About Humpback Whales

Humpback whales are baleen whales, filtering food through a series of bony keratin plates about 25 inches long.  The humpback takes in water in a huge mouthful containing krill, then pushes the water out sideways, swallowing the krill.  In one day a whale may ingest a tonne and a half of food.  Most of the humpback's feeding takes place in summer in the cold Antarctic waters, providing enough food reserves, in the form of blubber, to last up to eight months of the year.  Males are an average of 16m long, and females slightly longer at 17m.

The Humpback's migratory path covers 3,600km from the feeding grounds of the Antarctic to the calving grounds of the Kimberley.  The population found off Western Australia is known as the Group lV population, with the Eastern Australian population known as the Group V population.  When whaling ceased in 1963, the Western Australian population of Humpbacks was thought to number no more than 500 individuals.

Humpbacks, like all other cetaceans, are true mammals.  Mating and calving takes place in tropical waters from June to November, and at latitudes of between 12 and 25°S.  "The northern endpoint of migration and resting area for reproductively active whales in the population appears to be Camden Sound in the Kimberley. A 6,750 square km2 area of the Kimberley region, inclusive of Camden Sound, has also been identified as a major calving ground" 1.  The peak time of Northern migration appears to be the last week in July.  Its was thought that the whales appeared to pass to the West of the Lacepede islands, remaining offshore until they reach Camden Sound, but observations this year suggest that they may in fact move in to the coast more to the South, from Broome to James Price Point.

Humpback whales are so named from the manner in which they 'hump' their backs when they dive.

1.Jenner, K.C.S., Jenner, M-N., and McCabe K.A. (2001).

Geographical and temporal movements of humpback whales in Western Australian waters. APPEA Journal 38 (1):692-707. PDF Download 1.3mb