Home › Mammalia › Balaenopteridae › Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
SPECIES PROFILE
Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Megaptera
IUCN STATUS
Least Concern
CONSERVATION STATUS
Least Concern
CLASS
Mammalia
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
All the world's oceans
DIET
Carnivorous (filter feeder)
HABITAT
Open ocean and coastal migration routes
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Mammalia
ORDER
Artiodactyla
FAMILY
Balaenopteridae
GENUS
Megaptera
📋 Description
SIZE
Up to 16 m; up to 30 tonnes
COLORATION
Dark grey with very long white flippers
ADAPTATIONS
Sings complex songs; leaps clear of the water
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Open ocean and coastal migration routes
DIET
Carnivorous (filter feeder)
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
All the world's oceans
REPRODUCTION
Single calf every 2-3 years
DIET DETAILS
Krill and small fish
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Entanglement, ship strikes
💡 Interesting Facts
1
Famous for its haunting songs and spectacular breaching, its flippers are the longest of any whale.
2
Thousands migrate past Mozambique each winter to calve in the warm shallows.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Ponta do Ouro
Inhambane coast
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
July-October
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Take a boat off the southern coast in winter to watch humpbacks breach and slap on their migration.
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