Alaska Wildlife Viewing - Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales are generally not found in cooler waters but due to the abundance in food can be seen in Alaska's waters year round. Most humpbacks migrate to Hawaii during the winter to have their young. Male Humpback whales can weigh up to 35 tons. The females are generally around 25 tons.
Humpbacks feed by taking in large amounts of water then pushing it back out through baleen plates which catch their food, effectively "straining" their meals. There were nearly 23,000 whales taken from northern waters before 1966 when whaling was banned. Today there are roughly 1,000-1,200 Humpback Whales in existence. They can be seen in many areas of southeast and south-central Alaska.