The Humpback Whale Of Ipswich Bay (Megaptera Novaeangliae)
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Ipswich Bay, Massachusetts! Ipswich Bay is located in northern Massachusetts along the Gulf of Maine. It is extremely cold & has many different kinds of marine mammals. It is quite pretty however it does not receive much attention as a tourist destination. Its beaches are not often crowded. Its history is long, interesting, & quite well documented as well. It is incredibly beautiful & is a good place to watch marine wildlife. However, the bay itself is going to be discussed in the next article. The Humpback whale is a common sight to see out in the bay. They are incredibly majestic creatures & are often seen far out in the bay. In this article, we will discuss the life of the Humpback Whale, the mating procedures, tactics, practices, & cycles of the Humpback Whale, the distribution of the Humpback Whale, the scientific detailings of the Humpback Whale, conservation of the Humpback Whale, & humans affect & interactions with the Humpback whale over the years. With that being said, let's delve into the Humpback Whale.
The Discovery & The Life Of The Humpback Whale
The Humpback Whale was discovered in 1756 by Mathurin Jacques Brisson. He originally identified it as Baleine de la Nouvelle Angleterre in the book Regnum Animale. In 1781 Georg Heinrich Borowski converted the original name into its Latin name of Balaena Novaeangliae. In 1804, Bernard Germain de Lacépède shifted the humpback from the family Balaenidae renaming it B. jubartes. In 1846, John Edward Gray created the genus Megaptera, classifying the humpback as Megaptera Longipinnia. However, in 1932, Remington Kellogg reverted the species of Humpback Whale back to Borowski's Novaeangliae. This brings us to today in which the species is known as Megaptera Novaeangliae. On average the females reach a size of 49 Feet Long (14.9352 meters). As for the males they reach an approximate average length of 44 feet long (13.4112 meters). Their collective average weight is 25 to 40 U.S tons (22,679.6 to 36,287.4 kilograms). The average life span for both genders is 47.5 calendar years. They are extremely social & do display some level of intelligence. They are in fact some of the best communicators of the ocean. They are often solitary however they do communicate with other whales. This species has existed for 45 million years. Their diet largely consists of small crustaceans like krill, shrimp, or even small fish. They also have an elevated metabolism, requiring them to eat up to 3,000 pounds (1360.777 kilograms) of daily food. They use a process called filter feeding in which they strain out small animals nearby them in order to consume them. They are not cannibalistic in any form. There are not many predators due to the sheer size of this animal. The only known creatures that have been documented attacking them are killer whales, false killer whales, & large shark species. Humpback whales are usually not very aggressive towards other whales & humans. They seem to have a flight rather than a fight response. There is no evidence to suggest that they are territorial & will defend certain areas. Humpbacks are mainly black or grey in color with white undersides / bellies. They also have flippers that are in their midsection. One of the most noticeable characteristics of the humpback whale is their incredibly long flippers. Humpback whales are extremely active, often slapping their flippers & flukes on the surface of the ocean.
The Mating Procedures, Tactics, Practices, & Cycles Of The Humpback Whale
Humpback whales mate in quite strange ways due to their size. They mate via sexual reproduction. The male whale will deposit the sperm inside the female whale so the egg will fertilize. The male will attract the female via a courtship song in which afterward the female could choose to mate with the male or not. The female then carries the child for 11-12 months & then she has a live birth. They usually have a calf every 2 to 3 years. However, having them within quick succession of each other is uncommon but can be observed. Humpback whales are usually born alone so it is very rare for a humpback whale to have twins. The calf will stay with the mother for at least 5 months however it is more common that they stay with their mother for the first year. The calf is often 12-15 feet long when born & weighs approximately 1 U.S ton (2,000 pounds or 907.1847 kilograms) They are not hermaphroditic in any capacity. However, an intersex humpback whale is not unheard of. The females usually reach sexual maturity at around 5-7 years as this is when they are observed to have their first whale calf. The males reach sexual maturity between 6 & 7 years old. They have specific breeding seasons or months: December, January, February, March, April, & May. They are not monogamous & do not stay together after the calf is conceived.
The Distribution Of The Humpback Whale
The Humpback whale is incredibly diverse in its choice of environment. The Humpback whale, however, usually sticks to colder oceanic areas, most likely due to the diluted oxygen which makes small crustaceans more plentiful because of more oxygen, which means it is a better environment for them. They usually can be found around Canada & Alaska, however, they can also be found near New York State & New England. They are mostly seen in Alaska in the summer They also enjoy areas of Europe like the United Kingdom & the areas near Norway. However, they do migrate as far as the Grenadines in the Caribbean. They are mostly found in the Caribbean between December & April. They seem to prefer the Atlantic ocean over the Pacific & it is unfortunately not exactly known why this is. Their estimated population is that of 84,000 which may be a clue as to why they are so spread out & so diverse when it comes to environment.
The Scientific Detailings Of The Humpback Whale
The Humpback whale is one of the most interesting creatures due to its sheer size & its evolution. Humpback whales have approximately 161 bones when they have reached adulthood. Their bone structure rather similar to other whales however Humpback whales off the coast of Brazil are showing up occasionally with bone abnormalities more then in other areas. A theory as to why this is, is that this group of humpback whales may be very inbred. These abnormalities are most commonly found on the caudal vertebrae & the ribs. So far, these abnormalities have been observed to cause infections that are sometimes malignant. Their teeth are thin & are called baleen plates. There are 270 to 400 of them overlapping in the front of the whales mouth, this is what is use to strain out the small crustaceans.
This image depicts a close-up picture of a Humpback Whale’s Teeth. The humpback whale can dive up to 750 feet deep they evolved largely from the Dorudon. The Dorudon is an extinct genus of basilosaurid ancient whales. The species categorized under the genus of Dorudon were alive from 34 to 40 million years ago. Their scientific name is that of Megaptera Novaeangliae. So far not many (Less than 5,000) fossils of them have been discovered. Their phylum is known as Chordata meaning that they developed these 5 characteristics all species under the phylum of Chordata develop 5 similar characteristics either In adulthood or as juveniles. Over 60,000 species are categorized under Chordata at the time of publishing. The characteristics that they develop include, a notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal Slits, & a post-anal tail. Their class is known as Mammalia. Mammalia is classified by the production of milk by the mother for their child to nurse, a neocortex which is a region of the brain, some capacity of fur or hair, & three middle ear bones. There are currently 6,400 species categorized under the class of Mammalia. Their order is that of Artiodactyla which are even-toed ungulates. Species categorized under Artiodactyla are ungulates, hoofed animals which bear weight equally on two of their five toes, these toes are the third & fourth toes. The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing posteriorly. Their infraorder is that of Cetacea. Key characteristics of this infraorder, are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size & exclusively carnivorous diet. Another characteristic is their incredible social intelligence. There are roughly 90 species categorized under Cetacea. Their family is that of Balaenopteridae. All members of the family have a series of longitudinal folds of skin running from below the mouth back to the navel. These furrows allow the mouth to expand & unhinge in a way when feeding, permitting them to suck in large amounts of food & swallow in one gulp. There are currently 10 species categorized under this family. The only species under the genus of Megaptera is the Humpback whale.
Directories / Credits
Groch KR, Marcondes MC, Colosio AC, Catão-Dias JL. Skeletal abnormalities in humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae stranded in the Brazilian breeding ground. Dis Aquat Organ. 2012 Nov 8;101(2):145-58. doi: 10.3354/dao02518. PMID: 23135142.
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