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Family Balaenopteridae

HAWAII

Megaptera novaeangliae 

Pailolo Channel, Hawaii

Kona, Hawaii

HUMPBACK WHALE     kohola

Approximately 9000 individuals spend winter in Hawaiian coastal waters for mating and calving.  They do not eat during this time and return to Alaska and British Columbia to feed upon an abundance of small fish and crustaceans.  Only males sing and the same song is used by the entire group as the content evolves over time.  Attains a length of 52 feet and weight of 79,000 pounds.  Several distinct populations exist around the world comprising a total of about 80,000 individuals.  Considered endangered within the United States.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humpback_whale