10 fascinating facts about the Humpback whale, the mysterious gentle giant of the ocean

Dear Steemit friends and followers,

As you have probably noticed, I consider myself a dedicated nature lover and animal advocate so it comes as no surprise that the wildlife is also one my favorite topics to write about :)

After posting a couple of my animal photos and publishing some very brief animal trivia, I think it is time for me to come up with a bit more elaborate and researched animal post.

While I generally love animals of all sizes, shapes and colors, I do have my favorite species and the cetaceans are definitely among them. I avoided the term “whales” intentionally as it sounds pretty ambiguous here in the Steemit environment but also because it wouldn’t be accurate – dolphins and porpoises, who I admire just as much, are not officially classified as whales.

Today, I would like to start my cetacean fact list series and I decided to dedicate the opening post to one of the most amazing and mysterious animals to have ever lived on Earth, a fascinating sea creature known as the Humpback whale.

^{Source: Wikimedia}

Measuring up to 18 m (60 ft) long and weighing in as much as 40 tons, the Humpback is a species of the Baleen whale. This ocean gentle giant can be found in seas all around the world and its specific surface behavior makes it a popular subject of whale watching. But before you hop on the boat to observe the Humpbacks in their natural habitat, check out these 10 interesting facts about them to find out how amazing and unique creatures they actually are.

1) Mysterious songs

It was found out that Humpback males produce bizarre sounds known as “songs”. The songs differ greatly in length and frequency and although scientists have come up with several possible explanations of this unusual phenomenon, the exact purpose of these sounds remains unclear. What we do know though, is that every Humpback population has their own “melody” (or dialect).

2) Huge appetite

Feeding mostly on krill and small fish, the Humpbacks are decent eaters, gulping down up to 2.5 tons of food every day during the feeding season. Once the feeding season is over and the whales start migrating to warmer waters to breed, they start living mostly off the fat reserve they built before in colder seas.

^{Source: Wikimedia}

3) Sophisticated hunters

Talking about the Humpbacks´ diet, we should also mention how they actually catch their prey. The whales are known to use a very sophisticated hunting method known as “bubble net fishing” which involves a group of Humpbacks circling their prey and blowing air bubbles around to herd the fish into a small ball that can be easily swallowed.

^{Source: Wikimedia}

4) Almost lost forever

Like many other large cetaceans, the Humpbacks used to be targeted and overfished by the whaling industry. By the mid 20th century, the global population of the Humpback whale was reduced by more than 90%, driving the species to the brink of extinction. Fortunately, subsequent conservation efforts and adoption of hunting regulations have helped the Humpbacks recover (at least partially).

5) Longest mammal migration

Every, year the Humpbacks migrate from cold, polar waters where they feed to subtropical and even tropical waters to breed. These annual journeys can be up to 25,000 km (16,000 mi) long in total, making it arguably the longest migration of any mammal on the planet.

6) Ocean altruists

The Humpbacks have long been known to be exceptionally intelligent animals with complex social behavior but it was recently discovered that these extraordinary marine mammals are also altruists. Numerous cases have been recorded where the Humpbacks were observed to help other species, usually protecting them from large predators such as sharks or killer whales. In fact, the Humpbacks are even known to have helped humans (most recent case is this one)

7) Surface behavior

The Humpbacks are known to have a very distinctive surface behavior. They usually surface every 10-15 minutes to breathe but they seem to really enjoy their time above the surface – they love to jump out of water and perform various aerial acrobatic feats. In fact, the Humpbacks are estimated to spend “only” 90% of their life beneath the water surface.

^{Source: Pixabay}

8) Mating rituals

Courtship behavior is also very interesting in the Humpback whales. Males competing for female´s attention perform a wide range of creative behaviors including breaching (jumping out of water), peduncle throws, spy-hopping, lob-tailing, fin-slapping, singing, charging, parrying etc.

9) Slow swimmers

As I have already mentioned, the Humpbacks travel incredible distances every year but in fact, their average swimming speed is just about 10 km/h (6.2 mi/h). The maximum speed they are capable of is about 25 km/h (15.5 mi/h).

^{Source: Wikimedia}

10) Formidable proportions

Although the Humpback is not even close to being the world´s largest mammal, its proportions are still very impressive. The average Humpback is as large as a school bus. Its mouth can hold up to 19,000 l (5,000 gl) of water – enough to fill your backyard swimming pool. Its lungs are about the size of a small car. A newborn Humpback baby weighs almost 2 tons – about as much as a fully-grown rhinoceros.

^{Sources: National Geographic, Whale Facts, Dolphins and You, Live Science, Wikipedia, Oceanwide Expeditions. All featured photos are Creative Commons}

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I hope you enjoyed these facts and will now love the Humpbacks as much as I do :) I am definitely going to write more posts like this one as I think it is a good way to show people how amazing creatures share this planet with us, to raise awareness about the problems (usually caused by humans) they are struggling with and to make people care more about conservation and protection of the world´s wildlife.

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