The Naming of Things

  • The Naming of Things: Minke Whale

    The Naming of Things: Minke Whale

    Oh stinky Minke! (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) These “little” baleen whales are often nick-named for their less-than-fresh “breath” when they surface to blow. Thankfully the stories behind their other names are not as assaulting to the olfactory senses. As we’ve seen before here at The Naming of Things, the genus Balaenoptera comes from the Latin “balaena” (whale)…

  • The Naming of Things: Porpoises

    The Naming of Things: Porpoises

    It’s long been a running joke in our lives, on our site, and in our podcast, that the creators of Whale Tales do not think porpoises are the most… “exciting” of cetaceans. We absolutely still love them but we feel like our love comes from a true recognition of exactly what porpoises do, and don’t,…

  • The Naming of Things: Humpback Whale Identification (in BC)

    The Naming of Things: Humpback Whale Identification (in BC)

    Previously on The Naming of Things we’ve discussed the naming of Humpback Whales but what we haven’t explored is how individual humpback whales are “named” by researchers. One of the reasons for this is because humpback whales are identified differently in different countries (sometimes they’re even identified differently by different research projects in the SAME…

  • The Naming of Things: Sei Whale

    The Naming of Things: Sei Whale

    Say, have you seen a Sei Whale? Pronounced “SAY” these large baleen whales get their common name from the Norwegian word for pollock (“seje”), a fish that appears off the coast of Norway at the same time of the year as the Sei Whale. Their scientific name, Balaenoptera borealis, also has ties to the North.…

  • The Naming of Things: Fin Whales

    The Naming of Things: Fin Whales

    aka The naming of the Whale with a Fin on its back Fin whales, or fin-back whales – depending on where you’re from, are yet another entry in our “on the nose” naming community. There are so many things to write home about when it comes to Fin Whales but unfortunately the second largest whale…