Are you ready to meet some whales who were given names? Click on any name at right to get started.
They have unique personalities too.
There are approximately 1700 individual humpback whales that make the waters near Cape Cod their Northern feeding grounds. They include many of the most sought after individuals in the world by long term and dedicated whale watchers. Some of my favorites are Salt, Colt, Sockeye, Coral, Bandit and of course Arrow (her tail pattern is the whale in our logo).
How are whales named?
Whales are named in several ways. There may be a mark or scar on its fluke (this is the most desired spot) or other parts of its body that looks like another object. For instance, suppose a whale came right up to a boat you were on and while watching the whale you noticed a mark on the underside of its tail that was shaped like a light bulb. Now you have a new whale name…Light Bulb!
Whale Naming Rules
There are just a few rules in giving new whales names.
1. The best whale names are for a distinct mark on the underside of its tail or other part of its body. Good examples are Salt (white dorsal fin) and Colt (mark that looks like a gun).
2. The name should not reflect a gender, meaning a female or male (a girl or boy’s) name.
3. The name cannot be a human name. (Although a few whales were named to honor people or conservationists many years ago. The humpback whales Agassiz, Clapton and Churchill are examples).
Whale Naming Party
Humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine are named by all of the whale watching naturalists in the Northeast at a whale naming party. They view pictures of every new whale sighted that year and vote on all the names suggested at the party.