Size & Lifespan
The average size range of Humpback Whales
What is up to 50 ft long, about the size of a school bus.
When calves are first born they are up to 16ft in length
Average weight of food eaten per day
What is up to 3000 pounds of food, 1.5 tons. That is 1-3 MILLION calories a day... #BULKINGSEASON begins to help store fat/create blubber
What is the yearly breakdown of where the North Pacific humpback whale is located?
What is they are breeding in Hawaii from November to March, and feeding in Alaska from April-October.
Once the waters get too frigid in Alaska, they travel to Hawaii for warm water to have their babies and mate.
How much does an adult humpback whale's heart weight?
What is 400 pounds, the size of a piano
The average lifespan of a Humpback Whale
What is 50-60 years, but have also lived up to 80-90 years old
What is the hunting/feeding method humpbacks use? How does it work?
What is bubble net feeding, humpbacks use their blow underwater to slowly corral schools of prey into a tight ball, the whale will then dive underneath the school to open wide while shooting out of the water. Excess water is then pushed out through the baleen, trapping prey inside its mouth and ready to gulp down
How far do the whales travel between migrations?
What is over 3000 miles! They can swim this trip within 28 days, 4-6 weeks!
Name of an adult female, adult male, and baby?
What is a cow, bull, and calf.
What are the bumps on a humpbacks head? What is their purpose?
What are tubercles, large hair follicles meaning they have "whiskers" or a 5 o'clock shadow on their head. These tubercles serve as a genetically modified "passive-control devices" that improve performance and maneuverability, increasing maximum lift and decreasing drag.... just like a race car's spoiler
The weight range of a Humpback
What is 70,000-110,000 pounds for adults (30-40tons) Can weigh up to 6 African elephants
2,000-4,000 pounds for babies (1-15.tons) can weigh up to an average SUV or early 2000s Toyota tacoma #yessahhh
Where is Alaska, the Bering sea and Gulf of Alaska. They feed on high calorie and oily organisms such as krill, herring, capelin, and plankton
Reasons for migrating
What is mating & giving birth. Hawaii serves as a nightclub and a nursery for the humpback whales
How can you tell the difference between northern and southern hemisphere whales? What is unique about their migration pattern?
What is the underside of southern hemisphere whales are almost all white/gray that extends up to its sides, northern hemisphere whales are darker/white blotches.
This is a camouflage effect, southern hemisphere whales feed in Antarctica where its icy and snowy, whereas the northern hemisphere whales feed where its dark and gloomy.
feeding/breeding Seasons are also opposite
What is the Hawaiian name for the humpback whale? What does it mean?
What is Kohola, which is the name for humpback whale and reef flats. Linking the spray of the waves crashing on a reef to the whales blowhole spraying into the air.
How long is their pectoral fin?
What is can be up to 16ft long, about half the size of the Lola! Making humpback whales the longest limbed animals on earth. 1/3 of its entire body length
How does a mother whale nurse a calf? How long before the baby whale is weaned from nursing?
What is the mother aligns herself with the calf, she squirts her milk into the calf's mouth. Nursing happens in shallower waters such as 12-200 feet, they can even be at the seafloor if shallow. mothers have less fluke strokes as the baby increases fluke strokes while feeding.
Nursing happens for about 6-12 months, even after being weaned babies often remain with their mothers up to 2 years.
Are humpback whales monogamous or polygamous?
What is Polygamous. Each whale has multiple partners for life. There is no paternal care for calves once the mothers have been bred.
#NoChildSupport #CallMaury?
Name of the tail of a whale
What is the fluke. Flukes have patterns on the inside similar to our fingerprints, photos of the underside of a fluke helps scientists identify whales for research purposes
What is the synopsis behavior of barnacles on a humpback whale's head?
What is serving as brass knuckles, or acting as protective armor during male on male fights or protecting themselves from orcas.
#likeScrap
The number of Humpbacks that visit Hawaii?
What is 10-12 thousand return to Hawaii for breeding season (that's more than half of the North Pacific humpback population)
How much milk does a calf drink per day?
Calves drink up to 80 gallons of mom's high fat milk every single day, they can double in their size during their first year. Mom's milk is the consistency of toothpaste or thicc yogurt that does not immediately dissolve/scatter in saltwater.
What is a heat run/rush?
What is when multiple males 2-20 bulls will compete in high speed, very aggressive chase to have a chance with 1 cow.
Sometimes they will bully/fight the calf nursing from mother, you can also see the bulls fighting mid air in these situations. Sounds like a heard of elephants fighting/trumpeting
Describe the unique way humpbacks communicate
What is whale songs. Male humpbacks sing long, complex, haunting songs that can last up to 20 minutes and travel over 10 miles. Each regional population of whales have their own song, similar to language. Scientists can hear a specific song and know exactly where this whale lives. The tune of each regional specific song can slowly change and evolve year after year.
How many stomachs does a whale have? What's their functions? How big is their throat?
What is 3 stomachs, since they swallow 3k pounds of food a day without chewing, the 1st stomach uses muscle contractions to grind up food, the 2nd stomach uses hydrochloric acid, pepsin, and lipase to chemically dissolve food, 3rd stomach acts as a gateway to the intestines
A humpback whales throat is only the size of a grapefruit, the pleats on a whales throat could allow them to scoop up a car, but they wouldn't be able to swallow it (Sorry Jonah, your fishing story doesn't add up)