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 SOCKEYE - is named for a
deformity of his jaw that mimics the Sockeye Salmon. Sockeye's smaller upper jaw actually
fits down inside his huge lower jaw, creating a whale-sized underbite! Sockeye was first
sighted in 1984, and has grown into being a healthy adult male. His odd jaw has definitely
not impaired his feeding ability! |
| 1998 - Sockeye was sighted by our research
staff in June and August on Stellwagen Bank. Unfortunately, Sockeye spent most of his time
further offshore this year, so our sightings of him were few and far between. Here is a
list of CORE sightings of Sockeye this season: 6/29-Sockeye announced his presence on Stellwagen Bank by breaching and flipper-slapping as we approached him. Once we arrived in the area, he began traveling. His destination? Unknown! 8/7-Traveling with Tornado and her calf. 8/10-Engaged in a behavior called lobtail bubble-cloud feeding with three other whales named Thread, Gibraltar and Hale-Bopp! (Shark’s 1996 calf really got around this year!) This is one of the most spectacular ways of feeding. Once locating a school of fish, Sockeye would slam his tail down on the water several times. This either stuns the fish and/or marks the area where the fish are found. He would then dive under the school and blow a series of tiny bubbles called a bubble-cloud. These bubbles serve to trap the fish as they rise upward. Finally, Sockeye would swim to the surface with his mouth open, engulfing all the fish trapped in the bubble cloud. It was some sight! 8/11-Feeding at the surface and then later in the day deep feeding with a well known humpback named Fracture! |
 OWL - named for two black dots on either side of her tail, resembling owls' eyes. Owl was first sighted as a calf in 1986 with her mother, Falco. Owl gave birth to her first calf in 1993, and her second in 1998.
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| 1998 - After a four year gap, Owl was sighted
this season with her second known calf! Up until August 13th, Owl and her calf had eluded
our research cameras but we had reports of their sightings on Stellwagen Bank early in the
spring and numerous reports in July on the northern part of Jeffrey’s Ledge. Here is
a list of CORE sightings of Owl and her calf this season: 8/13-Traveling with five other whales, including Pepper and calf, Tribble, Exclaim, and Groucho. Owl’s calf and Pepper’s calf remained near the surface and showed curiosity toward the boat as the adults were down on a deep dive. 8/14-Owl’s calf was breaching and flipper slapping all by itself!! Owl was not sighted in the immediate area, but she may have been feeding with some of the other adult humpbacks in the area!! 8/15-Owl and calf were traveling alone in the morning. In the afternoon, Owl and her calf approached our boat for a close encounter. Owl’s calf began snaking (a behavior in which the whale undulates its body side to side like a snake) and rolling on its back, allowing us to determine that it is a male! (Female humpbacks have a round, fleshy lobe about the size of a basketball located underneath the tail stock. This is absent on males.) Unfortunately, the encounter ended quickly and both mother and calf began traveling with another whale named Fragment. 8/31-In a feeding group of 7(!) including a female named Zeppelin (a CORE favorite) and another mother and calf named Fan. 9/2-Feeding with Alphorn, Scratch and Sparta. 9/4-In a feeding group of 6 in the morning, including Epee, Zeppelin and Chairlift. This same group stopped feeding in the afternoon to engage in some social interactions! 9/7-Traveling with Fan and her calf (again)! 9/8-Dominant in a feeding group that included Fragment, Tribble and Hale-Bopp! Throughout the afternoon, many of the individuals in this group changed places in the hierarchy but Owl remained in charge! Unfortunately Owl’s first calf, Mesa, was not sighted this year. Mesa has been sighted several times in the past couple of years by other organizations, however, so there is no cause to worry. |
 SHARK - is named for the black markings on the tip of the right side of her tail that resemble the profile of a shark's face. Shark was first sighted as a calf in 1983 with her mother, Apex. Shark has had four calves. |
1998 - Shark was sighted several times on Stellwagen Bank with her fourth known calf (who will be named in the spring of 1999.) Here is a list of CORE sightings of Shark and her calf this season: 7/15-Deep feeding behavior with one other whale. 7/16-Traveling 7/17-While traveling, Shark’s calf continually engaged in trumpet-blowing (emitting a high-pitched squeal while exhaling) and was blowing bubbles under water. Obviously, the little guy (or girl) was excited about something, but we don’t know what! 7/22-Feeding with two other humpbacks, Sundog and Fracture. 7/24-Traveling and possibly deep feeding behavior with two other humpbacks, Parens and Sundog. Shark also engaged in some flipper-slapping while her calf was tail-breaching, trying to establish dominance over the other whales in the group! 7/25-Traveling and splashing activity in a group with two other whales, Garland and Hale-Bopp, Shark’s 1996 calf!! It is very rare that calves associate with their mothers after being weaned, so it was very exciting for us to witness this! 7/31-Feeding with two other whales, Scratch and Tear. Unfortunately, after July ended, so did our sightings of Shark and her calf. It was surprising, considering Shark is a whale that usually shows up on Jeffrey’s Ledge on occasion. On the other hand, Hale-Bopp, Shark’s calf from 1996, was sighted quite often from late July through November. Even though still quite young, he has grown to be a good-sized whale and was seen quite often in feeding groups of 3 to 9 individuals. Many of these groups included a mother and calf and Hale-Bopp took quite a liking to one mother in particular, a whale by the name of Tornado. Shark’s mother, Apex, was also seen very briefly in mid-July, looking very wide! It’s quite possible that she may come back next year with a baby of her own! |
 BADGE - is named for the black markings on the left side of the tail that look like a badge on a military uniform. Badge was first sighted in the feeding area off of Gloucester in 1987 - small at the time, she was probably a calf in 1986. |
1998 - Badge was sighted exclusively on Jeffrey’s Ledge this year. Since 1992, Badge seems to prefer this particular feeding area and is therefore what we like to call a "Jeffrey’s Ledge regular". Most of her sightings this year were on the northern most part of Jeffrey’s Ledge, off of the coast of Maine. This made it difficult for us to observe her very often, for it is a long ride from Rye, New Hampshire to get to that particular area, and impossible to do so out of Gloucester, MA on a half-day trip. Surprisingly, Badge was observed without a calf yet again. Hopefully next season she will appear with one. At her age, she certainly is due! Here is a list of CORE sightings of Badge this season: 8/4-Deep feeding in an area near three other whales, Pinball, Pole, and Mogul. 8/6-Deep feeding near a whale named Satula (another Jeffrey’s Ledge regular!) 8/9-Deep feeding and travelling in an area with eight other humpbacks, including Pinball. 8/16-Feeding at the surface with a male humpback named Raccoon. ***Update*** While one of our colleagues from the Whale Conservation Institute was visiting, she showed us a photo of a yet unidentified whale that was seen on Stellwagen Bank in April. The photo was of Badge, who to our knowledge hasn't been seen on Stellwagen since 1991! |
There are many ways to-help support CORE's research. An avenue you may choose is to donate your time and expertise by becoming an intern or volunteer.
You may also show your support by joining us on one of our, special research trips. Each summer, CORE conducts offshore tops - full day, overnight and three day excursions to areas that we are unable to reach during our regular trips. Participation in these offshore excursions not only helps CORE, but enriches your whale experiences, as well!
In kind donations are also a terrific help to our research. For instance, if you have a video camera, slide projector or even a printer, we can use it!
Becoming a member of CORE is yet another way to help our research continue. With monies raised through memberships, CORE can procure additional equipment and can also conduct dedicated research trips during the off-season.Please ask a CORE researcher for further details if you are interested in helping CORE in any of the above ways! We do appreciate it!
We hope you feel a sense of satisfaction in knowing that your donations will directly fund CORE's mission to promote stewardship and the conservation of cetaceans and their marine environment.
Thank you very much!
There are four ways you can sponsor a whale: aboard any whale watch boat, at the ticket office, by mail, or by e-mail! Simply click here to access a printable form. Adoptions last for one year, and cost $25.
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