Marine mammal

Humpback whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

Open ocean, coastal feeding waters, and warm, shallow breeding areas

Photo: (c) bungelina, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY · Source and license. Displayed as a resized crop. Photograph illustrates the species.

Habitat: Open ocean, coastal feeding waters, and warm, shallow breeding areas
Viewing zone: Observe at the surface from shore or a boat
Viewing activities: Offshore

Life and behavior

Many populations feed in cooler waters in summer and migrate to warmer breeding waters in winter.

Occurs in oceans worldwide, with migrations between feeding and breeding areas.

Seasonal movements depend on the population and region; a record does not establish a local viewing season.

WHERE HAS IT BEEN RECORDED?

These dated records show past presence. They do not establish today’s abundance, guarantee a sighting, or describe the species’ entire range.

Recorded here

34,186 OBIS records in the regional query · snapshot 2026-09-12.

Individual records in this sample do not supply habitat or depth. Use the species reference above for biological context.

View example source records

OBIS · 2026-02-15Happywhale - Humpback whale in North Pacific Ocean · Lauren Eklund · https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0
OBIS · 2025-12-03iNaturalist research-grade observations · Alma Elizabeth · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
OBIS · 2024-02-20Happywhale - Humpback whale in North Pacific Ocean · HIHWNMS - Rachel · https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0

Recorded here

44,246 OBIS records in the regional query · snapshot 2026-09-12.

Individual records in this sample do not supply habitat or depth. Use the species reference above for biological context.

View example source records

iNaturalist · 2026-08-29Research-grade observation · Ken Koll · cc-by
OBIS · 2026-01-19Happywhale - Humpback whale in North Pacific Ocean · Dane McDermott · https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0
OBIS · 2023-04-02Happywhale - Humpback whale in North Pacific Ocean · Eric Austin Yee · https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0

Recorded here

650 OBIS records in the regional query · snapshot 2026-09-12.

Individual records in this sample do not supply habitat or depth. Use the species reference above for biological context.

View example source records

OBIS · 2020-02-08Happywhale - Humpback whale in North Atlantic Ocean · Sara Franson · https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0
OBIS · 2017-10-31Mid-Atlantic Humpback whale Monitoring 2015-2020 · DOD;DON · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
OBIS · 2017-01-11Mid-Atlantic Humpback whale Monitoring 2015-2020 · DOD;DON · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/