Evidence found
295,897 records across 96 countries and territories, 1871–2026.
Megaptera novaeangliae · GBIF taxon key 5220086
Where has the humpback whale been recorded?
Megaptera novaeangliae occurrence evidence comes from 295,897 records in 96 countries and territories, from 1871 to 2026. Most records come from United States.
- 295,897 records
- 96 places
- 85 years recorded
- Mammalia class
Observation evidence passport
Source coverage
CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.
Refreshed 2026-09-20. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.
What this means
The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: August.
12 months reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.
What this does not mean
repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.
A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.
Compare this animal’s observation pattern
When it is recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak month: August. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.
Records over time
18712026
Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.
Where humpback whale has been recorded
The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for humpback whale. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.
| Place | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 140,110 | |
| Australia | 29,061 | |
| Mexico | 26,037 | |
| Antarctica | 21,162 | |
| Canada | 18,724 | |
| Iceland | 14,371 | |
| South Africa | 14,240 | |
| Réunion | 4,860 | |
| Brazil | 3,621 | |
| Dominican Republic | 3,228 | |
| Russia | 2,261 | |
| Peru | 1,817 | |
| Colombia | 1,522 | |
| Ecuador | 1,416 | |
| Norway | 1,248 | |
| Tonga | 1,230 | |
| South Georgia | 994 | |
| Greenland | 988 | |
| Chile | 872 | |
| Mozambique | 837 | |
| Argentina | 789 | |
| Costa Rica | 687 | |
| Mayotte | 575 | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 453 | |
| Philippines | 443 | |
| Cabo Verde | 389 | |
| Japan | 387 | |
| French Polynesia | 370 | |
| Niue | 344 | |
| Ireland | 343 | |
| Portugal | 319 | |
| El Salvador | 200 | |
| British Virgin Islands | 170 | |
| Namibia | 151 | |
| United Kingdom | 146 | |
| Madagascar | 142 | |
| New Zealand | 141 | |
| Panama | 130 | |
| Bermuda | 109 | |
| Angola | 70 |
Showing the top 40 of 96 places.
Related animals
Others in the family Balaenopteridae.
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.