The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 m and weigh around 25–30 metric tons. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head.

Since humpback whales have to remember to breathe, researchers believe that they sleep by shutting off half of their brain at a time.