Humpback whale

Humpback whale; Temporal range: Late Miocene – Recent
	Size compared to an average human
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
	CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	Balaenopteridae
Genus:	; Gray, 1846
Species:	M. novaeangliae
Binomial name
	Megaptera novaeangliae; (Borowski, 1781)
Subspecies
	M. n. australis; M. n. kuzira; M. n. novaeangliae;
	Humpback whale range (in blue)
Synonyms
	Balaena gibbosa Erxleben, 1777; B. boops Fabricius, 1780; B. nodosa Bonnaterre, 1789; B. longimana Rudolphi, 1832; Megaptera longimana Gray, 1846; Kyphobalaena longimana Van Beneden, 1861; Megaptera versabilis Cope, 1869;

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus Megaptera. Adults range in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons (44 short tons). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and tubercles on its head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song that typically lasts from 4 to 33 minutes.

Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate between feeding areas towards the poles and breeding areas near the equator. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish, and they usually use bubbles to catch prey. They are polygynandrous breeders, with both sexes having multiple partners. Males will follow females and fight off rivals. Mothers give birth to calves in shallower water. Orcas are the main natural predators of humpback whales. The bodies of humpbacks host barnacles and whale lice.

Like other large whales, the humpback was a target for the whaling industry. Humans once hunted the species to the brink of extinction: its population fell to around 5,000 by the 1960s. Numbers have partially recovered to some 135,000 animals worldwide, but entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution continue to affect the species.

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