Calves are born at around 4.3 m (14 ft) long with a weight of 680 kg (1,500 lb). The species can reach body masses of 40 metric tons (44 short tons). Females are usually 1–1.5 m (3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 11 in) longer than males. The adult humpback whale is generally 14–15 m (46–49 ft), though longer lengths of 16–17 m (52–56 ft) have been recorded. A non-migratory population in the Arabian sea has been isolated for 70,000 years. A 2014 genetic study suggested that the separate populations in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Oceans have had limited gene flow and are distinct enough to be subspecies, with the scientific names of M. Modern humpback whale populations originated in the southern hemisphere around 880,000 years ago and colonized the northern hemisphere 200,000–50,000 years ago. There is reference to a humpback-blue whale hybrid in the South Pacific, attributed to marine biologist Michael Poole. The humpback and fin whale were found to be sister taxon. A 2018 genomic analysis estimates that rorquals diverged from other baleen whales in the late Miocene, between 10.5 and 7.5 million years ago. Humpback whales are rorquals, members of the Balaenopteridae family that includes the blue, fin, Bryde's, sei and minke whales. BalaenopteridaeĪ phylogenetic tree of six baleen whale species The specific name means "New Englander" and was probably given by Brisson due to regular sightings of humpbacks off the coast of New England. The generic name Megaptera from the Ancient Greek mega- μεγα ("giant") and ptera/ πτερα ("wing") refer to their large front flippers.
The common name is derived from the curving of their backs when diving. In 1846, John Edward Gray created the genus Megaptera, classifying the humpback as Megaptera longipinna, but in 1932, Remington Kellogg reverted the species names to use Borowski's novaeangliae. In 1804, Lacépède shifted the humpback from the family Balaenidae, renaming it B. In 1781, Georg Heinrich Borowski described the species, converting Brisson's name to its Latin equivalent, Balaena novaeangliae. The humpback was first identified as baleine de la Nouvelle Angleterre by Mathurin Jacques Brisson in his Regnum Animale of 1756.
While numbers have partially recovered to some 135,000 animals worldwide, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution continue to affect the species. Humans once hunted the species to the brink of extinction its population fell to around 5,000 by the 1960s. Like other large whales, the humpback was a target for the whaling industry. Orcas are the main natural predators of humpback whales. They are promiscuous breeders, with both sexes having multiple partners.
Unique among large whales, humpbacks use bubbles to catch prey. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. They feed in polar waters and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth. Males produce a complex song typically lasting 4 to 33 minutes.įound in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 16,000 km (9,900 mi) each year. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. Adults range in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons (44 short tons). It is a rorqual a member of the family Balaenopteridae. The humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. Kyphobalaena longimana Van Beneden, 1861.
0 kommentar(er)
