda /
Baleia-jubarte
Russian: Dlinnorukij Kit
/ Kit-gorbac / Gorbatyy
Kit
Spanish: Yubarta / Ballena Jorobada
/ Megaptera / Gabarte / Xibarte
Swahili: Nyangumi-kibyongo
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Description: Humpback whales are easily
identified by their unique long pectoral fins,
which can measure up to 15 feet in length. Humpback
whales are dark grey, but individual whales
have a variable amount of white on their pectoral
fins and belly. The shading is distinctive and
unique from whale to whale.
Size: Humpback females are larger than
their male counterparts. Humpback whales measure
48 to 62.5 feet in length and weigh up to 40
tons.
Habitat: Humpback whales populate the
polar and tropical waters. Humpback whales are
most frequently found in the Atlantic, Arctic,
and Pacific Oceans, less frequently they are
found in the waters of the Bering Sea and the
waters surrounding Antarctica.
Behavior: Humpback whales migrate seasonally
from the tropics to the northern feeding grounds.
Diet: Humpback whales feed on krill,
small shrimp-like crustaceans, and various kinds
of small fish. Humpback whales use baleen plates
suspended in their mouth to strain the krill
and small animals out of the water.
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Communication: Humpback whales
create complex songs, that change over
time.
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Did You Know?
Humpback whales can dive to
depths of 500-700 feet and they
can stay submerged for up to
30 minutes.
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Gestation: Humpback whales carry their
young for 11 to 11.5 months.
Birth: Humpback whales give birth to
a single offspring at a time. Humpback whale
calves are 13 to 16 feet in length.
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