Humpback whale
The humpback whale is a migratory baleen whale distinguished by long pectoral fins, a knobbly head, and complex vocal displays.
Bubble-net feeding: A cooperative feeding technique in which whales release bubbles to corral prey into a dense patch. Humpbacks use this distinctive method to concentrate schooling fish before lunging upward.
Photo-identification: A wildlife research method that identifies individual animals from distinctive, durable visual features. Researchers recognize humpbacks by the patterns and markings on their tail flukes.
Cetacea: The mammalian order comprising whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Humpbacks belong to this group of fully aquatic mammals.
Blue whale: The largest known animal, a rorqual whale that feeds mainly on krill. Both are baleen rorquals, but blue whales are much larger and lack the humpback’s exceptionally long fins.
Commercial whaling: The industrial hunting of whales for products such as oil, meat, and baleen. Intensive hunting sharply reduced humpback populations before international protections took hold.
Humpback whale song: A sequence of repeated vocal patterns produced by male humpback whales, especially on breeding grounds. These evolving songs are among the species’ best-known communication displays.
Whale watching: The observation of whales in their natural habitat for recreation or research. Predictable migrations make humpbacks a major focus of responsible whale-watching operations.
Mysticeti: The cetacean group whose living members filter prey using baleen instead of teeth. Humpbacks are baleen whales, unlike toothed whales such as dolphins and sperm whales.
Fin whale: A large, streamlined rorqual whale known for its speed and asymmetrical lower-jaw coloration. It shares the humpback’s rorqual ancestry but has a sleeker body and different feeding habits.
International Whaling Commission: An intergovernmental body established to regulate whaling and promote conservation of whale stocks. Its commercial-whaling moratorium helped enable humpback population recovery.