Humpback Whales
By Jasmine
What is a humpback whale?
A humpback whale is a mammal that lives in the ocean. It can grow up to 40 or 50 feet in length and can weigh 48 tons. You can recognise a humpback whale from its large flippers and the hump shape that it makes when it dives. The flippers are nearly one-third of its body. Humpback whales can be grey to black in colour with white markings. The markings are like finger prints. This makes it easy for the whales to recognise each other. The humpback whale lives in a pod up to 20,000.
Humpback whales live in oceans around the world.
Movement
Humpback whales move by swimming. To help them swim they have a large tail. They are well known for their under water acrobatics. They can also propel them selves into the air and out of the water by using its fluke.
Diet
Humpback whales eat fish and krill. They are baleen whales. Inside its mouth are 2 parallel baleen plates. These plates help it to filter its food.
Breeding
When the humpback whales are breeding the male sings a song. Researchers have studied the song and they have found that the song is very complex. This tells us that the humpback whale is intelligent.
Mini Whale Dictionary
1. fluke- the 2 parts of the whales tail
2. baleen- filter feeder
3. pod- a group of whales