Megaptera novaeangliae

This is a mostly black or gray baleen whale with very long (up to one-third of body length) flippers that often are white or partly white. In front of the paired nostrils the head is flat and covered with knobs. The rear edge of the flippers and fluke is scalloped. The dorsal fin (located on back) is variable but often has a hump or step along the front edge. The throat has about 14-35 longitudinal grooves. The baleen generally is all black, up to 70 cm long. Maximum length is around 52 feet (16 meters). The blow is bushy and V-shaped. Humpbacks often raise the tail above the water when starting a deep dive.

Range encompasses the world's oceans from the subtropics to high latitudes. All subpopulations (except the one in the Arabian Sea) migrate between mating and calving grounds in tropical/subtropical waters, usually near continental coastlines or island groups, and productive colder waters in temperate and high latitudes.

Habitat includes the open ocean and coastal waters, sometimes including inshore areas such as bays. Summer distribution is in temperate and subpolar waters. In winter, most humpbacks are in tropical/subtropical waters near islands or coasts.|In the western North Atlantic, humpbacks give birth mainly over shallow wide banks near islands. In Hawaii, they concentrate over shallower waters near islands; groups including a calf tend to occur in shallower waters than do groups lacking a calf.

In the western North Atlantic, most humpbacks depart breeding areas in late winter-early spring. They arrive in northern feeding areas in 1-2 months. In the southern Gulf of Maine, they commonly return to the same area in successive years. Southward migration occurs in fall; individuals arrive in breeding areas in 1-2 months. This species occurs off Hawaii mainly January-March.|In the western North Atlantic, young are born from December or January through March. Gestation lasts 11-12 months. Most adult females bear a calf every 2-3 years (sometimes 1 or 4 years). Young are weaned in 5-12 months. Twelve females that were monitored since first being observed as calves produced their first calves at ages of 5-7 years. In Alaska, the age of first calving is 8-16 years (average 11.8 years).