Humpback whales are enormous creatures — about the size of a school bus. They are known for their haunting and melodic songs and for breaching the surface with dramatic acrobatic displays.

Humpbacks don’t usually have a hump on their backs. The name comes from a large bump that forms when they arch their backs before making a dive.

The scientific name, Megaptera novaeangliae, means big-winged New Englander. This is because the population that swam off New England was best known to early European explorers.