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EXPLORE > ANIMALS > MAMMALS
Megaptera novaeangliae
The humpback whale is one of the most distinctive looking whales common to Oregon coastal waters. These animals are tremendously large, growing over fifty feet (16 m) in length. They are mostly black or dark gray in color, sometimes with a light gray belly. The whale has a large lower jaw and a mouth filled with baleen, a filtering structure used to strain krill from ocean water. The whale’s head appears slender when seen in profile and is usually covered with knobs, projections and barnacles. Humpbacks also have a small dorsal fin and massive side flippers with scalloped edges.
An energetic species, humpbacks are well known for their breaching behaviors – where the animal flings itself partially out of the water. Although humpbacks were once seen in most of the world’s oceans, they were widely slaughtered by whalers and their numbers dwindled. Thanks to a worldwide ban on whaling (still ignored by a handful of nations), the humpbacks’ numbers are slowly climbing but it is still considered endangered.
Range and Habitat
The humpback whale is a migratory animal and will travel from the Arctic waters between Alaska and Siberia to southern Mexico. They generally move along the coastlines, usually on the continental shelf or island banks. Sometimes, depending mostly on food availability, they will move out into the open sea. They generally pass through Oregon coastal waters in December and March as part of this migration pattern.
Conservation Status
Endangered worldwide. All whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.
Related Features: Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises of Oregon | Youth Activities: Whale Watching
Megaptera novaeangliae
The humpback whale is one of the most distinctive looking whales common to Oregon coastal waters. These animals are tremendously large, growing over fifty feet (16 m) in length. They are mostly black or dark gray in color, sometimes with a light gray belly. The whale has a large lower jaw and a mouth filled with baleen, a filtering structure used to strain krill from ocean water. The whale’s head appears slender when seen in profile and is usually covered with knobs, projections and barnacles. Humpbacks also have a small dorsal fin and massive side flippers with scalloped edges.
An energetic species, humpbacks are well known for their breaching behaviors – where the animal flings itself partially out of the water. Although humpbacks were once seen in most of the world’s oceans, they were widely slaughtered by whalers and their numbers dwindled. Thanks to a worldwide ban on whaling (still ignored by a handful of nations), the humpbacks’ numbers are slowly climbing but it is still considered endangered.
Range and Habitat
The humpback whale is a migratory animal and will travel from the Arctic waters between Alaska and Siberia to southern Mexico. They generally move along the coastlines, usually on the continental shelf or island banks. Sometimes, depending mostly on food availability, they will move out into the open sea. They generally pass through Oregon coastal waters in December and March as part of this migration pattern.
Conservation Status
Endangered worldwide. All whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.
Related Features: Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises of Oregon | Youth Activities: Whale Watching
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Science in Seconds: Whale Types: This short video explains the differences between "toothed whales" and "baleen whales."
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