A baleen whale with very long flippers and knobbly bumps on its head, famous for breaching and for the long, complex songs males sing. It migrates between feeding grounds near the poles and breeding grounds near the equator.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
At a glance
Found inOceans
HabitatOpen ocean, Coast
ColoursGrey, White, Black
SizeHuge
Length14–17 m
WeightUp to 40 t
LegsNone
Covered inSkin
Lives inpods
Lives for45–100 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Oceans worldwide.
- What it eats
- Mostly krill and small fish, often caught with bubble nets.
Did you know
Blows nets of bubbles to trap fish, and males sing songs up to half an hour long.
Male songs typically last from 4 to 33 minutes.
Often confused with
- Blue whale
Both are baleen rorquals; the blue whale is far longer and slimmer, without the humpback’s long flippers.
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