| Humpback Whale
ayʔaǰuθɛm:
humpback
Where do humpback whales live, and what is their habitat like?
Humpback whales are found in oceans worldwide, migrating between feeding and breeding grounds. They live in both tropical and polar waters, but they are most commonly found in colder, nutrient-rich waters during feeding season and in warmer, tropical seas when they migrate to breed.
In the summer, humpback whales frequent the nutrient-dense waters of the Arctic and Antarctic, where they feed on small fish, krill, and plankton. During the winter, they travel to warmer waters near the equator, such as the Caribbean, Hawaii, or the coast of Australia, to mate and give birth. Their migration can cover thousands of kilometers, and they are known to follow specific migration routes year after year.
What do humpback whales eat, and how do they find food?
Humpback whales primarily feed on small marine organisms, such as krill, plankton, and small fish. They use a variety of feeding techniques, with the most famous being lunge feeding, where they swim toward a school of prey with their mouths open, engulfing large volumes of water and food. They then expel the water through their baleen plates, which filter out the food.
Humpback whales are also known for their bubble-net feeding technique, a cooperative behavior where a group of whales releases bubbles to corral and concentrate schools of fish or krill. They then swim upward through the net of bubbles, mouths wide open, to scoop up the prey. Their large size and specialized feeding methods allow them to consume vast amounts of food to sustain them during migration.
What are some surprising or little-known facts about humpback whales?
Their baleen plates are specialized!
Instead of teeth, humpback whales have baleen plates that they use to filter food from the water. These plates are made of keratin, the same material as human hair and nails.
They can breach the water!
Humpbacks are known for their impressive breaches, where they leap partially out of the water and crash back down with a splash. This behavior may be used for communication, as a display of strength, or to shake off parasites.
They can live for over 50 years!
Humpback whales can live to be 50 years or older, and their age can be determined by examining earwax plugs that accumulate over time.
