Megaptera novaeangliae - The Humpback Whale

Bubble net fishing

Megaptera novaeangliae – the Humpback Whale, whose stunningly complex songs last 10 to 20 minutes before being repeated continuously for up to 24 hours, is the 6^th largest animal in the world, growing up to 52 feet in length (16 metres) and weighing up to 79 000 lb (36 000 kg), though one whale was recorded at 62 feet. It’s only the males who sing, though no one is really sure why. They have no vocal chords as such, and the way they produce their amazing songs is not well understood, but they don’t exhale when they sing as we do. Other sounds are produced when hunting or for general communication, but the famous whale song that you use in your prenatal yoga session is that of the humpback – listen here.

Another interesting feature is their regular and complex interactions with other species. They are often documented interacting with, and even playing with, a wide range of other species. They are increasingly spotted protecting seals, dolphins and other animals from orca attacks, though there doesn’t appear to be any evolutionary reason why they should do so.

Humpback pod

Their diet consists mostly of krill, plankton and small fish such as herring. There are several ways that they hunt for food, but watching humpbacks eat is fascinating. One way they hunt is by creating ‘bubble nets’ by swimming in circles beneath a shoal of fish, continuously exhaling. The rising net of bubbles confuses and traps the fish and the whales then surge at the shoal – see an example here.  . Each adult whale will eat a ton of food every day through the summer.

Though humpbacks have not found their way into popular culture quite as often as the sperm whale has, one notable instance is the poem 'The Famous Tay Whale' by William Topaz McGonagall, which has the distinction of being broadly considered to be the worst poem written in the English language. Topaz McGonagall was celebrated for his complete disregard for metre or any other of the traditional features of English poetry and this poem may be his worst/best work: Read The Famous Tay Whale,

Humpback breaching

Humpbacks live between 45 – 100 years and can be found all over the world, though they were given their Latin species name because they were so abundant off the coast of New England in North America: nova = new, anglia= England. The genus name comes from the fact that they have very long pectoral fins: Mega = big, ptera = wing. In many languages the common name alludes to their unusually large pectoral fins, for instance in Italian they are called megattera. The common name in English comes from the fact that they arch their backs when preparing to dive. For a fuller, more detailed documentary on humpbacks I recommend this film. There is also a wonderful IMAX 3D film (narrated by Ewan McGregor if you please), so next time you're near an IMAX theatre look out for it.