.jpg)
Date: September 22, 2023, 8:00 PM
Happy Friday everyone! Today's fish of the day is the humpback whale!
The humpback whale known by scientific name Megaptera novaeangliae is one of the most recognizable whales in the entire world. Humpback whales are mostly recognizable due to the tubercles (bumps) found along their fins and head, along with a jagged trailing edge. These fins are the longest in comparison to body size across all whales, and not only that they are known for their strange shape. Many of these tubercles are found to have hairs inside, and are hypothesized to be used as a sensory guide, as they have many nerve endings.
The second thing that makes humpbacks so recognizable, is their use of echolocation and whalesong. Most of these vocalizations are made by males in the winter months, looking for mates. However, there are also calls from mothers to their calves, and from pod members to other pod members. These songs can last anywhere from 4 minutes to 33 minutes, but there have been recordings showing some humpbacks singing for as long as 6 hours. These songs have a distinct sound to them when compared to other whales, and are known to be much more expressive.
The humpback whale is a part of the mysticeti group, meaning they are baleen whales. These whales hunt by swallowing huge amounts of animals in water, and then filtering out the water through the baleen plates, well the food remains. However, humpback whales are the only whales known to hunt with bubble nets. A method where they blow bubbles in an ever smaller circle, scaring fish into a specific point. Their diet mostly consists of krill, plankton, and small schooling fish.
Their breeding season is in the winter, where they are known to take multiple partners. They also migrate yearly, in warmer months the whales pass to the equator, where they will feast and feed calves, but in the winter months they retreat to the poles of the world. They are slower swimming than most whales in their family, and their young are often predated upon by orcas, and occasionally big sharks.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!