Reaching lengths of up to 60 ft. long and weighing as much as 79,000 lbs. the humpback whale can grow to be one of the largest known whale species in existence today. These whales are known as baleen whales because they possess baleen plates and bristles instead of teeth. The tightly packed baleen bristles allow humpback whales to filter various prey they consume from the water and debris that enter their mouth.
When hunting for food, the humpback whale will swim towards a school of fish or other prey with its mouth open, hoping to capture as many fish as possible. The humpback whales’ baleen bristles help keep their prey trapped in the humpback whales’ mouths while filtering the water in and out of the bristles. Once they’ve captured enough prey, these whales will then push the water out of their mouth before swallowing their prey whole.
In addition to searching for food alone, humpback whales may hunt in groups to isolate and capture their prey. One of the hunting techniques these whales are known to use is bubble netting. Bubble netting is a group effort that involves several humpback whales circling a group of fish or other prey to corral them together while other whales blow bubbles underneath the fish to force them towards the surface.
Once the fish are isolated, these whales will take turns swimming through the fishball to consume their immobilized prey.
In terms of diet, humpback whales consume various prey such as salmon, herring, capelin, mackerel, krill, and various other crustaceans.
Although these whales can consume a large amount of food in a single day, they are also known to fast during mating periods and will live off of the body fat they’ve acquired throughout their feeding season, which can last several months. Over the course of a year, humpback whales can travel as much as 16,000 miles!
Feeding season for the humpback whale
During feeding season, which occurs in the warmer summer months, humpback whales can be found hunting, foraging, and feeding in and around the cold climates near the northern and southern polar hemispheres. This time is primarily used to build up their blubber supply for their migration trip towards their mating grounds later in the year.
Note: We’ll explain why the additional blubber is so important during their migration trip in a moment, but first, we need to provide a little more depth on their feeding season.
In terms of diet, humpback whales consume small fish, krill, salmon, herring, mackerel, and capelin, among other small prey. Because the humpback whale is a baleen whale, these marine mammals are born with baleen plates instead of teeth, so they are limited in the types of foods they can consume and stick with smaller prey that is easy to digest.
While they may not consume as many types of prey as some of the toothed whale species, the humpback whale is known for consuming various types of fish, which provides them with more a diverse diet than some other members of the baleen whale family.
When hunting for food, the humpback whale may search for prey individually or work in a group to capture their food. These marine mammals will use various methods to capture their prey during group hunting.
One of these methods is bubble net fishing, which involves whales circling a school of fish and blowing bubbles to herd the fish together into a tightly packed dense ball. Once the fish are gathered together, the whales will take turns swimming through the herd of fish and consume as many fish as possible.
Other techniques used to capture prey involve slapping their tails against the water to stun their prey and creating loud sounds to scare and immobilize their prey for easy consumption.
Mating season for the humpback whale
When the water begins to freeze during the colder winter months, and their supply of food begins to migrate towards warmer waters, these whales also begin to migrate towards warmer tropical climates. During the winter, the humpback whale fasts (stops eating) and lives off the blubber/fat stores it accumulated during the summer. Once these whales reach their destination near the world’s tropical regions, they begin mating, socializing, and reproducing.
Competition among male humpback whales is strong during mating season, with males charging one another, displaying their youthfulness through various acrobatic behaviors, and competing with whale songs. Communication and competitive behaviors may include spy-hopping, lob tailing, breaching, fin slapping, tail slapping, and charging.
Whale songs among male humpback whales are also believed to attract a female and show their dominance towards other male humpback whales.
During mating season, whale songs can be heard from miles away, and male humpbacks may continue singing for more than 24 hours, with individual songs lasting 10 – 20 minutes long. Once these whales finish mating and giving birth, they begin their long journey back towards their feeding grounds to stock up on food and prepare for the next mating season.
Additional information about the humpback whale
As a species, the humpback whale is part of the cetacean family, consisting of whales, dolphins, and porpoise. Cetaceans are broken down into toothed whales and baleen whales, depending on their characteristics. The humpback whale is part of the baleen whale suborder due to its large size, baleen plates (baleen whales lack teeth), and two blowholes.
The humpback whale can reach lengths of 40 – 60 ft. long and weigh close to 80,000 lbs at full maturity. Females reproduce every 2 – 3 years while they are fertile, and the average gestation period lasts for 11 – 12 months. This allows the female humpback whale to give birth in the same warm mating areas that she is impregnated in. A healthy humpback whale can live for 40 – 100 years regarding their lifespan.