Scientists at the New England Aquarium this week unveiled a new slate of named North Atlantic right whales, an annual tradition that helps researchers in the field identify the critically endangered animals in real time.
Photo taken by Center for Coastal Studies under NOAA permit 19315-01
The names help scientists more easily recognize the whales when they see them during field work. Even for a small population of around 370 individuals, remembering numbers for each whale can be daunting, so names can make it easier. This year, 20 right whales were assigned names.
The names are intended to relate to easily recognizable features or facts about the individual whale.
Photo taken by New England Aquarium under NOAA permit 19674
Amy Warren, an assistant research scientist in the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, who leads the naming process, said:
“Researchers who identify right whales in the field benefit from whales having recognizable names. Throughout the naming process, the scientists’ stories from past sightings tend to come out. It’s a fun bonus for all of us to feel connected to the research community members who spend time on and over the water.”
Photo taken by Center for Coastal Studies under NOAA permit 25740 – 01
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large whale species.
Two other right whale species exist: the North Pacific and Southern right whales, inhabiting their respective hemispheres. Right whales are baleen whales that filter-feed on tiny crustaceans called copepods.
Main image: Hammer (Catalog #2406) Photo taken by Center for Coastal Studies under NOAA permit 19315-01
