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 lifetime), and are insulated by a layer of blubber. They are noted for their amazing intelligence. The order is divided into two sub-orders. Mysteceti (baleen/mustached) and Odonteceti (toothed animals). Mystecetes have two blowholes and odontocetes have only one. In this family of whales, the humpback whale has five siblings: the Blue -, Fin -, Sei -, Bryde's and Minke whales. The Blue whale is the largest animal that ever lived on our planet: it can grow more than 90 feet long and weigh up to 180 tons. Its heart is as large as a small car! At Whalesong, we concentrate on the largest and most famous cetacean to the waters around Hawaii, the humpback whale: Class: Mammals (Mammalia) Order: Sea mammals (Cetacea)Subordination: Baleen whales (Mysticeti) Family: Rorquals (Balaenopteridae)Kind: Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)

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.

Scientists estimate a life expectancy of up to 50 years, maybe even longer. Years ago scientists attempted to age humpbacks by comparing the growth rings within the ear plugs, which proved to be unsuccessful as the whales do not always migrate annually, and usually sink when expired, so obtaining the ear plugs is nearly impossible. A fairly recent study of a relative baleen whale, the bowhead, proved to be more successful. Indigenous Indians of the north are allowed to hunt a few whales annually and scientists were given the eyeballs. Testing the amino acids behind the eye lenses they found several whales to be well over 100 years old and one, in particular, was 179 years of age! How long do humpbacks live? They simply do not know. Further studies have to be done on this.

The estimations of the current population vary widely: some speak of 5,000-7,000 animals, and others of 12,000-14,000 animals. Even if there were 14,000 animals, that would only be a fraction of the originally estimated population of approximately 115,000 animals. The humpback whale's existence is, therefore, considered endangered. They received full protection by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1963, but are still hunted illegally. Currently there are many efforts being made to save these animals. To date, researchers are feeling very encouraged by the North Pacific population annual increase of about seven percent. Calf mortality still appears to be very low.

Humpback whales exist worldwide - the National Marine Sanctuary has identified 6 different populations. Whalesong concentrates on the population of the North Pacific. The majority of the population (approx. 60%) migrates into the warmer waters around Hawaii during winter time. Approximately 30% migrate to the coast of Mexico or Baja California, and the remaining 10% make the journey to the southern islands off Japan. They are found frequently in proximity to the coast in relatively shallow water. That gives us the possibility of being able to observe the whales well - in Hawaii you can often see the whales from the beach! They are, however, not around Hawaii throughout the entire year. The first whales come to their breeding ground in the warmer waters at the end of October, at which time some give birth to the new generation. According to many researchers, most whales may spend only a few days in the breeding grounds after their arrival, then they make their way back again to their feeding grounds around in the north. The exception would be new mothers who must wait until their little ones are strong enough for the journey, and may stay in Hawaiian waters for 1 ½ to 2 months.

The humpbacks of the North Pacific (Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, Japan, Mexico) are usually a little darker on the underside of their flukes, their pectoral fins, bellies, and their throat grooves compared to the population of the South Pacific (Antarctica, Australia, South Pacific Islands). While many of the humpbacks sing head down to Hawaii, it's the opposite in the South Pacific. There may be many other differences as well and both populations are being closely studied.

Usually the two populations do not mix together. Since the seasons of the year are opposite in each hemisphere, the humpbacks of the North Pacific are migrating toward Alaska and Canada in May at the same time the humpbacks of the South Pacific are migrating from Antarctica to Australia and the South Pacific Islands. In October, it goes the other way around. But, there is an exception to every rule: One season, researchers in the northern hemisphere noticed a whale with a fluke that was plain white on the underside. They couldn't find the whale in their photo-ID database and sent the photo to researchers in the southern hemisphere. Australia called right away, "Hey, this is our whale!" In old whaling records there are several instances where the whaling vessels followed humpbacks from the southern hemisphere and wound up in the "Sandwich Islands" (Hawaii).

The underside of the tail (called a fluke) has a unique pattern, and is a distinguishing characteristic comparable to a human fingerprint. The fluke could be differently patterned in black, grey, and white, and it may have scars from an orca or a collision with a boat. Flukes are being photographed and researchers have access to a special database in which all the photographs are archived. This is called photo-identification. That gives us the opportunity to gather revealing information about a whale's preferred feeding grounds, migration routes, and behavior within a pod. New research suggests that most orca attacks are done on calves and juveniles, but the scars are lifelong. In the near future, NOAA hopes to have a global database that everyone can access and even add their own fluke photos to it.

Up to 45 minutes, but usually they dive 15-20 minutes depending on what they are doing. If the whales are within a so called "competition group" (several full-grown males are trying to get the best position to the one female in the group), they are travelling with faster speed, fighting and breaching, which costs them a lot of energy. Then they must come up to breathe after only 5-10 minutes. When the whales are avoiding loud vessel engines, researchers have observed them staying down 45 minutes in the same position, coming up at the same spot they went down 45 minutes before. In the feeding grounds of Alaska and Canada, the longest downtime observed was 55 minutes. It is also known they are capable of depths of 600 feet, according to Dr. Adam Pack, who tagged humpbacks in Hawaii last year. This astounded the science community who all asked, "what are they doing down there?" Hopefully we'll have answers soon.

It's not exactly sleep - it is more like doze. Humpbacks are not ‘conscious breathers', which means they have to think of breathing (just like we human beings) under water. Nevertheless, researchers believe they have the ability to switch off half of their brain to relax. The other half of their brain is thinking of breathing, being aware of predators like orcas, or taking care of the baby if it is a mother.