The humpback whale is distributed worldwide in all ocean basins, though in the North Pacific it does not occur in Arctic waters. In winter, most humpback whales occur in the subtropical and tropical waters of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The North Pacific population was considerably reduced as a result of intensive commercial exploitation during the 20th century and recovery has been very slow. Photo ID studies indicate that humpback whales from the Western and Central North Pacific mix on summer feeding grounds in the central Gulf of Alaska and perhaps the Bering Sea. Females normally reproduce every two or three years, giving birth to a calf that is 4.5 to 5 m long; it has grown to about 8 or 9 m when it is weaned at 10 or 11 months. The gestation period is 12 months. Adult males are 15 m long and adult females slightly larger at 16 m. Humpback whales in the high latitudes of the North Pacific are seasonal migrants that feed on krill and small schooling fishes. They frequently employ an interesting feeding behavior called bubble net feeding in which they surround a school of schooling fish with a curtain of bubbles.
- CLAPHAM, P., Y. MIKHALEV, W. FRANKLIN, D. PATON, C. S. BAKER, Y. V. IVASHCHENKO, and R. L. BROWNELL, Jr.
2009. Catches of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, by the Soviet Union and other nations in the Southern Ocean, 1947-1973. Mar. Fish. Rev. 71(1):39-43. (.pdf, 437KB). Online.
- PINTO de Sá ALVES, L. C., A. ANDRIOLO, A. N. ZERBINI, J. L. ALTMAYER PIZZORNO, and P. J. CLAPHAM.
2009. Record of feeding by humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) in tropical waters off Brazil. Mar Mammal Sci. 25(2):416-419.
- STEIGER, G. H., J. CALAMBOKIDIS, J. M. STRALEY, L. M. HERMAN, S. CERCHIO, D. R. SALDEN, J. URBÁN-R., J. K. JACOBSEN, O. von ZIEGESAR, K. C. BALCOMB, C. M. GABRIELE, M. L. DAHLHEIM, S. UCHIDA, J. K. B. FORD , P. LADRÓN de GUEVARA-P., M. YAMAGUCHI, and J. BARLOW.
2008. Geographic variation in killer whale attacks on humpback whales in the North Pacific: Implications for predation pressure. Endang. Species Res. 4:247-256. (.pdf, 459KB). Online.
- DALLA ROSA, L., E. R. SECCHI, Y. G. MAIA, A. N. ZERBINI, and M. P. HEIDE-JØRGENSEN.
2008. Movements of satellite-monitored humpback whales on their feeding ground along the Antarctic Peninsula. Polar Biol. 31:771-781.
- Search the AFSC database for additional Humpback Whale publications
- Characterization of Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) Diets Using Fatty Acid Markers
184KB Online.
- Humpback Whale Predation on Pacific Herring in Southern Lynn Canal: Testing a Top-down Hypothesis
210KB Online.
- Humpback Whale Predation on Winter Aggregations of Pacific Herring in Sawmill Bay, Alaska: Problem for Herring Population?
107KB Online.
- Search the AFSC database for additional Humpback Whale posters
- Eastern North Pacific, formerly California-Oregon-Washington-Mexico: 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999
- Central North Pacific: 2006 2005 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998
- Gulf of Maine, formerly Western North Atlantic:
2006 2005 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1995 - Western North Pacific: 2006 2005 2003 2001 2000 1999 1998