A whale with long pectoral fins and distinctive markings on the underside of its tail.
In Alaska, humpback whales have been recorded feeding alone with bubble nets.
Some humpback whales use bubbles to concentrate prey before engulfing it. This is not only a group activity: solitary bubble-net feeding has also been recorded. An Alaskan study separated events involving other whales and analysed feeding by single animals.
In July 2019 at the confluence of Frederick Sound and lower Stephens Passage in Southeast Alaska, humpback whales were recorded making bubble-nets alone before lunging. Tags on five whales provided 277 solitary feeding events after records involving other whales were excluded.
Individual markings, including those beneath the tail, help identify whales. Surface observations complement recordings of feeding bubbles underwater.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Entanglement, vessel strikes and underwater noise threaten humpback whales. NOAA studies and manages them by region and population.