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humpback whale
noun
: a large baleen whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) that is black above and white below and has very long flippers, and fleshy tubercles along the snout
Examples of humpback whale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Diana Reiss, a marine mammal behavior and communication expert at the City University of New York, said that scientists understand certain aspects of marine animals’ communication reasonably well, including the whistles used by dolphins and the songs sung by humpback whales.
—Maria Cheng, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 May 2024
Image Sperm whales don’t produce the eerie melodies sung by humpback whales, which became a sensation in the 1960s.
—Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 7 May 2024
Warming ocean temperatures are changing the location of many marine animals’ feeding areas and migratory routes, increasing their overlap with fishing areas and exacerbating the risk of fishing gear entangling vulnerable species like humpback whales.
—Francine Kershaw, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
The rescuers had managed to cut away the ropes and free the humpback whale.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
The ride is one hour each way, and marine life sightings include humpback whales (seasonally) and dolphins.
—Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 25 Feb. 2024
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center on Friday released observations from a necropsy done Thursday evening on the nearly 25-foot (7.6-meter) juvenile male humpback whale that was found dead in Long Beach Township.
—Wayne Parry, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2024
According to the documents filed with Port Angeles, Ebb’s technology includes comprehensive monitoring, modeling, and reporting systems to track the chemistry of the seawater and health of the marine ecosystem, from tiny plankton, seaweed, and salmon to the largest orcas and humpback whales.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 Mar. 2024
Baleen whales—filter feeders that include blue whales, fin whales and humpback whales—make noises via a larynx, or voice box.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'humpback whale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1726, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near humpback whale
Cite this Entry
“Humpback whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humpback%20whale. Accessed 24 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
humpback whale
noun
: a large baleen whale that is black above and white below and has very long flippers
More from Merriam-Webster on humpback whale
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about humpback whale
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