Where does the humpback whale live?
Megaptera novaeangliae has 518,911 records in 136 countries and territories, from 1800 to 2026. Most records come from United States.
- 518,911 records
- 136 places
- 142 years recorded
- Mammalia class
AnimaliaChordataMammaliaCetaceaBalaenopteridaeMegaptera
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
18002026
Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.
Where it is recorded
| Place | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 202,687 | |
| Antarctica | 67,040 | |
| Australia | 50,919 | |
| Canada | 47,000 | |
| Mexico | 35,468 | |
| Iceland | 16,647 | |
| South Africa | 14,965 | |
| Réunion | 8,561 | |
| New Zealand | 5,903 | |
| Dominican Republic | 5,542 | |
| Brazil | 5,219 | |
| Chile | 3,945 | |
| Russia | 3,847 | |
| Peru | 3,274 | |
| Ecuador | 2,766 | |
| Tonga | 2,531 | |
| New Caledonia | 2,509 | |
| Colombia | 2,363 | |
| Norway | 2,127 | |
| Japan | 2,028 | |
| Greenland | 1,765 | |
| Guadeloupe | 1,622 | |
| Netherlands | 1,558 | |
| Portugal | 1,547 | |
| French Polynesia | 1,452 | |
| Costa Rica | 1,316 | |
| South Georgia | 1,203 | |
| Mozambique | 1,023 | |
| Argentina | 980 | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 873 | |
| United Kingdom | 860 | |
| Cabo Verde | 780 | |
| Mayotte | 744 | |
| Congo | 725 | |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 638 | |
| Philippines | 538 | |
| Niue | 403 | |
| Ireland | 395 | |
| Panama | 331 | |
| Namibia | 292 |
Showing the top 40 of 136 places.
Related animals
Others in the family Balaenopteridae.
Status from the records: resident
Recorded across many years and months — an established presence. 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.
Recorded across many years and months — an established presence. 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.