Humpback whales: Size, behavior, and threats
Humpback whales: Size, behavior, and threats
Learn about the humpback whale.
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Transcript
In a depth of more than 30 meters the giant of all oceans can be met, the humpback whale. His body of up to 15 meters and a weight of up to 30 tons, he belongs to the most impressive animal in the underwater world.
The pectoral fins, with a length of five meters being much larger than those of other whales, gave them their scientific name Megaptera Novoaenglia, translating to great wing of New England. Humpback whales can be recognized by their upper part in gray to black, and the gray-white abdomen. The pigment varies and is unique with every humpback whale.
Despite their massive body structure they are considered as acrobats amongst the whales. They are famous for their spectacular jumps and their singing.
Mating can be observed in subtropical sea. Two bulls meet a whale cow. She produces a dance to attract the males. The young whales are given birth after 12 months of gestation. At birth, the calves are four meters long. The first year of life the calf stays with the mother. Often the mother and the calf are being escorted by a bull, protecting them from dangers and obtrusive male whales.
A year will pass until the young whale changes from mother milk to solid food. This is the time when mother and child divorce and go their own way as individuals.
From the subtropical sea the whales migrate more than 4,000 kilometers to the polar sea, in order to spend the summer there. A humpback whale travels at a speed of approximately 10 kilometers an hour. The speed is lower with a mother and her calf. This is why they need considerably more time for the migration into areas with rich food. During this period of time, the whale mother is not eating anything. At slow speed, mother and calf are moving around the islands, keeping close distances to the shore. From time to time, they are having pauses.
Some humpback whales do not show shyness to humans. A diver can swim close to the female whale and her calf, without fear of being attacked. On the contrary, both are welcoming the diver and do not seem to be disturbed by his presence. The calf is playing with the diver, whereas the mother is having a rest. She is positioned vertically in the water so that she is able to watch both her calf and the surface of the sea.
The humpbacks are being hunted for a much longer time than other big whales. Their light-heartedness and confidingness are being taken advantage of by whale hunters. Many thousands were killed by hunters because of their valuable grease, meat and jaws. Despite the danger of extermination, humpbacks were hunted until the International Commission of Whale Hunting issued a hunting ban in 1963. Three years later, the whales were protected by a species act. Though the density seems to recover, meanwhile there is still a death rate of up to 2,000 annually by illegal hunting, change of climate and by catching in fishing nets.
The pectoral fins, with a length of five meters being much larger than those of other whales, gave them their scientific name Megaptera Novoaenglia, translating to great wing of New England. Humpback whales can be recognized by their upper part in gray to black, and the gray-white abdomen. The pigment varies and is unique with every humpback whale.
Despite their massive body structure they are considered as acrobats amongst the whales. They are famous for their spectacular jumps and their singing.
Mating can be observed in subtropical sea. Two bulls meet a whale cow. She produces a dance to attract the males. The young whales are given birth after 12 months of gestation. At birth, the calves are four meters long. The first year of life the calf stays with the mother. Often the mother and the calf are being escorted by a bull, protecting them from dangers and obtrusive male whales.
A year will pass until the young whale changes from mother milk to solid food. This is the time when mother and child divorce and go their own way as individuals.
From the subtropical sea the whales migrate more than 4,000 kilometers to the polar sea, in order to spend the summer there. A humpback whale travels at a speed of approximately 10 kilometers an hour. The speed is lower with a mother and her calf. This is why they need considerably more time for the migration into areas with rich food. During this period of time, the whale mother is not eating anything. At slow speed, mother and calf are moving around the islands, keeping close distances to the shore. From time to time, they are having pauses.
Some humpback whales do not show shyness to humans. A diver can swim close to the female whale and her calf, without fear of being attacked. On the contrary, both are welcoming the diver and do not seem to be disturbed by his presence. The calf is playing with the diver, whereas the mother is having a rest. She is positioned vertically in the water so that she is able to watch both her calf and the surface of the sea.
The humpbacks are being hunted for a much longer time than other big whales. Their light-heartedness and confidingness are being taken advantage of by whale hunters. Many thousands were killed by hunters because of their valuable grease, meat and jaws. Despite the danger of extermination, humpbacks were hunted until the International Commission of Whale Hunting issued a hunting ban in 1963. Three years later, the whales were protected by a species act. Though the density seems to recover, meanwhile there is still a death rate of up to 2,000 annually by illegal hunting, change of climate and by catching in fishing nets.