One of the biggest and smartest creatures living in the ocean, the humpback whale spends its life on the move. It swims thousands of miles to specific breeding sites each year and, while there, puts on a singing show of loud, complicated songs to attract a mate. This whale is a big eater but mainly feasts on tiny prey; it also puts on spectacular acrobatic displays when it leaps out of the water-it looks like a 45-ton rocket launching from the sea.
Lots of Small Fry: Though the humpback whale is one of the biggest creatures in the ocean, the prey it eats are among the smallest-tiny krill and small fish, such as anchovies. However, one humpback eats up to 2,000 pounds of this food every day.
Filter: Instead of teeth, this whale has up to 800 plates, called baleen, hanging from its upper jaw. The whale gulps in seawater, then forces it back out with its massive tongue. The baleen plates let the water out but filter out krill and other small creatures so they stay in the whale's mouth.
Ocean Idol[]
Humpback whales often feed in large groups near coastlines.
One of the most amazing things about the humpback whale is that it can sing. Experts have studied this whale's songs for decades, but still don't understand what all the sounds mean. Males of this species dive down to about 60 feet, point their tails toward the surface and squeal out one of at least 120 different tunes in order to attract a mate. The song of a humpback whale can be heard from up to 115 miles away in the water. Whales can sing for up to 15 minutes at a time, and will stop if a female shows up.
Regular Route: These whales spend most of their time up in cold waters, many near the coast of Alaska, where food is easy to find. They go to warmer waters to breed, swimming more than 2,500 miles to places such as Hawaii! They swim the same routes every year.
Jump Up!: Humpback whales can often be seen leaping clear out of the water, landing with huge splashes that could capsize nearby boats. The whales do this to shake parasites off their skin, and also to warn other whales that danger might be nearby.
Bubble net[]
- While swimming in deep waters and looking for food, two humpback whales spot a large group of fish in the light above, and swim toward the surface.
- The whales swim right beneath the fish, then spiral upwards while blowing a stream of air from their blowholes, creating a "net" of bubbles.
- The fish are afraid to swim through the bubbles, so they become trapped. The whales then swim through the area with their mouths wide open to gulp down the fish.
Trivia[]
- The illustrations for "Bubble Net" are also used in the Wildlife Explorer series; here, titled "Bubble-Net Feeding", there is also a bonus third image of the whales swimming up further to the surface.
- The humpback whale is featured in Tough Travels on Monster Mania 99.