Maine mammals

Humpback Whale in Maine

Megaptera novaeangliae

Native to Maine SNR Unranked in Maine

Not listed as nonindigenous in Maine by USGS NAS; native to its Maine range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Humpback Whale in Maine, by the numbers

Occasional in Maine 30th most recorded of 85 mammals logged in Maine

93 occurrence records
82 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 10, 2026 Last seen in Maine

Records from 2000–2026.

93 total records count every Maine occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 92; the monthly chart covers the 91 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Humpback Whale in Maine

Most sightings fall in July.

91 Maine occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Maine records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April3
May4
June15
July36
August21
September6
October5
November1
December0

Monthly humpback whale occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Maine, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Maine, with recorded sightings peaking in July.

Occurrence map

Where Humpback Whale has been recorded in Maine

92 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

85 Maine records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Laudholm Farms 1

Protected places with the most humpback whale sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Maine

CountyRecords
Lincoln County 7
Hancock County 7
York County 5
Knox County 3
Washington County 2
Sagadahoc County 1
Cumberland County 1
Other localities 67

The complete county distribution, spread across 7 Maine counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Humpback whales visit the Gulf of Maine to feed, usually in deeper water beyond the immediate shoreline. Elevated headlands around Acadia can occasionally produce distant blows, while responsible offshore whale-watch trips offer a better chance of seeing arched backs, flukes, or coordinated feeding.

Maine records are overwhelmingly concentrated from June through August, when whales exploit seasonal concentrations of fish and plankton. Sightings fall away in late autumn and winter as most animals migrate toward lower-latitude breeding grounds; vessels should maintain required distances and avoid changing a whale’s course.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

More mammals in Maine in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"