Humpback whales are amazing mammals. The scientific name for a Humpback Whale is Megaptera Novaenglie, meaning big wing of New England. The word wing refers to the humpback whale’s long flippers on the sides of its body. Humpback whales get their name from the dorsal fin that sits on top of the large hump on their back. Learn more about them with these Humpback Whale Facts for Kids
What is a Humpback Whale?
Humpback Whales are marine mammals. Humpback Whales are in the baleen whale family.
What do Humpback Whales Look Like?
Humpback whales are black or brown in color with white bellies. They have 2 blowholes on the top of their heads that they use to breathe. Humpback whales have a dorsal fin on their backs, two long flippers on their sides, and a long T-shaped tail. Female humpback whales a larger than males. A female can be up to 56 ft long, males are 50ft long. Humpback whales can weigh between 25-40 tons. Adult humpback whales can weigh more than 5 adult elephants!
Habitat
Humpback Whales are found in all the oceans around the world.
Baleen
Instead of teeth humpback whales have baleen. Baleen is made out of keratin. Humpback whales have up to 400 pairs of baleen. Baleen is 30 inches long. When humpback whales eat they open their mouth wide while they swim. The food gets caught in the baleen and the water filters out.
What do Humpback Whales Eat?
Humpback whales eat crustaceans, krill, plankton, and other small fish. They eat 4,000-5,500 pounds of food a day!
A baby is called a calf and is 13ft-15ft long and weighs 1 ton when it is born. Humpback whales are slow swimmers. They swim 2-9 miles per hour. Humpback whales live between 50-80 years. They are on the endangered species list. It is illegal to kill humpback whales. There are around 80,000 humpback whales worldwide.
Predators
Predators to the humpback whale are killer whales and humans. Humpback whales have been killed by colliding with boats or by getting tangled in fishing nets.
Amazing Humpback Whale Facts for Kids
Humpback whales have excellent hearing. They make many sounds including grunts, groans. Male humpbacks make sounds called songs. the songs are usually heard during mating season and can last 20 minutes. Humpback whales are known for breaching. breaching is when they jump out of the water. They are also known for tail lobbing. Tail lobbing is when they hit the top of the water with their tail.
