Humpback whales have been the focus of research at WCNE since its inception in 1979. In that time scientists at WCNE have made many pioneering discoveries about the biology and social behavior of these enormous animals. We have come a long way since 1979 in shedding light on the little understood aspects of humpback whales' lives. We learned that these animals are as varied in their behaviors and personalities as any in the world and have come to know many of them very well. WCNE scientists have detailed records of almost 1,000 different humpbacks that have passed through the Gulf of Maine in the last 16 years. Some of them we see only briefly as they move on to other feeding grounds, but for many, the Gulf of Maine is their summer home. Scientists have long used animals own natural markings to help them separate different individuals on the wild. It was first observed in primates in the late 1800's and in grey seals in the 1930's. Researchers in Africa quickly took advantage of this useful feature to help them when studying a variety of animals, lions, giraffes, and zebras included. A long term study of the South Atlantic Right whale in the 1970's revealed that whales too have these natural markings. Most species of whales have unique features that can be used to tell individuals apart. Humpback whales are among the most obvious in this respect. Humpback whales unique marking occurs on the underside (ventral side) of their tails. This marking takes the place of a vivid pattern of black and white, different on every animal. The ventral side of the tail can range from all-white, something scientists call a Type 1, to all-black, called a Type 5. In between there are all the different ratios and patterns of white to black that you can imagine. To help remember what each whale looks like and to keep them separate, scientists take many pictures of each whale. After we have enough pictures, the humpback is named. Each name is unique and follows a few rules, They cannot be human names They cannot indicate if the animal is male or female, often we just don't know! The name generally is taken from a marking on the tail of the animal, but can sometimes come from another distinctive mark. Some whales have strangely shaped dorsal fins, scars or odd pigmentation.