Why is the humpback whale called a humpback whale?
The humpback whale probably got its name from early whalers that designated the name based on their observations. When diving, these whales have an area of pronounced blubber in front of the dorsal fin, giving the back a ‘humped’ look. This is mentioned in many whaling records. Family stories Humpback whales come from the order CETACEA. Cetacea includes whales, dolphins, and porpoise. (There are no porpoise in Hawaii). Cetus is Latin, the original meaning was “large sea animal”, and it is used in biological names to mean “whale”. Cetaceans are the marine mammals who have fully adapted to aquatic lifestyles. Their forelimbs are modified to flippers, their tiny hind limbs are vestigial , they are not attached to a backbone, and their bodies are fusiform (spindle shaped). The order Cetacea contains 90 known animals, all marine except four species of river dolphins. Cetaceans are nearly hairless (dolphins are born with a mustache, and humpbacks have hair on their heads during their entire
