Thehumpbackwhale(Megaptera novaeangliae)isaspecies of baleenwhale. Itisarorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus Megaptera. Adults range in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons (44 short tons).
Whatisahumpbackwhale?Humpbackwhalesare found in every ocean in the world. Their Latin name, Megaptera novaeangliae, means big wing of New England. Babyhumpbackwhaleswhisper to mom to avoid being noticed by predators. Charles Jurasz, notedhumpbackwhaleresearcher, theorizes that only males possess knuckle-like bumps running along the dorsal ridge behind the dorsal fin.Color:Humpbacksare black all over except for parts of the underside including the chin, throat, chest, belly and flukes.
Females are slightly larger than males, but both look alike incolorand shape. Adult males do most complex singing, especially on breeding grounds and during migration.Humpbackwhale(Megaptera novaeangliae). Humpbackshave a black and gray upper surface, and their bellies are mostly white incolor.
Thecoloringof thesewhalesis to help avoid predator interactions. The white belly looks like the lightcolorof the sky which provides camouflage from predators that swim below and look... Baleenwhales, includinghumpbacksand bluewhales, have fibrous 'baleen' plates in their mouths instead of teeth, which help them filter out and consume huge quantities of zooplankton: small prey including krill, fish or crustaceans called copepods.
Humpbackwhalesare baleenwhales, and they are also rorqualwhales. They have a flat rostrum covered in round, fleshy tubercles (hair follicles). They vary incolourfrom dark grey to black, but have a lighter underbelly.
Color:Humpbackwhalesare mostly black incolor, with areas of white on the flippers and abdomen. The underside of the tail flukes ranges from all black to all white (more on that later). HumpbackWhaleColoringSheet.Humpbackwhalesare dark grey with lighter undersides.
Occasionally, they are all-white, like the famous whitewhaleMigaloo who lived off the coast of Australia. Free printableHumpbackWhalecoloringimage.
