Meet the Newly Named Right Whales of 2025

Content created in collaboration with Whale and Dolphin Conservation

Each individual in the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog has a four-digit catalog number based on the year they were born or first sighted, and part of their mother’s catalog number if known. While the catalog number proves useful information, a name provides an easier method for scientists to make real-time identification of whales in the field. Names are also more fun to remember and create a greater sense of familiarity.

Each year, a new group of North Atlantic right whales receive names. The naming process begins when North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium members and various research organizations submit names. Then, they participate in a ranked-choice vote to assign final names to each whale.

The goal of each name is to relate to easily recognizable features or facts about the individual whale. For example, this year, a female right whale was named “Dandelion” (Catalog #4120) for her callosity—white patches of raised tissue on her head—that looks like a dandelion with seeds blowing in the wind. Another female right whale was named Athena (Catalog #5312) after the Greek goddess of war due to her entanglements scars and her mother being named War (Catalog #1812).

More than 450 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. This year, 18 out of 19 nominated individuals were assigned names. One whale remains unnamed because the voting process never reached a majority on a name. However, this whale could have a chance to be named in the future.

We are pleased to introduce the newly named right whales of 2025!

Name: Hedgehog (Catalog #1307)

Sex: Male

Age: > 51

Reason for name: This right whale’s bonnet (prominent callosity pattern on the top of their head) looks like a top-down view of a hedgehog with its nose facing the islands, or unattached callosities.

Get to know me: I have one of the longest sighting histories of any living right whale. I’ve been seen in 41 of the last 51 years, since I was first seen by researchers in 1974.

Favorite song: Small Hands – Teddy Swims

Name: Cirrus (Catalog #1419)

Sex: Male

Age: > 41

Reason for name: This right whale has a scar on his dorsal fluke that resembles wispy cirrus clouds. The name also relates to their prominent white chin wrapping.

Get to know me: I used to enjoy hanging out in the Bay of Fundy, but now I split my time between Cape Cod Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Favorite song: Clouds – One Direction

Name: Pencil (Catalog #1706)

Sex: Female

Age: 38

Reason for name: This right whale has a scar in front of her rostrum (snout) that looks like a pencil mustache and has a part of her callosity which is long and pointy.

Get to know me: My father, Hedgehog (Catalog #1307), was also named this year!

Favorite song: School’s Out – Alice Cooper

Name: Camel (Catalog #2520)

Sex: Female

Age: > 31

Reason for name: This right whale’s spine deformity resembles a “hump” on the lower back. Her callosity also has lots of “bumps.”

Get to know me: I like to spend most of my time in quieter areas, but I have at least made appearances with my five calves so far.

Favorite song: Humpty Dumpty – AJR

Name: Lasagna (Catalog #3550)

Sex: Male

Age: 20

Reason for name: This right whale has wavy fluke blades that look like lasagna noodles.

Get to know me: I have six siblings, and my mom is Grand Teton (Catalog #1145).

Favorite song: Dolce Nonna – Wayne Jones & Amy Hayashi-Jone

Name: Bermuda (Catalog #3780)

Sex: Female

Age: > 18

Reason for name: This right whale has three islands (an unattached callosity) that make a triangle, and the darker island sometimes disappears, which is reminiscent of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle.

Get to know me: I like to be a bit mysterious, which is why no one knows how old I am. I had my first calf (as far as anyone knows) in 2024, but they didn’t make it.

Favorite song: Better Love – Bermuda Search Party

Name: Scorpion (Catalog #3892)

Sex: Male

Age: 17

Reason for name: This right whale’s bonnet shape—the callosity at the top of their head— looks like a scorpion with its tail raised.

Get to know me: My parents are Cashew (Catalog #3292) and Aries (Catalog #2215), and I spend most of my time between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and New England.

Favorite song: The Fate of Ophelia – Taylor Swift

Name: Taffy (Catalog #3903)

Sex: Female

Age: 16

Reason for name: This right whale has small bits of callosity that looks like it’s being stretched from the prominent callosity on their head like taffy.

Get to know me: I like to be a bit mysterious about where I spend most of my time, but I make sure to show myself a couple times a year so that everyone knows I’m okay.

Favorite song: Candy – Robbie Williams

Name: Spectre (Catalog #3915)

Sex: Female

Age: 16

Reason for name: This right whale has a scar on her back that resembles a ghostly apparition, and her mother is named Ghost (Catalog #1515).

Get to know me: I mostly like to stick to waters around Massachusetts, but I’ll occasionally wander around other parts of the Gulf of Maine.

Favorite song: Ghost – Justin Bieber

Name: Kodama (Catalog #3960)

Sex: Male

Age: 16

Reason for name: This right whale’s callosities look like Kodama, from the film Princess Mononoke. Kodama are tree spirits from Japanese folklore.

Get to know me: I’m a bit mischievous as I love to play tricks on researchers by hanging out with my friend Prickly Pear (Catalog #4310). Our callosity patterns are similar, but mirror-images of each other, so they often get us confused.

Favorite song: Princess Mononoke Theme Song – Joe Hisaishi

Name: Dandelion (Catalog #4120)

Sex: Female

Age: 14

Reason for name: This right whale’s five clumped callosity islands with two drifting away looks like the dandelion seeds blowing in the wind.

Get to know me: My mom’s name is Flounder (Catalog #2420). I mostly just like to hang out in Southern New England, where my mom first took me as a calf, though I do like to see what’s going on in Cape Cod Bay in spring.

Favorite song: Dandelions – Ruth B

Name: Piste (Catalog #4145)

Sex: Male

Age: 14

Reason for name: This right whale’s name is the French word for ski slope, in reference to his mom Slalom (Catalog #1245) and his big lips, which are like snowy trails.

Get to know me: My family looks similar! My mom, Slalom, and my brother Mogul (Catalog #3845) and I all have similar callosity patterns. My brother and I even get confused for each other sometimes.

Favorite song: The Mountain – Shawn Mendes

Name: Gator (Catalog #4192)

Sex: Male

Age: > 15

Reason for name: This right whale’s head has similarities to an alligator peeking out of the water. The bald areas in at the top of the head are like the alligator’s nostrils, and the island callosities are its eyes.

Get to know me: I was independent from a very early age. I was first seen as a calf in 2010 but never seen with my mom, whose identity remains a mystery.

Favorite song: Alligator Tears – Beyoncé

Name: Tenuto (Catalog #4353)

Sex: Male

Age: 12

Reason for name: This right whale’s name is a musical notation; a horizontal bar above or below a note, called a tenuto, directing performer to hold the note. This is a reference to the scar across his head, which looks like the notation, and his mother’s musical name, Arpeggio (Catalog #2753).

Get to know me: There are lots of musical names in my family! My great-grandmother’s name is Staccato (Catalog #1014).

Favorite song: Thank You for the Music – ABBA

Name: Cavatappi (Catalog #4540)

Sex: Female

Age: 12

Reason for name: This right whale’s overall callosity looks like the corkscrew-shaped cavatappi pasta.

Get to know me: I had my first calf earlier this year. Maybe I will follow in the footsteps of my mom, Juno (Catalog #1612), and my grandmother, Punctuation (Catalog #1281), who have had many calves in their lives!

Favorite song: Pasta – New Rules

Name: Mirror (Catalog #4617)

Sex: Female

Age: 9

Reason for name: This right whale’s callosity pattern and lip callosity are all very symmetrical, like a mirror image.

Get to know me: I like to spend most of my time in the Gulf of St. Lawrence but will occasionally show up in Cape Cod Bay.

Favorite song: Mirror – Sigrid

Name: Brussels Sprouts (Catalog #5191)

Sex: Male

Age: 4

Reason for name: This right whale’s callosity pattern look like a stalk of brussels sprouts.

Get to know me: My friend Catalog #5110, who is the same age as me, and I liked to prank researchers when we were little. We looked so much alike that they had a hard time telling us apart.

Favorite song: Vegetables – The Beach Boys

Name: Athena (Catalog #5312)

Sex: Female

Age: 2

Reason for name: This right whale was named after the Greek goddess of war due to her entanglement scars and her mother being named War (Catalog #1812).

Get to know me: I got stuck in some ropes last year, but with the help of some rescuers, I managed to get out, even though it left a scar.

Favorite song: Golden – KPop Demon Hunters Cast