Spoon  #0150

Spoon is a very large old-timer on the bank.  She was first seen way back in 1979 when whale watching was still in its infancy.  This place must have made a great impression of her for she has been sighted here every year since that time.  

Spoon has had at least five calves in her long history on Stellwagen Bank (See Spoon's Family Tree).  Her first calf was born in 1983, a little male named Regulus.  Regulus is still seen on Stellwagen Bank from time to time, more so in his younger years.  He now does a lot of traveling.  It is unknown if socializations on the feeding grounds have any significance on the breeding grounds.  There may be a small advantage for a male of breeding age to travel between feeding grounds making his presence known and getting acquainted with as many females as possible.  Then again, there may be no good reason for roaming other than finding the biggest haulsof fish to really bulk up on.  The biggest, strongest males have the best chance to breed.

Spoon was named for her large spoon-shaped dorsal fin.  Her fluke is a little on the tricky side.  Sometimes when you take a picture of her, the tail appears almost all black.  However, if you take a photo with the sun shining on it in just the right way you will notice a good deal of white.  The white patches on both fluke tips is more of a misted color.  The white mark in the center of the tail is the most striking feature.  One other thing you will notice about Spoon is her size.  She is among the largest humpbacks generally seen on our bank.  She is well over 50ft in length and extremely girthy.  This is the perfect figure for a calf-bearing whale.

 

Spoon's Family Tree
Spoon- F --- fs: 1979	Regulus- M yob: 1983 Vesuvius- M yob: 1989 Fork- F yob: 1991 Trajectory- M yob: 1995 Coffee- F yob: 1998