When given the opportunity to name something, best believe humanity is going to take that chance to be as amusing as possible. We named a polar research ship “Boaty McBoatface”, after all. With that same energy, people have now officially given new names to a group of North Atlantic right whales, and there’s some absolute corkers, from Pencil to Brussels Sprouts.
North Atlantic right whales are one of the most endangered of all the large whale species, and as such, researchers keep a close eye on them. When a new one is born or is seen for the first time, it’s added to North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog, and assigned a four-digit catalog number.
Those catalog numbers have their merits, but when you’re out in the field, they’re not necessarily the easiest to remember – or shout out to your colleagues in excitement when you spot them. “Number 5312” isn’t particularly catchy.
The solution? Giving the whales names.
“Even for a small population of around 380 individuals, remembering numbers for each whale can be daunting, so names can make it easier,” said the New England Aquarium in a statement.
This is Athena, named after the Greek goddess of war because her mom was called War, and as she has scars picked up from entanglement.
Image credit: Center for Coastal Studies, taken under NOAA permit # 25740 – 02
It starts each year with research organizations and members of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium submitting options for a new set of whales. While there’s plenty of scope to get funny and creative, the goal is for the names to relate to easily recognizable features on each whale – such as the pattern of the calcified skin patches on their heads, known as callosities – or a fact about them,
This year, there were over 450 names submitted for the 19 whales chosen to receive a name, whittled down by voting until a majority was reached for 18 of them.
Among our favorites is Brussels Sprouts, named as such because the callosity pattern on the 4-year-old male’s head is somewhat reminiscent of a stalk of… well, brussels sprouts. In a similar vein, the newly named Cavatappi has a callosity like the corkscrew-shaped pasta, and Bermuda has one that makes up a triangle.
There’s also Lasagna, with wavy fluke blades, Camel, who has a spine deformity that looks like a hump, Pencil, Hedgehog, Cirrus, Scorpion, Taffy, Spectre, Kodama, Dandelion, Piste, Gator, Tenuto, Mirror, and Athena. What a gang.
The spookily named Spectre has a ghost-like scar.
Image credit: Northeast Fisheries Science Center, taken under NOAA permit # 27066
Each whale has also been given a favorite song that’s also related to their name. Of course, it’s not actually possible to know if whales have a favorite song, but hey, if you’re already naming a whale Lasagna, you might as well lean into the unseriousness of it all. Brussels Sprouts’ tune of choice, for example, is Vegetables by The Beach Boys.
While assigning a whale a favorite song and calling it Hedgehog is objectively hilarious and helpful for scientists, the fun is intended to get our attention turned towards this critically endangered species too. Recent estimates suggest that the population of North Atlantic right whales is continuing to grow slowly, but there’s still a long way to go – and everyone can lend a hand.
“Giving right whales names promotes connection and inspires curiosity,” said Caroline Mowdy, Communications Specialist at Whale and Dolphin Conservation – North America. “The more connected people feel to whales, the more likely they are to advocate for the ocean and protect the natural world in their community and beyond.”
Source Link: Hedgehog, Lasagna, and Brussels Sprouts: Meet 2025’s Newly Named North Atlantic Right Whales
