Humpback Whale Facts | New England by the Numbers
How much do you know about humpback whales? From the length of New England’s whale watching season to the average weight of a newborn calf, learn more in this roundup of humpback whale facts.
Humpback Whale
Photo Credit : Ilangr/PixabayPhoto Credit : Ilangr/Pixabay
7
Months in New England’s whale watching season (April–October)
1
The humpback’s rank among New England whale sightings (followed by fin and minke)
6
Estimated number of humpbacks seen in Boston’s inner harbor last August
25
Miles from downtown Boston to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, one of the world’s best whale watching sites
14
Number of recorded calves delivered by a humpback named Salt, the “grand dame” of Stellwagen Bank
1.5
Weight, in tons, of a typical newborn humpback calf
1970
Album release of Songs of the Humpback Whale, produced by Vermont scientist Roger Payne
>10 million
Copies of a Songs album that were made and packaged with the January 1979 issue of National Geographic (the largest one-time pressing of any record)
$50
Cost to “adopt” a humpback in the Gulf of Maine for a year (adopt-us.whales.org)
2016
Year that most humpback whales were removed from the endangered species list
1986
Year that humpback whales “saved” humans from extinction (in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
