Humpback Whale Habitat

The humpback whale is a baleen whale, characterized by a knobby head and extra long pectoral fins. Although they are 39 - 52 ft long and weigh approximately 79,000 lbs, these acrobatic animals can execute some astounding maneuvers, including breaching and slapping the water. Humpback whales are found in several water bodies spread across the planet. They most often feed on krill and smaller fish. The fascinating life of humpback whales can be determined by taking a closer look at the humpback whale habitat and their large-scale migration.

Habitat of a Humpback Whale

As we mentioned earlier, humpback whales are found in all the oceans of the world. When it comes to breeding and feeding, humpbacks tend to prefer near-shore areas, but this in turn makes them vulnerable to threats such as whaling and accidents. Humpback whale habitat ranges from polar to tropical waters, predominantly in Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and at times in waters of Antarctica. At present, the world population of humpback whales is estimated to be around 80,000 which is seen as a decent rise from the almost extinct status. Migration is an important aspect for the vast habitat of a humpback whale. During winters, these whales migrate for thousands of miles from the colder regions to the tropical areas, mainly to breed. In the United States, Hawaiian off-shore is the only breeding ground for this magnificent animal. According to scientific estimates, approximately 4000 to 5000 humpbacks migrate to this region for breeding activities.

Humpback Whale Migration
Migration of humpback whale is seen as one of the longest migration by any of the species in the vast kingdom of animalia. This migration, for thousands of miles, can be attributed to the vast humpback whale habitat spanning across the several oceans and seas. Humpbacks from the freezing waters of Antarctica migrate to relatively warmer sub-tropical waters to give birth to their calves. During the breeding phase, spanning between winter and spring, the humpbacks live in the warm tropical waters. The humpbacks from the Arctic ocean too migrate towards the tropics for reproduction. Although both the species mate in same waters, there is no cross breeding between the two owing to the difference of six months between the northward and southward convergences on tropical waters.

Journey back to their original habitat for the humpback whales is a bit tedious especially because they are accompanied by their young ones, and hence forced to swim close to shore. This opens a totally new avenue referred to as whale watching in the tourism industry. During this migration, the humpback whales are given the status of vulnerable species, which mainly prohibits the culling of these animals. Such conservative measures in the areas of humpback whale habitation have led to a steady rise in their numbers. For instance, the number of humpbacks migrating from Antarctica to the Great Barrier Reef has increased from a few hundreds in 1960s to approximately 3500 today.

Fascinating Humpback Whale Facts

Other than the humpback whale habitat and migration, there are several fascinating things about these whales which not many are aware of. Here are a few interesting humpback whale facts.

• The brain of the humpback whale is seven times heavier than the human brain.
• Humpback whale migration can last for around 5 months, during which the humpbacks don't eat anything. Instead they depend on the energy derived from the fat reserves.
• At birth, the calf of a humpback whale is 5 meters long, weighs around 1.5 tons, drinks 240 liters of milk and puts on approximately 130 lbs everyday.
• The humpback males produce a pattern of regular and predictable sounds that is generally referred to as 'whale song'. It is assumed to be the longest song in the animal kingdom.

Like the other species of whales, even humpback whales have to fight for their basic survival. While the young calves are threatened by other predators in the sea, full-grown whales fall prey to the multi-million dollar whaling industry. A few decades ago, these species had reached the brink of being extinct, but managed to surprise everyone by making a significant comeback, owing to several conservative measures initiated by the authorities. That hardly means the threat is over, as the illegal whaling industry is still flourishing in the dark, killing hundreds of whales for sheer monetary gains. And if concrete measures are not implemented soon the doomsday for this beautiful animal is not far, and we will miss the glorious moment of witnessing these magnificent humpback whales breach their habitat to propel themselves straight out of the calm water.