Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae )
Family Balaenopteridae
Description: So named for the way in which it arches its back on diving, can be 15 metres long and has a robust body but a relatively slim head. It is recognisable especially due to the long, slender flippers that are usually white on the undersides, with patches of white on top. The serrated tail flukes, like the belly, are also white on the undersides and frequently lifted clear of the water prior to diving. The broad back is usually a slate grey colour. A close view will enable one to observe the characteristic fleshy knobs on the head, called ‘tuberosities’. There are similar bumps on the flippers and a series of small knobs behind the dorsal fin.
Habitat: Feeds on small fish in Arabian waters, entering very shallow coastal waters to do so. However, they also occur well offshore.
Range: There are no confirmed records of this species in the Arabian Gulf and only two recent records on the UAE east coast. Development and the use of fishing nets has probably caused an irreversible decline in the population and its former range.
Comments: Individual humpback whales can be identified by differences between their tail flukes, and any photographs of the underside of the tail flukes may be of great value and interest to researchers, helping, for example, to determine whether the UAE’s humpback whales breed here.