Megaptera novaeangliae

Humpback Whales are known for their acrobatic behavior, often breaching and slapping the water's surface with their flippers and tails. They are highly migratory and undertake long-distance migrations between their feeding and breeding grounds. They primarily feed on krill, small fish, and plankton by using baleen plates to filter their prey from the water.

Mating and calving typically occur in warm, tropical waters during the winter months. Female Humpback Whales give birth to a single calf after a gestation period of approximately 11 months. Calves are born in the warmer waters and are nursed by their mothers, gaining strength before migrating back to cooler feeding grounds.

Humpback Whales have distinctive features, including long pectoral fins (flippers) that can be up to one-third of their body length and a pronounced hump on their backs, which gives them their common name. They also have unique black and white markings on their flippers and tails, which vary among individuals and can be used for identification. Their skin is typically dark gray to black.

Humpback Whales were heavily hunted by whalers in the past, primarily for their blubber and oil. This hunting led to a significant decline in their populations, and they became a protected species in many parts of the world during the 20th century.

Humpback Whales are currently listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to increasing populations in many areas. They have benefited from international protection and hunting bans. However, they still face threats such as entanglement in fishing gear, ship strikes, and habitat degradation in some regions. Conservation efforts continue to monitor and protect these magnificent marine mammals.