HUMPBACK WHALES
Photos of Humpback Whales in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary around the Northern Channel Islands: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara islands.

Humpback whales live in oceans around the world. They travel incredible distances every year and have one of the longest migrations of any mammal on the planet. Some populations swim 5,000 miles from tropical breeding grounds to colder, productive feeding grounds. Humpback whales feed on krill (small shrimp-like crustaceans) and small fishes by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates.

The humpback whale takes its common name from the distinctive hump on its back. Its long pectoral fins inspired its scientific name, Megaptera, which means “big-winged.” Humpback whales are a favorite of whale watchers―they are often active at the water surface, for example, jumping out of the water and slapping the surface with their pectoral fins or tails.