General Description
Body grey-black. Dorsal fin with curved edge. Fins on side of body have white underneath and lumps on the front edge. Tail dark on top, white underneath. Water spray from blowhole is a single vertical jet less than 5 m high. Up to 18 m long.
Biology
Humpback Whales migrate to warmer Australian waters in Harvey Bay and the Great Barrier Reef to breed in winter months.
Habitat
Open oceans and near coastlines.
Open water
Distribution guide
Worldwide.
Species Group
Depth
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)
Water Column
Max Size
18 m
Diet
Plankton or Particles
Commercial Species
No
Global Dispersal
Recorded in Australia
Conservation Status
- DSE Advisory List : Vulnerable
- EPBC Act 1999 : Vulnerable
- IUCN Red List : Least Concern
- CITES : Trade restrictions (Appendix I)
Author
Dr. Erich Fitzgerald is a Senior Curator of palaeontology at Museum Victoria.
Author
Dr. Ryan Jefferies is a volunteer online editor at Museum Victoria.
Cite this page as:
Fitzgerald, E. & Jefferies, R., 2011, Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 25 Feb 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/4189
