Humpback whales are considered endangered according to the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 . They have two blow holes, a small dorsal fin, and long flippers. Humpback whales are extremely active and do lots of flipper and fluke slapping and tend to breach more than any other baleen whale species. Humpbacks are baleen whales which means they filter their food through baleen plates. They consume krill, anchovies, cod, sardines, mackerel, capelin, and others sorts of schooling fish.
Some humpbacks have a very unusual way of catching their food.
The whales dive deep then swim up in a spiral pattern, all the while releasing a steady stream of bubbles. As the bubbles rise they form a bubble cage which traps the fish or plankton that the whales are pursuing. Then the whales swim up through the center of the bubble cage with their jaws open and capture a great gulp of food. Humpback whales are probably old enough to mate at about 7 years of age. Females are pregnant for about 11 to 12 months and get pregnant approximately every two to four years.