HUMPBACK WHALES OF THE SALISH SEA

They’re as big as city buses, eat up to six tons of food a day and undertake one of the longest migrations of any mammal on the planet.

Humpback whales are also survivors. Heavily hunted by commercial whalers, their numbers in the North Pacific dropped to as low as 1,200—five per cent of the original population—by the time they were protected in 1966.

Several hundred humpbacks used to spend the summer feeding in the Salish Sea before commercial whalers killed every single one. As a result, for almost 100 years there were no humpbacks to be seen in the entire Salish Sea. That changed in the late ‘90s with the appearance of a whale we nicknamed Big Mama. She started the amazing comeback of the humpback in the Salish Sea! Now, almost 400 individual humpbacks visit the region in the feeding season, with newcomers appearing every year.

Find out more about humpback whales.

Female humpback Zephyr (BCZ0414) breaching / Photo by Valerie Shore, Eagle Wing Tours

What do the ID numbers mean?

Humpback whales move around a lot. In addition to their winter migration back and forth to places like Mexico and Hawaii, they may visit several feeding areas in the summer and fall. This is why assigning official IDs to humpbacks is a regional and North Pacific-wide effort, involving researchers in several areas of coastal BC, Washington State and Oregon. Eagle Wing Tours photographers routinely share photo ID information with researchers as part of a collaborative effort throughout the Salish Sea region.

International organizations such as HappyWhale.com are also instrumental in cross-matching flukes to different areas. This helps us track what breeding and feeding areas are important to the whales.

Salish Sea humpbacks are given alphanumeric codes beginning with BCX, BCY or BCZ, depending on the black and white pattern on the underside of their tails. This pigmentation pattern—often augmented by scratches, scars and divots—is unique to each individual, just like a human fingerprint. “X” whales are mostly black. “Y” whales are a mix of black and white. And “Z” whales are mainly white.

If the whale has MM before the X, Y or Z, that means it’s been given a temporary ID number.

Scientific numbers are one thing. But they’re hard to remember. That’s why many of them have been given nicknames, usually based on those unique tail markings.

Over 600 individual whales have now been documented in the Salish Sea and western Juan de Fuca Strait. Here are some of the individuals we often see near Victoria. Test your identification skills and match them to photos you took on your tour!

(ID photos taken by Eagle Wing naturalists)

ZEPHYR

Zephyr is the 2011 daughter of Divot (BCX1057) and the granddaughter of the legendary Big Mama (BCY0324). Zephyr was a first-time mom herself in 2019, and had another calf with her in 2021.

Zephyr has been seen in 2023 and is looking well!

Her occasional companions include Stitch, Split Fin, Frankenstein and Two Spot.

Zephyr’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCZ0414.

HEMLOCK

Hemlock was seen in 2022—with a calf! Until then, we didn’t know Hemlock was a female!

She has been seen many times in 2023 and is looking well.

Hemlock was seen flick-feeding in 2019, a feeding behaviour we don’t see very often in the Salish Sea. When flick-feeding, a humpback sweeps its huge flukes back and forth to concentrate its prey and then lunges through the splash zone to engulf its food. Most often, they use this technique when feeding on krill.

Hemlock has been matched to the Mexican breeding grounds.

Hemlock’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY1029.

GHOST

Ghost is a female humpback who has had two calves, the first in 2019 and the second in 2021. In 2023, she showed up in the Salish Sea with a third calf!

Ghost has been linked to the Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Ghost’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1333,

TWO SPOT

Two Spot is a confirmed male humpback whale. He has been seen in 2023 and is looking well.

He’s a very playful and sociable whale. His occasional companions include Split Fluke, Nike, Orion, Monarch, Zephyr and Divot.

Two Spot has been linked to the Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Two Spot’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCZ0432.

TENOR

Tenor has been seen in 2023 and is looking well.

We don’t know yet whether Tenor is a male or a female.

Tenor is easy to recognize even without seeing his or her flukes. There’s a rounded notch at the top of the nubby dorsal fin.

Tenor has been matched to the Mexican breeding grounds.

Tenor’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1069.

HEATHER

Heather is a big favourite in our whale watching community and has brought several of her calves into the Salish Sea over the years, including Split Fluke (2006), Sam (2010), Drifter (2012), Dalmation (2015). She’s also a grandmother to Valiant and to Split Fluke’s 2021 calf, a girl! Her 2019 grandchild, Halfpipe, was tragically killed by a ship in summer 2021.

Heather’s name comes from what looks like an “H” on the top left of her left fluke!

As far as we know, Heather has not been seen anywhere along the coast since 2020. While this is a concern since she’s such a regular summer visitor to this region, we can’t rule out that she has simply chosen to visit a different feeding area. Time will tell.

When Heather was last seen in the Salish Sea in 2020, she had a calf with her. We know it’s a male and he’s been named Neowise after the comet that appeared in summer 2020! Neowise has been seen in 2023.

Heather’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY0160.

SCRATCHY

Scratchy has been seen many times in 2023 and is looking well. We think Scratchy is a male.

Take a look at those flukes and you can see how Scratchy got his name. You can also see evidence of a killer whale attack at some point, with teeth rake marks on the tips of both flukes.

Scratchy is a very sociable whale and is known to spend time with Nike, Divot, Hemlock, Titan and Stitch.

Scratchy has been linked to the Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Scratchy’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY1022.

VALIANT

Valiant is the 2017 calf of Split Fluke and the grandchild of Heather.We’re not sure yet of Valiant’s gender, but we suspect male!

Valiant has been seen in 2023 and is looking well!

Valiant is a spunky young whale, having survived a killer whale attack, most likely as a calf. You can see the tooth rake marks and the tip of the left fluke is missing. Valiant seems to hold a grudge; he has been seen “confronting” Bigg’s killer whales several times, most recently in March 2022!

Sometime between 2020 and 2021 Valiant lost the back tip of his nubby dorsal fin, noticeably altering its shape. It’s one reason we suspect that Valiant is a male, since competition for females in the breeding grounds can be quite vigorous. Time will tell!

Valiant has been linked to the Mexican breeding grounds.

Valiant’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1773.

DIVOT

Divot is a long-time favourite in our whale watching community. She’s believed to be the 2003 daughter of the legendary Big Mama.

Divot is an experienced mom and has brought several calves into the Salish Sea over the years, including Zephyr (2011), Windsock (2014), Olympus (2018) and Slice (2021). Zephyr made Divot a grandmother in 2019 and again in 2021! And in 2023, five-year-old Olympus appeared with a calf!

Divot has been seen in 2023 and is looking well.

Divot is a very social whale. Her known companions include Two Spot, Scratchy and Hemlock. In 2016 she was one of several humpbacks involved in an interaction with a group of Bigg’s killer whales. As far as we know, no one was injured in the encounter.

Divot has been matched to the Hawaiian breeding grounds. Her scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1057.

CASCADE

Cascade was last seen by us in the Salish Sea in 2021. But we know that Cascade is doing well because he or she was seen and photographed off Hawaii this past winter. It could be that he or she went to different summer feeding grounds in 2022.

We don’t know a lot about Cascade yet, except that he or she has a very distinctive fluke pattern! Cascade’s occasional companions include Orion and Mogul.

Cascade’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY1053.

SPLIT FIN

Split Fin is the 2006 calf of the legendary Big Mama and is named for a distinctive “split” in his nubby dorsal fin.

A photo taken by one of our photographers in summer 2021 proves Split Fin is indeed a boy!

Known companions include Vivaldi, Frankenstein, Smiley, Raptor and Pantera. In summer 2021 he was even seen travelling with his mother for a day!

Split Fin has been seen in 2023 and is looking well.

In winter 2019-20 Split Fin was matched to the Hawaiian breeding grounds, and was observed participating in a competitive mating group.

Split Fin’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCZ0298.

TULIP

Tulip is the 2012 daughter of Big Mama and is named for a distinctive tulip-shaped mark on her left fluke.

Tulip was a first-time mother in 2020—another grandchild for Big Mama!

Tulip was last seen in 2022. While this is a concern since she’s a regular summer visitor to this region, we can’t rule out that she has simply chosen to visit a different feeding area.

Tulip’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1560.

GHERKIN

Gherkin’s flukes are almost all-white, which is why he or she is what we call a “Z whale,” referring to the scientific number (see below).

In 2019, Gherkin was seen breaching several times, including one breaching spree that went on for more than an hour!

Gherkin was last seen in the Salish Sea in 2021. It could be that he’s moved to different summer feeding grounds; time will tell!

Gherkin’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCZ0463.

ZEPPELIN

Zeppelin was seen in 2023 and was looking well!

Zeppelin has never been seen with a calf, and all those scratches on the underflukes suggest this whale is active in male competitive groups at the breeding grounds. Zeppelin has been linked to Mexican AND Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Zeppelin is another very sociable whale, and has been seen with a number of temporary companions including Tulip, Delta, Gherkin, Twinning and Bump.

Zeppelin has very white pectoral flippers, which we can see as he or she comes near the surface.

Zeppelin’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX0847.

DELTA

Delta was seen several times in the Salish Sea in 2023 and was looking well.

Delta has a very pretty and distinctive underfluke pattern and is rapidly becoming a favourite in our whale watching community.

His or her known companions include Hornet and Mosquito.

Delta has been linked to the Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Delta’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1747.

MATHEMATICIAN

Mathematician, who is thought to be a male, has been seen in 2023 and is looking well.

Mathematician is a very large humpback! He’s been matched to the Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Mathematician’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY0785.

AERIE

We know from a photo taken by one of our naturalists that Aerie is a male. He was seen in 2023 and is looking well.

Aerie seems to be a bit of a loner but has been seen a few times with Stitch.

Aerie’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY0983.

SCUTTLE

Scuttle has been seen many times in 2023 and is looking well. From a photo one of our naturalists took in summer 2020 we can confirm that Scuttle is a male!

Scuttle has clear evidence of a killer whale attack at some point in his life. Those are tooth rake marks near the top of both flukes.

Scuttle is a very active whale and was seen several times in 2023 tail-lobbing, chin-slapping and breaching!

Scuttle has been matched to the breeding grounds off Mexico.

Scuttle’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1795.

BLIZZARD

Blizzard has been seen in 2023 and is looking well. He or she is named for the white marks on the flukes, which resemble falling snow.

Blizzard has been matched to the Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Blizzard’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1817.

ENTROPY

We don’t know a lot about Entropy yet, except that she has been matched to winter breeding grounds off Mexico. We do know she had a calf in the winter of 2021-22.

Entropy was seen several times in 2023.

Entropy’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY1071.

BIG MAMA

Big Mama is the “pioneer” of humpbacks in the Salish Sea, being one of the first of her species to consistently return to this region after many decades of absence! She was first documented near Race Rocks in 1997 and has been documented here every summer since 2003.

Big Mama has been doing her best to repopulate the Salish Sea with humpbacks. She has had seven known calves, including daughter Divot (2003), son Split Fin (2006), daughter Tulip (2012), son Beak (2014), daughter Pop Tart (2016) and son Moresby (2022). Curiously, three of her grown-up calves were seen feeding in the same area south of Victoria in late spring 2021! And on one day in August 2021, Big Mama was seen travelling side-by-side with adult son Split Fin!

Big Mama is a six-time grandmother, thanks to daughters Divot, Tulip and Pop Tart! She’s also a great-grandmother to two!

Big Mama has been linked to the breeding grounds off Maui. She’s been seen in the Salish Sea in 2023 and is looking well.

Big Mama’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY0324.

VIVALDI

Vivaldi has been seen several times in 2023 and is looking well.

She had a calf with her in 2020, the first that we know of. In fact, we didn’t know Vivaldi’s was a female until then. The male calf has already been named—Mozart!

Vivaldi was seen with her second-known calf in 2022!

Vivaldi’s known companions include Orion, Zephyr, Split Fin, Manta, Prowler and Two Spot. She’s been matched to the Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Vivaldi’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1704.

GIBBOUS

Gibbous has been seen in 2023 and is looking well.

A photo taken in 2020 confirms without doubt that Gibbous is a male. He was first documented in 2010. The origins of that distinctive notch and pigmentation on his right fluke are unknown but his name refers to it. A gibbous moon is when the moon is more than half full!

Gibbous has been matched to the Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Gibbous’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY0770

HYDRA

Hydra has been seen in 2023 and is looking well.

Hydra has had two known calves, one in 2017 and another in 2019. Tragically, the 2019 calf, a female, washed up dead on the outer Washington coast in summer 2020. All evidence pointed to a ship strike as the cause of death. This is a growing problem for humpback whales along the coast as their population rises and the number of ships increases.

Hydra was one of two humpbacks involved in an interaction with Bigg’s killer whales west of Victoria in September 2022. It’s not known what led to the interaction, but Hydra was seen afterwards, uninjured.

Hydra has been linked to the Hawaiian breeding grounds!

Hydra’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY1000.

ORION

Orion has been seen many times in 2023 and is looking well. We don’t know for sure yet, but we suspect that Orion is a male.

Orion is a very sociable whale. Occasional companions include Split Fin, Divot, Frankenstein, Graze, Vivaldi, Two Spot, Dancer and Cascade.

Orion was involved in a 2016 interaction with some Bigg’s killer whales in Juan de Fuca Strait. He and several other humpbacks were actively interfering with the transients as they hunted two sea lions. This phenomenon, dubbed by some as “altruistic behaviour,” has been documented between humpbacks and killer whales in oceans around the world.

Orion’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1251.

STITCH

Stitch has been seen many times in 2023 and is looking well. We don’t know for sure, but we strongly suspect that Stitch is a male.

Stitch is a very playful whale and can sometimes be seen interacting with kelp or logs or socializing with nearby humpbacks. His occasional companions include Divot, Zephyr, Split Fluke, Scratchy, Hydra and Nox. He has been matched to Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Stitch’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX0519.

MANTA

Manta has been seen in 2023 and is looking well. We don’t know for sure but we suspect that Manta is a male.

We don’t know a lot about Manta yet, except that the underside of his mainly white tail is beautiful!

Manta has been matched to Mexican AND Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Manta’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCZ0155.

FRANKENSTEIN

Frankenstein has been seen many times in 2023 and is looking well.

We had guessed that Frankenstein was a male from all the scratches on the underside of the tail, and that is indeed the case. The scratches most likely come from when he’s competing with other males for the attention of females in the winter breeding grounds.

Frankenstein is a social butterfly and we see him with many temporary companions, such as Orion, Graze, Zephyr, Titan, Split Fin, Tulip, Scratchy, Divot, Merlin, Smudge and Hydra.

Frankenstein was involved in a 2016 interaction with some Bigg’s killer whales in Juan de Fuca Strait. He and several other humpbacks were actively interfering with the killer whales as they hunted two sea lions. This phenomenon, dubbed by some as “altruistic behaviour,” has been documented between humpbacks and killer whales in oceans around the world.

Frankenstein has been matched to both the Hawaiian AND Mexican breeding grounds!

Frankenstein’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1358.

PANTERA

Pantera was last seen in 2022 and was looking well.

Pantera is recognizable by a round scar on the left side of his or her nubby dorsal fin. The scar was caused by a satellite tag used to track his or her travels.

Pantera was one of at least three humpbacks involved in an interaction with Bigg’s killer whales west of Victoria in August 2019. It’s not known what the ruckus was about, but Pantera was seen afterwards, uninjured.

Pantera’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1793.

NOX

Nox was seen in fall 2023 and she wasn’t alone—she had a calf with her! This is her second known calf; the first was in 2020.

We don’t know much more about Nox yet, only that her occasional companions have included Stitch, Hale-Bopp and Monarch. We’ll add more information as we learn it!

Nox’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1819.

BOND

We saw Bond in 2023 and he or she was looking well.

This whale was named for his or her temporary scientific designation, which was MMX0007! It’s since been changed to BCX1640.

Bond was first documented in the Salish Sea in 2014.

Bond has been linked to the breeding grounds off Hawaii.

We don’t know much more about Bond yet. We’ll add more information as we learn it!

MEQE’

’Meqe’ is a Coast Salish (Cowichan) word for winter, or snow, which seems very appropriate when you look at that beautiful white underfluke! Meqe’ is believed to be the 2017 calf of a female known as Pillar.

We don’t know for sure, but suspect that Meqe is a male.

Meqe’ has been seen in 2023 and is looking well. He has very white pectoral flippers and, if we’re lucky enough to see it, a pinky-white throat!

Meqe’s mother, Pillar, has been linked to the Hawaiian breeding grounds. Calves learn the migration route from their mothers, so that’s likely where Meqe’ will go when he or she finally gets the urge to migrate and breed!

Meqe’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCZ0492.

OCULAR

There’s no mistaking the flukes of Ocular. This young whale is a lucky survivor of one of the biggest threats facing humpback whales globally—entanglement in fishing gear. Ocular was entangled a few years ago but fortunately managed to shed the lines without intervention. Many whales aren’t so lucky.

The ordeal left scars on the back and flukes, and bulging scar tissue on the tail stock. Research shows that 50% of humpback whales off the BC coast have scarring from entanglements.

We know that Ocular was born in 2016 to a whale known as Slash, more often seen on the north end of Vancouver Island.

In February 2022, Ocular was seen in the Hawaiian breeding grounds! He or she has been seen in 2023 and is looking well.

Ocular’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1705.

POP TART

Pop Tart is the 2016 calf of the beloved Big Mama. From an early age, Pop Tart has had a reputation for breaching (jumping out of the water), and that’s how she got her name!

We didn’t know Pop Tart was a female until she showed in spring 2023 in the Strait of Georgia with her first calf!

In 2019, Pop Tart was seen travelling with a grey whale for a day!

Like her mother, Pop Tart has been linked to the Hawaiian breeding grounds.

Pop Tart’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY1014.

SEABIRD

Seabird is the 2017 daughter of a female known as Europa. Seabird has been seen several times in 2023—with her first known calf!

Like her mother, Seabird has been linked to the Hawaiian breeding grounds.

We don’t know much more about Seabird yet, and look forward to getting to know her better in the coming years!

Seabird’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1774.

SMILEY

Smiley was first documented in the Salish Sea in 2015 and has been seen quite a few times since then. We’ve seen Smiley in 2023 and she’s looking well.

Smiley had a calf with her in 2022!

Smiley is a very social whale, and is known to associate from time to time with Split Fin, Bond, Vivaldi, Zig Zag, Bond and Titan.

Smiley’s fluke pattern is an excellent example of why we sometimes have to look very closely at the detail of the markings. Her flukes are so similar to a male known as Aerie that they’re sometimes mistaken for each other!

One of Smiley’s calves, Chip (2017), was tragically killed by a ferry in Puget Sound in 2020.

Smiley has been linked to the Mexican breeding grounds.

Smiley’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY0995.

SPLIT FLUKE

Split Fluke is a well-known humpback in this region. She’s the 2006 calf of another longtime favourite, Heather. She gets her name from the V-shaped notch on the trailing edge of her left fluke.

Split Fluke has had three calves that we know of: Valiant (2017), Halfpipe (2019) and a daughter in 2021! Tragically, Halfpipe was killed in summer 2021 after being struck by a ship somewhere at the mouth of Juan de Fuca Strait.

When she’s not taking care of a calf, Split Fluke is a very sociable whale. She’s been seen with Big Mama, Divot, Stitch, Two Spot, Orion and others. And in 2020 she was even seen with Valiant, her 2017 calf!

Split Fluke was seen in 2023 and is looking well.

Split Fluke’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1068.

TRIFECTA

Trifecta was first documented in the Salish Sea in 2016. Trifecta has been seen in 2023 and is looking well.

We don’t know much more about Trifecta, but look forward to getting to know this whale better in the coming years!

Trifecta’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCX1657.

YOGI

Yogi is rapidly becoming a favourite because of his love of breaching! On July 1, 2020, on our first tour after the COVID-19 shutdown, the first whale we saw was Yogi, and guess what he was doing!

Yogi was first documented in the Salish Sea in 2002. He has been seen in 2023 and is looking well. He seems to be somewhat of a loner and is rarely seen with other whales.

Yogi is linked to the Hawaiian breeding grounds, where he was documented in March 2023.

Yogi’s scientific designation in British Columbia is BCY0409.

HUMPBACK WHALES OF THE SALISH SEA

What do the ID numbers mean?

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