Humpback Whale

Scientific name: Megaptera novaeangliae

Megaptera means "great wing", referring to their enormous fins.

This photo of a humpback seen off the Isle of Skye shows very clearly why it is called a humpback whale.

Humpback whales are one of the most often seen whales and they are very distinctive with their humped back, their knobbly heads and their large, white pectoral fins.  They are often seen breaching or lunging, as well as spyhopping, near tourist boats.

    What they eat

Being baleen whales they use the baleen plates growing down from their upper jaws to trap small fish inside their mouths.  They like to feed on krill and small fish such as sardines or anchovies and they lunge upwards into a school of fish with their mouths wide open.  In order to catch lots of fish they expand their throats.  They have about twenty deep throat pleats which open out to let the throat expand.  When these open up they look red and whales which do this are known as rorqual whales from the old Norse "rød kval" meaning red whale.

Size

Humpback whales are found all around the world but they like to feed in cold water.  They grow up to 15 metres in length and may weigh up to 30 tonnes.  Even when they are born they may weigh as much as 2 tonnes.  That's the same as 2,000 kilogrammes -- two thousand bags of sugar!

   Fascinating fact: Humpbacks have hair just like you!

Humpbacks have a very small dorsal fin with a hump in front of it.  They also have a very knobbly backbone and their head and fins are covered with lumps and bumps.  These are the roots of hairs which have become swollen and enlarged.  Yes! Whales are mammals and have hairs!  These lumps provide the perfect home for barnacles and whale lice.

    Whale Tail

Humpback whales often lift their tails up high before they dive and you can see that it has a wavy edge.

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