Humpback Whale Facts for Kids

If you are looking for some Humpback Whale facts for kids then look no further.  These incredible mammals, the largest on Earth with the longest migration on the planet and the most hauntingly mysterious songs are beyond fascinating. 

To find out all about these majestic animals of the deep then please, read on to learn all about Humpback Whales.

Fun Humpback Whale Facts

• Humpback Whales get their common name from the hump on their back which is visible as they prepare to dive.
• Their tail patterns are all unique.
• Humpback Whales have baleen plates instead of teeth.
• They hunt in groups, also known as pods.
• Humpback Whales grow up to 18.3 m long and 36.3 metric tons.
• They can live for 80 to 90 years.
• Humpback Whales are known for singing loud, complex “songs” – lasting up to 30 minutes long!
• Only male Humpback Whales “sing.” 
• Humpback Whales can be found in the North Pacific, Atlantic, Southern Ocean, and Indian Ocean.
• Humpback Whales have the longest migration on the planet, migrating annually from summer feeding grounds near the poles to warmer winter breeding waters closer to the Equator.
• Humpback Whales are powerful swimmers and use their massive tail fin, called a fluke, to propel themselves through the water and sometimes completely out of it.
• Humpback Whales often “breach.” This is when the whales leap from the water before landing with a massive splash. 
• Humpback Whale babies are called calves.
• Female Humpback Whales nurse their calves for almost a year.
• Calves do not stop growing until they are ten years old.

The Humpback Whale Migration

Did you know that Humpback Whales have the longest migration of any animal on our planet? 

Every year in January, around 60,000 Humpback Whales leave the cool, food-rich waters of Antarctica and begin a 5,000km, three-month journey to the much warmer waters found up and down the coast of Queensland. It is here that they mate and give birth to their offspring.

Every year, there are big celebrations along the eastern coast of Australia when these magnificent animals put on an impressive show and ‘whale watching’ becomes a much-loved event.

Around 25,000 whales diverge around Tasmania and head up the east coast of Australia to Hervey Bay in Queensland. The other 35,000 or so travel up the west coast of Australia as far as Broome and the Kimberley.

The Lifecycle of the Humpback Whale

The reason why Humpback Whales migrate to warmer waters each year is to give birth to their young. Baby humpback whales have a greater chance of survival if born in warmer waters. 

Although they are babies, they are still extremely large when born. 

A baby humpback whale, known as a calf, can weigh as much as a tonne and are usually around 3-5 metres long! 

A baby will stay with their mum for the first year of their life and will feed on her high-fat milk for 5-12 months. By drinking this nutrient-rich milk, the babies grow very fast.  Both mum and bub will stay in the warmer waters until the baby is fully grown (to about 8-9 metres). 

Once they are on their own, adolescent humpbacks will start to travel in pairs or groups, where their primary goal is to eat. They do this by filter feeding through their baleen plates (they don’t have teeth!).  

At around 6-10 years of age, the humpbacks start breeding. To attract a mate, the males put on a pretty impressive display of breaching, blowing bubbles, singing, and sometimes fighting with other males.

Baby whales are then born a year later, at around the time they have completed their long swim back to the warmer waters.

An adult female humpback does not give birth every single year, but typically every two or three years.

Humpback Whale Diet

Humpback Whales are carnivorous, meaning they eat meat. Although they are huge animals, the size of animals they prey on is actually rather small. They love to feed on krill, small crustaceans and schooling fish.

The Humpback Whale “Song”

One of the things Humpback Whales are most well-known for is their song. 

They are known to sing a haunting tune beneath the waves and tend to sing the same song, specific to their location. Although the tend to sing the same type of song, it does have variations and changes year-to-year so that it is never exactly the same all the time.

Scientists are still not sure what the main reason for their song is. Performed only by the males, at one stage they thought it might be for mating, but this has not been confirmed. 

The ‘songs’ tend to last between 10 – 30 minutes, but some have been known to go for hours! They are actually quite complex in their sounds and, as far as we know, humpback whales are the only animals, other than humans, to create such complex, hierarchal patterns of sound.

No wonder whale song fascinates people the world over!

Are Humpback Whales Endangered?

In the 1800s and early 1900s, commercial whaling almost drove the species to extinction. In 1970, the humpback whale was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Conservation Act.

However since the 1980s, when the practice of commercial whaling largely ended, the population has substantially grown. In fact, in 2022, Humpback Whales were removed from Australia’s threatened-species list, after the government’s independent scientific panel on threatened species deemed the mammals had made a major recovery.

Australia’s Humpback Whale population has increased from an estimated critically low 200 animals when commercial whaling ceased in the 1960s to around 60,000 – and is increasing at around 10 to 11.5 per cent per year.

Where to see Humpback Whales near Brisbane

Living where we do means we literally have front-row seats to the whales’ spectacular mating and breeding display right at our doorstep. 

There are many tours which head out on the water to get a close up view of these creatures, or for those that prefer to stay on dry land, there are vantage points from the shores along the coast. 

The best places to see humpback whales in Queensland are considered to be the Sunshine Coast, The Great Barrier Reef, and Hervey Bay.

If you want to see Humpback Whales from the shoreline, then North Stradbroke is the best place to do this or perhaps even from Coolum Beach. 

Generally, the best time to see humpback whales on the East Coast is between May and November. This is the best time to see the humpback whale migration as they often have calves and swim close to the shore in order to protect the calves from predators.

Find out where to see Whales from the land in Brisbane so you can experience the wonder of the whale migration! 

Other Animals Facts

If you loved reading these facts about the Humpback Whale then you can check out a whole range of other interesting and fun animal facts for kids here.