Youth For Arctic Nature
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Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae

Vulnerability: least concern
Invasive: no
Identification: difficult
Monitoring: difficult

What is it?
The humpback whale is a baleen whale, more specifically a large member of the rorqual family. Adults reach 12 to 16 meters. This whale is black, usually with lighter parts on the underside and white patterns on the underside of the fluke which can be used for photo identification of individuals. The underside of the fins is white, and the upper side is white in the Atlantic. In terms of ratio to the body, these fins are the longest of any cetacean. Finally, it can also be recognized by its hump shaped dorsal fin.
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Where is it?
Humpbacks have an extremely large range, from the Antarctic to the Arctic. They are not present in the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea. It is present all around Iceland and the Faroe Islands, and in coastal Norway. It is not found in northerly areas of Greenland and Svalbard.
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Interesting facts
  • In the 1960's, the humpback had been hunted to the point that it was almost extinct. In the North Atlantic, it is believed that only about 700 individuals were left. 200,000 whales had bee hunted worldwide over the span of a century. Today, the population has mostly recovered and is globally regarded as least concern.
  • A small population of non-migratory humpback whales can be found in the Arabian Sea, where it is extremely isolated from all other humpback populations. This small group is also very endangered, with 100 animals or fewer remaining.

Pictures

  • Cover picture: "Humpback Whale" by rjshade is licensed under CC BY 2.0
  • Presentation picture: "Breaching Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)" by Gregory 'Slobirdr' Smith is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

References

  • ​Breiwick JM, Mitchell E, Reeves RR (1983) Simulated population trajectories for northwest Atlantic humpback whales 1865–1980. Fifth biennial Conference on Biology of Marine Mammals, Boston Abstract. p14
  • Clapham, Phil (2002). "Humpback Whale". Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. San Diego: Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-551340-1.
  • Minton, G.; Collins, T.; Pomilla, C.; Findlay, K.P.; Rosenbaum, H.; Baldwin, R.; Brownell, R.L. Jr. (2008). "Megaptera novaeangliae (Arabian Sea subpopulation)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T132835A3464679. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
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              The Icelandic Climate Fund (2020-2021)

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The Nordic Cooperation (2021-2023)           

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  • Home
  • Goals
  • Local Nature
    • Flora and Funga >
      • Flowering plants >
        • Arctic poppy
        • Cow parsley
        • Mountain avens
        • Nootka lupin
        • Purple saxifrage
      • Non-flowering vascular plants
      • Non-vascular plants
      • Algae
      • Fungi >
        • Reindeer lichen
    • Land mammals >
      • Carnivores >
        • American mink
        • Arctic fox
        • Red fox
      • Herbivores >
        • Reindeer
        • Muskox
      • Insectivores
    • Marine mammals >
      • Seals and Bears >
        • Harbor seal
        • Polar bear
        • Ringed seal
      • Whales and Dolphins >
        • Humpback whale
        • Minke whale
        • Orca
    • Birds >
      • Birds of prey >
        • Gyrfalcon
        • Snowy owl
        • White-tailed eagle
      • Land birds >
        • Rock ptarmigan
        • Rock pigeon
        • Eurasian three-toed woodpecker
      • Passerines >
        • Common raven
        • European starling
        • Snow bunting
      • Sea birds >
        • Atlantic puffin
        • Great cormorant
        • Northern fulmar
      • Seagulls >
        • Black-legged kittiwake
        • Arctic tern
        • Arctic skua
      • Waders >
        • Eurasian oystercatcher
        • Common ringed plover
        • Purple sandpiper
      • Water birds >
        • Red-throated diver
        • Barnacle goose
        • Common eider
  • Activities
    • Beach treasure hunts
    • Ice fishing
    • Seal monitoring
    • Shore ecosystem walk
  • News
  • Contact us