The humpback whale is so named for the hump on which the dorsal fin rests. In the Comoros it bears the name of Noudjou. The humpback whale can grow up to 18 meters long and the females are generally longer than the males, who average 15m in length. The humpback whale is characterized by a robust body and exceptionally large pectoral fins, it is the only whale with such long limbs and represents 1/3 of the length of its body. On its head, the whale has tubercles, sort of "buttons" that would be traces of ancient sensory follicles, their functions are not known to this day. The pectoral fins have irregular bumps on the outer edge and the dorsal fin back is covered by more or less obvious bumps, depending on the individual, in the joints of the spine. It is slate-colored, black at a distance with color variations from one individual to another, the ventral part of the whale is white spotted with black and irregularly. The ventral part of the caudal fin can be white or black with variations of pattern specific to each individual. This pattern is used to identify each individual in a formal way. This species is known for its spectacular acrobatic jumps that it performs quite regularly, its pectoral and caudal flippers against the surface of the water. Comorian humpback whales belong to the overstock C2 that migrate between the Antarctic and the Comoros, Madagascar.
The humpback whale is a migratory species that travels thousands of kilometers between its breeding area (the tropics) and food (Antarctica). The Comoros are a very important step in the migration of humpback whales, mating, calving, educating and preparing their calves for migration to food areas. Their presence is timed between June and December with a peak of attendance at the month of September. The males produce a very characteristic song whose function is not yet well known, it is quite possible that it plays a role in breeding and mating. The song evolves during the season and years with additions, omissions, innovations, humpback whale singing is fascinating and complex and is transmitted by copying, each new innovations in the singing of a single singer can be adopted by a whole population, we speak of a culture of transmission. The males form competitive groups that match each other, compete for a few days until only one remains, the latter can mate and play the role of escort to the female with calf. The population visiting the Comoros have not yet been estimated and we do not know yet whether individuals are loyal to the Comoros or if they are opportunistic visitors. The data is being analyzed, whales tagged in Mayotte and Moheli show that they are in perpetual motion and they come to rest in the Comoros for some time and continue their paths. The major parts of our observations show that the most commonly observed formation around Chindini / Foumboni are Mothers / Calves pairs. Groups of males observed in the Comoros can reach up to 7 individuals and songs are recorded throughout the mating season.