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Mammals of Zihuatanejo

CLASS MAMMALIA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Mammals (Class Mammalia)

-Therians (Subclass Theria)

-Placental Mammals (Infraclass Placentalia)

-Ungulates, Carnivorans, and Allies (Superorder Laurasiatheria)

-Even-toed Ungulates and Cetaceans (Order Artiodactyla)

-Cetaceans and Hippopotamuses (Suborder Whippomorpha)

-Cetaceans (Infraorder Cetacea)

-Baleen Whales (Parvorder Mysticeti)

-Rorquals (Family Balaenopteridae)

-Genus Megaptera

-Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)


The Humpback whale is found living in temperate and tropical oceans around the world. They inhabit the open ocean, coastal waters, and the continental shelf, covering a range of over two million square miles. These whales are filter feeders, consuming krill, small fish, and other invertebrates in huge quantities. Humpback whales are known for their complex social behavior, which includes breaching, lobtailing, and singing. They are easily recognizable by their long pectoral fins and knobbly head. There are seventy-five miles of coastal waters along the state of Guerrero that is part of the Northeastern Pacific humpback whale migration route.

Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

Diet

  • Feeds primarily on krill, small schooling fish such as anchovies, sardines, herring, capelin, and mackerel, depending on the region.

  • Uses several feeding techniques, including lunge feeding, bubble-net feeding, and cooperative herding of prey.

  • During the winter breeding season in tropical waters, including the Pacific coast of Mexico, humpback whales feed very little or not at all, relying on fat reserves accumulated during summer feeding in high-latitude waters.

Range

  • Found in all of the world's major oceans, undertaking some of the longest migrations of any mammal.

  • In the eastern North Pacific, whales migrate annually from feeding grounds in Alaska, British Columbia, and the Bering Sea to breeding and calving grounds along the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America.

  • Common off the Guerrero coast, including the Zihuatanejo region, from approximately December through March, when they breed, calve, and nurse their young.

Habitat

  • Occupies a wide range of marine habitats, from open ocean to coastal bays, continental shelves, island channels, and shallow tropical breeding lagoons.

  • During the breeding season, prefers warm, sheltered coastal waters where females give birth and calves spend their first months of life.

  • During summer, inhabits cold, nutrient-rich feeding grounds in high-latitude oceans.

Size

  • Length:

    • Male: 13–16 m (43–52 ft)

    • Female: 14–17 m (46–56 ft)

  • Weight: 25–40 tonnes (28–44 short tons), with exceptionally large individuals exceeding 45 tonnes.

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