length | weight | top speed (swimming) | feels like |
14.5m | 30t | 27km/h | 3.4km/h |
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a baleen whale. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the water. Males produce a complex whale song, which lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and is repeated for hours at a time. The purpose of the song is not yet clear, although it appears to have a role in mating.