Humpback whales can easily be identified by their stocky bodies with obvious humps and black dorsal coloring. The head and lower jaw are covered with knobs called tubercles , which are actually hair follicles and are characteristic of the species. The fluked tail, which it lifts above the surface in some dive sequences, has wavy trailing edges. ... source: Wikipedia
Humpbacks are well known for breaching, and their complex songs. The name humpback whale describes the motion it makes as it arches its back out of the water in preparation for a dive. Humpback Whales can be easily identified by their obvious humps and black upper parts. The head and lower jaw are covered with small, round bumps on the front of the head called knobs or tubercles, and are characteristic of the species.... source: Marine Education Society of Australasia
Large marine mammal that can grow to 16 m in length. They have a stocky body with a broad rounded head, a small dorsal fin and extremely long flippers, which can measure up to one -third of the animal's total length. There is a noticeable rounded projection near the tip of the lower jaw and a series of knobbly protuberances on the head, jaws and flippers. ... source: Office of Environment and Heritage
| Australian iconic species | |
| Baleen whales found in Australian waters | |
| state listed spp (non EPBC) |
| Accepted name | Source |
|---|---|
| Megaptera novaeangliae |
| Synonyms | Source |
|---|---|
| Balaena boops Fabricius, 1780 | |
| Published in: Fabricius, O. 1780. Fauna Groenlandica, systematic sistens Animalia Groenlandiae Occidentalis Hactenus, Indagata Hafniae & Lipsiae : J.G. Rothe pp. xvi 452 pp. 1 pl. | |
| Balaena novaeangliae Borowski, 1781 | |
| Published in: Borowski, G.H. 1781. Gemeinnüzzige Naturgeschichte des Thierreichs, darinnen die merkwurdigsten und nützlichsten Thiere in systemat.... Berlin & Stralsund : Lange Vol. 2 | |
View list of all occurrence records for this taxon
