What are humpback whales?
Humpbacks are one of 11 species of baleen whale roaming the oceans of the world. Baleen refers to long plates which are fringed with a fibrous tangle of bristles and hang from the jawbones of the whale, somewhat like a moustache, in place of teeth. Baleen is made of keratin, a substance also found in human finger/toe nails and animals hooves, and is sometimes known as whalebone. Humpback whales are so called because of the ‘hump’ (i.e. lump) which is sited on their back, in front of their dorsal fin. Humpbacks are mammals (simply, they breathe air and give birth to live young) and their Latin name is Megaptera novaeangliae – mega can be translated as ‘huge’ and ptera as ‘wings’, this referring to the long white pectoral flippers of these whales (see opposite) which are about a third of the overall length of the whale. The white parts of the pectoral flippers are used in the hunting process to alarm shoals of small fish. They can also be used as additional i.d. evidence as they have dis
