The Naming of Things
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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,…
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The Naming of Things: Humpback Whale vs Humpback Dolphin
One of the most well known facts about cetaceans is that the Humpback whale was named after the hump on its back, in front of its dorsal fin, which is accentuated when preparing for a deep dive. Its Genus name, Genus Megaptera, comes from the Greek “mega,” which means “large,” and “pteron,” which means “wing.” This…
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The Naming of Things: Right Whale vs Right Whale Dolphin
When it comes to cetacean names few seem as appropriate as the Right Whale. The story goes that these whales were given their name because they were the “right” whale to hunt. They stuck close to coast lines and were slow, docile, and spent much of their time near the surface – making them easy…