dge, are clearly
visible. These ridges permit this animal to be positively identified as
a Bryde's whale. (_Photo by F. Morejohn._)]

[Illustration: Figure 31.--Bryde's whales in the Gulf of California and
north of Hawaii (inset). In both, note the tall, sickle-shaped
appearance of the dorsal fin, much like that of the sei whale. In the
animal in the larger photo note the ragged rear margin of the dorsal
fin, a frequently observed characteristic in Bryde's whales. In the
animal on the left note also the region of gray on the sides in front of
the dorsal fin. (_Photos by W. C. Cummings and S. Ohsumi_ (_inset_).)]

[Illustration: Figure 32.--Stranded Bryde's whales at Walnut Point, Va.
(top) and Panacea, Fla., Gulf of Mexico (bottom). In both animals note
the head shape similar to that of the sei whale, and the three distinct
head ridges. In the animal on the bottom, note that the two outermost
ridges have their origin in grooves beside the blowholes. In the animal
on the top, note also the baleen plates, up to at least 300 per side and
dark gray with coarse gray bristles. There is infrequently a rather wide
interval at the front of the mouth between the left and right rows of
baleen. (_Photos by U.S. National Museum, courtesy of J. G. Mead (top)
and M. B. Rank, courtesy of Wide World Photos (bottom)._)]

HUMPBACK WHALE (B)

_Megaptera novaeangliae_ (Borowski 1781)

Other Common Names

Humpbacked whale, bunch, hump whale, or hunchbacked whale.

Description

Humpback whales reach a length of 53 feet (16.2 m).

The body is robust, narrowing rapidly on the tail stock. The head is
quite broad and rounded, somewhat like that of the blue whale. The head
ridge characteristic of other balaenopterid species is indistinct and is
replaced in prominence by a string of fleshy "knobs" or protuberances,
many more of which are randomly distributed on the top of the head and
on the lower jaw. There is a distinctive rounded projection near the tip
of the lower jaw. Humpback whales carry many barnacles and whale lice.
The baleen plates are all black with black or olive-black bristles.

The flippers are very long (nearly a third as long as the body), are
scalloped on at least the leading edge, and are nearly all white.

The dorsal fin, located slightly more than two-thirds of the way back on
the back in approximately the same position as that of the fin whale, is
small and varies in size and shape from a small, triangul