Humpback Whales

Humpback Whales is an extraordinary journey into the mysterious world of one of nature’s most awe-inspiring marine mammals.

Set in the spectacular waters of Alaska, Hawaii, and the remote islands of Tonga, this ocean adventure offers audiences an up-close look at how these whales communicate, sing, feed, play, and care for their young.

A humpback whale breaches in Alaska’s Inside Passage.

Copyright John Hyde/Pacific Stock

Found in every ocean on Earth, humpbacks were nearly driven to extinction 50 years ago, but today are making a slow but remarkable recovery. Join a team of researchers as they unlock the secrets of the species and find out why humpbacks seem to be the most acrobatic of all whales, how they produce their haunting songs, and what drives these intelligent, 55-foot-long, 50-ton animals to migrate up to 10,000 miles round trip every year.

An adult humpback whale breaches off the coast of Maui.

Copyright 2015 MacGillivray Freeman Films and Pacific Life. Photographer: Barbara MacGillivray.

Captioning devices are available. Please ask a staff member. 

Check out our past exhibition Whales: Giants of the Deep to learn more about whale biology and evolution, and while you’re here, visit one of the Museum’s icons—the 94-foot-long blue whale model in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.