Cetaceans - Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Humpbacks are large and grayish in color; with distinctive long flippers and a 'hump' preceding the small dorsal fin. Adult males are 15 m long and adult females slightly larger at 16 m. NMML scientists use photos of Humpback whale flukes (the tail) to identify individual whales around the world. Photo ID studies indicate that humpback whales from the Western and Central North Pacific mix on summer feeding grounds in the central Gulf of Alaska and perhaps the Bering Sea.
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