SUMMER

Humpback ID# 10059--- Summer ­(summer sighting)

This animal, a female, was first identified on 15 August 1986. Since then, she has been seen almost every year for a total of 24 times including once, in 1995, with a calf. She was seen most often in the Gulf of the Farallones, although sightings of this whale have also come from the Santa Barbara Channel, and one from as far away as Mexican waters. Humpback whales make seasonal migrations between high-latitude feeding areas and low-latitude wintering areas where they mate and give birth. Though often seen traveling, she has also been observed feeding in the food-rich waters off California.

PUMPKIN
Humpback ID# 10233--- ­(October sightings)

This whale, which is a known female, was first sighted on the edge of Bodega Canyon off California on 18 October 1987. Since then, she has been seen more than 15 times. She was last seen during October 1996 with a calf, and had also been seen off Costa Rica eight months earlier without a calf.

Given the length of time between these sightings and that the gestation period for humpback whales is approximately 11 1/2 months, we can conclude that she was pregnant at the time of the Costa Rican sighting. Humpbacks make seasonal migrations between high-latitude arctic feeding areas and low-latitude wintering areas that are used to mate and give birth.

Cascadia Research has also recently collected data that shows that Costa Rica is one of these breeding and calving grounds for North Pacific humpback whales.

DIEGO - Humpback whale ID# 10002

Diego was first sighted in the Gulf of Farallones in August, 1983. Since that first sighting Diego has been encountered in years 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994 in the Gulf of Farallones. He has also been sighted numerous times along California's Central coast during the Summer and Fall months. Diego has been seen along mainland Mexico in the winter months 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004.

In the winter of 2004 Mexican researchers noted that Diego was breaching (jumping out of the water completely), tossing his tail into the air, and slapping his pectoral fins down on the water. These dramatic displays can be very exciting to watch, and whales often exhibit such behavior on the breeding and calving grounds. Humpback whales travel to warmer waters in the winters to calve and mate, then return to the more productive waters in the north to feed over the summer.

CHOMP - Humpback whale ID# 10713
Killer whale rake marks on fluke

chomp was first sighted in 1992 with the current injuries, resighted in years 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and annually from 2001-2005.

These injuries on Chomp's fluke were likely caused by a killer whale biting down on the fluke with their sharp teeth. Luckily Chomp was able to get away alive, but the scars from the tooth marks will always be visible on the fluke. Young humpback whales are more likely to have encounters with killer whales than older/larger humpback whales.

SHRED - Humpback whale ID#10570

"Shred" - 15 October 1993

Shred, a female humpback whale, was first sighted in 1991. She is easily identified because of the damage to her fluke, which was well healed at the time of the first sighting. Before a terminal dive Shred tends to lift her fluke up much higher than other humpback whales.

Despite the injuries Shred has been encountered regularly since 1991, and she travels great distances as we found when she was sighted in Panama during the winter of 2003. Resighted in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005. Most recently identified in the Santa Barbara Channel April 2008.

It is not known what caused Shred's injuries, but some typical causes of injuries on whales are encounters with boats, killer whales, fishing gear, and sometimes weakened whales will be preyed on by sharks.

SHARKTIP -- Blue whale ID # 372
(named for dorsal fin shape and Gulf of Farallones sightings)

Sharktip was first encountered in Monterey Bay, 1986. Most of the sightings of Sharktip were off of northern and northern central California. Sharktip has been seen on 7 different occasions in the Gulf of Farallones and 7 times in Monterey Bay.  Sharktip has been seen in the company of as many as 7 whales, and is often seen with other whales.

Sharktip is often sighted milling, and in 2001 was observed surface lunge feeding in Monterey Bay. Surface lunge feeding is when a whale lunges at the surface with its mouth open,engulfing thousands of gallons of water and prey. Sharktip was named for the numerous encounters of him/her around the shark filled waters of the Farallon Islands and for the shape of dorsal fin which has a small injury, making it appear to have a shark shaped dorsal fin.

Name a Humpback whale:

This humpback whale is available for naming and adoption: ID#9001F

Name a Blue Whale

This blue whale is available for naming and adoption: ID#2283R