Meet the Newly Named Right Whales of 2024

Content created in collaboration with Whale and Dolphin Conservation

Right whales receive names so scientists can more easily identify individuals in the field. Every right whale in the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog is assigned a four-digit number, which is based on the year they were born or first sighted. While these catalog numbers provide useful information, names are easier to remember out in the field when scientists need to make real-time identifications. Names also create a sense of familiarity and connection to the whale.

The naming process involves submissions from North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium members and various research organizations, who then participate in a ranked-choice voting system. The names are intended to relate to easily recognizable features or facts about the individual whale. For example, a male right whale was named “Wall-E” (Catalog #5104) for his callosity (white patches of raised tissue that are sometimes confused for barnacles) that looks just like the lovable Pixar character WALL-E. Another male right whale was named “Hammer” (Catalog #2406) because part of his callosity looks like a hammer with a long handle.

Many names were submitted for consideration this year, and the final names resulting from voting were presented at the annual North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium meeting in October. Last year, 19 of 20 nominated right whales were assigned names; this year, all 20 nominated individuals were assigned names.

We are pleased to introduce the newly named right whales of 2024!

Name: Salsa (Catalog #2201)

Sex: M

Age: 32

Reason for name: This whale’s callosity looks like that of a whale named Havana (Catalog #3460) but its mirror image. Salsa, a dance that is an integral part of Cuban culture and society, and Havana is the capital of Cuba. The letter L in “Salsa” also notes the bit of callosity that’s on the left side of the whale’s head.

Get to know me: Havana and I both spend a lot of time in Cape Cod Bay, but we’ve never been seen together. And neither of us has been to Cuba! Also, my mom Fermata (Catalog #1001) was the first whale to get a number in the catalog.

Favorite song: La Vida Es Un Carnaval – Celia Cruz

Name: Hammer (Catalog #2406)

Sex: M

Age: 30

Reason for name: Part of the callosity pattern looks like the long handle and head of a hammer.

Get to know me: I like to hang out in surface-active groups (short-term social groups involving a lot of rolling and interactions), and I have one son.

Favorite song: U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer

Name: Periscope (Catalog #2713)

Sex: M

Age: 27

Reason for name: The upper part of the callosity pattern is shaped just like a periscope.

Get to know me: I spend nearly all of my time in the Gulf of Maine; I just really enjoy the food here!

Favorite song: Yellow Submarine – The Beatles

Name: Horseshoe (Catalog #2770)

Sex: M

Age: 28+

Reason for name: Part of the callosity has peaky U-shaped patterns, like horseshoes.

Get to know me: My origin story and family remains a mystery, but I’ve been seen nearly every year since 1996, and I had a son with Butterfly (Catalog #1425) in 2001.

Favorite song: Lucky – Britney Spears

Name: Peter Rabbit (Catalog #2920)

Sex: M

Age: 25+

Reason for name: The front part of the callosity is shaped like the character Peter Rabbit.

Get to know me: I used to hop around different areas but now I’m mostly found in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Favorite song: Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) – Florence + The Machine

Name: Granite (Catalog #3194)

Sex: F

Age: 27

Reason for name: Catalog #3194’s first sighting was off New Hampshire, the “Granite State.” Her mother, “Iceland” (Catalog #1412), is also named after her sighting history.

Get to know me: Just like my mother, I’ve only been seen in my namesake location once!

Favorite song: Northern Attitude – Noah Kahan

Name: Polaris (Catalog #3350)

Sex: M

Age: 21

Reason for name: The large white scar on the left head is large and bright, like the north star.

Get to know me: My brother Haley (Catalog #2750) also has an astrological name (like the comet) and my sister, Eternity (Catalog #3650), was named this year as well!

Favorite song: Stargazing – Myles Smith

Name: Illex (Catalog #3570)

Sex: M

Age: 19

Reason for name: The front part of the callosity is shaped like a shortfin squid (Illex illecebrosus).

Get to know me: My sister, Frisbee (Catalog #3980) was also named this year.

Favorite song: How Far I’ll Go – Auli’i Cravalho

Name: Burl (Catalog #3579)

Sex: M

Age: 19

Reason for name: The bumps on both sides of the callosity pattern are very pronounced and obvious, like the knobby growths on trees called burls.

Get to know me: I used to summer in the Bay of Fundy, but now I like to go up to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Favorite song: Trees – Twenty One Pilots

Name: Eternity (Catalog #3650)

Sex: F

Age: 18

Reason for name: The right side of the callosity has a feature that is shaped like the infinity symbol. There is already a similar-looking whale named Infinity; eternity is another word for it.

Get to know me: I have 12 brothers and sisters, and my older brother Polaris (Catalog #3350) was named this year as well!

Favorite song: A Thousand Years – Christina Perri

Name: Swallowtail (Catalog #3725)

Sex: F

Age: 17

Reason for name: In keeping with the family name (mom is Butterfly – Catalog #1425), the broken lip callosity on the right is like a swallowtail butterfly’s tail. Also, this whale frequents the Bay of Fundy which is home to the Swallowtail lighthouse.

Get to know me: My mom stopped going to the Bay of Fundy before I was born, but I managed to find my way there when I was a year old and got to see the Swallowtail lighthouse for the first time. I had my first calf earlier this year!

Favorite song: Dos Oruguitas – Sebastián Yatra

Name: Hopscotch (Catalog #3820)

Sex: F

Age: 16

Reason for name: The small bits of callosity around the head are arranged like a hopscotch playground game.

Get to know me: I had my first calf earlier this year!

Favorite song: Jump in the Line – Harry Belafonte

Name: Frisbee (Catalog #3980)

Sex: F

Age: 15

Reason for name: A small scar on the head looks like a frisbee and ties in with her mom’s name (Boomerang – Catalog #2503).

Get to know me: My brother Illex (Catalog #3570) was named this year too.

Favorite song: Boomerang – The Summer Set

Name: Kilo (Catalog #4143)

Sex: M

Age: 13

Reason for name: The scars on the left head are “dash-dot-dash,” which is a K in Morse code. K = Kilo in the phonetic alphabet.

Get to know me: Some think I look similar to Polaris, but now that we are both named for scars on our heads, hopefully people will stop confusing us!

Favorite song: I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers

Name: Rill (Catalog #4446)

Sex: M

Age: 10

Reason for name: The deep entanglement scar embedded in his coaming is like the whale named Gully (Catalog #4601), but not quite as deep. A rill is a small gully.

Get to know me: Even though I’m older than Gully, I got my new scar after her. You can often find us in the same area, sometimes even on the same day.

Favorite song: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye

Name: Tally (Catalog #4612)

Sex: F

Age: 8

Reason for name: The scars behind the blow holes look like tally marks.

Get to know me: Since I’ve been on my own, I’ve only been seen in Southern New England and the Gulf of St. Lawrence—when you find places you like, you stick to them!

Favorite song: Count on Me – Bruno Mars

Name: Atoll (Catalog #4714)

Sex: F

Age: 7

Reason for name: The small bits of callosity on the head are like a chain of islands, just like her mother Tripelago’s (Catalog #2614).

Get to know me: I like to spend most of my time in Massachusetts waters—Cape Cod is like an atoll, right? I’ve even been seen co-feeding with my mom as a juvenile.

Favorite song: Island In The Sun – Weezer

Name: Cremini (Catalog #4917)

Sex: F

Age: 5

Reason for name: The front part of the callosity looks like a common capped mushroom, which is sometimes called a cremini mushroom.

Get to know me: Every year, I like to spend my spring in Cape Cod Bay and my summers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Wouldn’t you like to know where I spend my winters?

Favorite song: Garden Song – John Denver

Name: Dumpling (Catalog #4970)

Sex: F

Age: 5

Reason for name: One of the clumps of callosity on the head looks like a dumpling.

Get to know me: One year in Cape Cod Bay, I kept taking turns feeding with different whales while there were some [research] boats around. The researchers couldn’t remember my catalog number, so they kept calling me a cute little dumpling, I think that’s how I got my name.

Favorite song: Bao (From “Bao”) – Toby Chu

Name: Wall-E (Catalog #5104)

Sex: M

Age: 3

Reason for name: The callosity at the front of the head looks just like the lovable Pixar character WALL-E. And the little white scar behind the blow holes is WALL-E’s friend EVE.

Get to know me: My mom is Champagne (Catalog #3904), and I’m the first grand-calf of Spindle (Catalog #1204), the female with the most known calves (10!) in the population.

Favorite song: EVE – Thomas Newman