The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is probably the best known of the 20 whale species that can be found in US waters. Humpbacks are baleen whales, which means that instead of teeth they have rows of comb-like plates to help filter their food from the water. Baleen (the "comb" material) is made of the same protein as human fingernails or hair. Humpbacks are one of the easiest whales to identify. Their flippers are very long with scalloped edges in the front, and the fin on their backs (dorsal) is small and placed on a small hump two-thirds of the body length away from the whale's head. Adults range in length from 39 to 52 ft (12 to 16 meters) and weigh about 79,000 lbs (36,000 kilograms).

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