Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae

The Humpback Whale is one of nature's long-distance migrants, feeding in the cold waters of the polar oceans before migrating to tropical and subtropical waters to breed - whales in the Southern Ocean around Australia often swim up to 10,000 km per year in these migrations. They are found world-wide and populations have recovered well since the majority of the world banned the hunting of whales when their numbers had fallen by about 90%. Off of Australia, they can be seen in good numbers when migrating up the east coast to spend the southern winter off of the Great Barrier Reef. The Humpback Whale is enormous - 12-16 m long and weighing up to 32,000 kg, which is slightly more than a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, just to give an idea of its bulk. For all that, they are remarkably agile, being able to lift clear of the water when displaying and performing all manner of acrobatics. Another thing the Humpback is known for is its song - the males of each group sing the same song, which can be heard for
 

1: Sydney Pelagic, 14/08/2010.