Humpback facts!

•Baleen Whale - The Humpback whale is a species of Baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 m and weigh about 36,000 kg. The Humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head.

•Named - Humpback whales are named for the distinctive hump on their backs.

•Life Span - 45 – 50 years but some say up to 80 - 90.

•No Teeth - The Humpback Whale has no teeth, instead they have baleen plates that acts like a giant sieve!

•Blow Holes - The Humpback Whale has two blow holes, one for each lung. Each of its lungs is the size of a small car. Wow, that’s a lot of air!

•Tail - Humpback tails can be as wide as 18 ft (5.5 m).

•Mammals - give live birth to very large calves.

•Baby Whales - A baby Whale is called a calf. They are nearly one tonne when they are born and suckle up to 600 litres of milk a day from their mums!

•Song - Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it may have a role in mating.

•Dive - Humpbacks dive to about 200 m. They can stay underwater for 30 minutes, but on average their dives only last about 15 minutes.

•Migrations - They feed near the poles and give birth in the tropics, and each year.

•Humpback whales - Can travel as much as sixteen thousand miles (25,000 km) during migration.

•Only eat in winter - Humpback whales only eat in their winter feeding grounds and live off fat reserves for the rest of the year, including while migrating.

•Diet - Humpback Whales main prey, krill and small schooling fish such as mackerel, are caught by repeated open-mouth lunges into the prey school.

•Can Eat - up to 3,000 pounds (1.4 metric tons) of food a day, including krill and small fish.

36 Years Of Watching

Commercial whale watching in Australia began when Brian and Jill Perry discovered whales in the calm pristine waters of Hervey Bay on the Fraser Coast of Queensland Since that fateful day 36 years ago, over a million people have been whale watching in Hervey Bay