Sanctuary Supports
Program to Name Humpback Whales
4/15/01
contact:
Anne Smrcina, 781-545-8026, ext. 204
How do
the humpback whales of the sanctuary get their recognizable names? It’s
all part of a regional collaborative effort that brings together scientists
and naturalists who work with these whales on a day-to-day basis. This
year, the sanctuary again supported the annual whale naming workshop.
Begun
in the mid-1970s as an informal method of distinguishing commonly seen
whales, whale naming has grown into a formal procedure involving all
of the major whale research groups from the northeast. This year some
30 individuals representing organizations from Maine to Connecticut
came to the March 25th proceedings. The workshop was organized by the
Whale Center of New England (formerly Cetacean Research Unit) of Gloucester
and the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) in Provincetown. The Center
is the keeper of the master database of humpbacks in the Stellwagen
Bank region.
Of
the 70+ new whales (new calves born in the winter of 1999/2000, and
juveniles and adults not previously seen), 64 were named. The only whales
left unnamed were those whose identifying photographs were not clear
enough to provide distinctive distinguishing marks.
Certain
specific rules apply - the names must be based on the pattern of black
and white marks on the tail flukes, the shape of the trailing edge of
the flukes or the dorsal fin; the names cannot be gender specific (since
researchers do not often know the sex of the newly recognized animals);
the names should not be that of specific persons (except in exceptional
cases); the names should be one word; and they should be clearly understandable
(especially over faulty sound systems on noisy boats).
Assigning
common names to whales makes identification simpler in the field. Humpbacks
display their dorsal fins and tails when they dive. Researchers can
often spot distinctive marks in the field; for other whales, photographs
can be compared to the master database for verification of identification.
The
flukes (the flared right and left portions of the tail) show individually
identifiable differences from whale to whale - a whale "fingerprinting"
system. The flukes range from pure white to pure black with a range
of patterns and marks in between. Natural marks appear as a calf and
stabilize after a year. Scars can happen at any time - white scars on
black backgrounds and black scars on white backgrounds. Scars can be
the result of orca and/or shark attacks (especially on the young), fishing
gear entanglements, barnacles and other parasites, ship strikes, and
other at-sea interactions.
Names
this year include "Lighthouse" so-called because of distinctive
marks on its left fluke that look like a pointed tower; "14"
named for lines that look like that number; and "Denali" got
its name for white scars on its left fluke that appear to be northern
lights shining down on a mountain.
Many
of the whales named at the workshop were spotted during the 2000 whalewatching
season in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Sanctuary support
for the workshop covered digitizing of images, research and confirmation
of "new whale" status, and organization of the workshop.
"Sanctuary
support of this effort is important both in making this group of endangered
animals more familiar to the general whalewatching public as well as
allowing researchers to better understand the composition of the resident
population," said Anne Smrcina, the sanctuary’s education
coordinator. "Part of the sanctuary’s mission to to preserve
and protect its living marine resources while promoting marine research
and education - this is one step towards those goals," she added.
Photos
of the newly named whales are posted on the sanctuary’s website
at http://stellwagen.nos.noaa.gov/
gallery/newwhales.html along with information about why each whale
received its name.
