Humpback whale

Megaptera Megaptera novaeangliae[1] Temporal range: Miocene–Recent[2] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Size compared to an average human
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	Balaenopteridae
Genus:	Megaptera Gray, 1846
Species:	M. novaeangliae
Binomial name
Megaptera novaeangliae Borowski, 1781
Humpback whale range
Synonyms
Balaena gibbosa Erxleben, 1777 B. boops Fabricius, 1780 B. nodosa Bonnaterre, 1789 B. longimana Rudolphi, 1832 Megaptera longimana Gray, 1846 Kyphobalaena longimana Van Beneden, 1861 Megaptera versabilis Cope, 1869

A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a large baleen whale with long flippers and a knobbly head. They can be found in every ocean.^[3]

They can grow to 15–16 m (49–52 ft) long and weigh up to 40 metric tons.

1. ↑ Mead, J.G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). "Order Cetacea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. ↑ "Fossilworks: Megaptera". Fossilworks. Archived from the original on 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
3. ↑ Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G.P., Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A.N. (2008). "Megaptera novaeangliae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 18 January 2013.