Humpback Whale

ocean · gentle giant · singer

Bus-sized swimmer. Humpbacks grow 46 to 56 feet long and can weigh up to 40 metric tons, about as heavy as several school buses.

Ocean musicians. Male humpbacks sing complex songs that can last anywhere from 4 to 33 minutes, repeating patterns again and again.

Big leapers. They're famous for breaching, launching their huge bodies out of the water and crashing back with a giant splash.

Long flippers. Their extra-long pectoral fins and the bumpy tubercles on their heads make them easy to recognize.

No teeth needed. As baleen whales, they don't have teeth. Instead they use comb-like baleen to filter tiny food from the water.