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• n  an abnormal backward curve to the vertebral column
• n  a person whose back is hunched because of abnormal curvature of the upper spine
• n  large whalebone whale with long flippers noted for arching or humping its back as it dives

• The humpback grows to a length of 45 ft.
• A carnival and illuminated parade provide shore-based entertainment, but the real stars of the show are the humpback whales that visit this protected coastline between now and .
• Japanese whalers are planning to harpoon up to 50 humpback whales for the first time since hunting the endangered species was banned in 1963.

• kyphosis
• hunchback
• crookback
• humpback whale
• Megaptera novaeangliae

News & Articles

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• Whale Sightings in Avila and Pismo Beach
  AVILA BEACH, Calif- Last year the humpback whales caused a lot of excitement and people are spotting them again this summer.
  June 12, 2013 - FOX 11 Santa Maria
• Whale-watchers report huge spike in local humpback sightings
  Whale-watchers have seen a dramatic increase in humpback whale sightings in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca during the past few weeks, the Pacific Whale Watch Association reports.
  June 11, 2013 - KOMO Seattle
• Stunning Life-Size Photos Capture Close Encounters With Whales
  Few people are lucky enough to have had a quiet underwater encounter with a whale. For the rest of us, there are photos like these: Life-sized composites of sperm, humpback and minke whales, captured from less than 6 feet away.
  June 11, 2013 - Wired News

Quotes

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• Nobutaka Machimura in BBC News
  Japan has decided not to catch humpback whales for one year or two,Mr Machimura told reporters.
• Turnbull in Melbourne Herald Sun
  Australia has an excellent relationship with Japan, but the inclusion of humpback whales into the so-called scientific whaling program is an unnecessary, provocative act,Mr Turnbull said. "It is calculated . . . to undermine dramatically...
• Thomas Schieffer in Reuters
  I think we had an agreement ...... between the United States and Japan that humpback whales would not be harvested, I think, until maybe the International Whaling Conference in June,US ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer told a small group...