List of individual cetaceans

Dawn the humpback whale in the Sacramento River in 2007

Cetaceans are the animals commonly known as whales, dolphins, and porpoises. This list includes individuals from real life or fiction, where fictional individuals are indicated by their source. It is arranged roughly taxonomically.

Baleen whales

Rorquals

The 52-hertz whale (may be a blue whale hybrid)^[1]

Blue whales

KOBO

Fin whales

Moby Joe, a fin whale who became trapped in Newfoundland, the subject of Farley Mowat's 1972 book A Whale for the Killing^[2]

Humpback whales

Delta and Dawn
George and Gracie from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Humphrey the Whale
Migaloo
The whale that swam up the Saint Lawrence River to Montreal in 2020^[3]^[4]
Mister Splashy Pants
Sasha, also known as the Alaska whale^[5]^[6]^[7]
The Tay Whale

Gray whales

Bonnet, Crossbeak, and Bone or Putu, Siku, and Kanik (in Inupiaq);^[8] called Fred, Wilma, and Bamm-Bamm in the book Big Miracle and film adaptation
Klamath River Whales ^[9]^[10]

Toothed whales

Beaked whales

Northern bottlenose whales

The River Thames whale being calmed by rescuers

River Thames whale

Dolphins

Delphinus from Greek mythology
Ivan and Bessie from the 1967 novel The Day of the Dolphin or Alpha and Beta in the 1973 film adaptation
Jones from the William Gibson short story Johnny Mnemonic
Slim and Delbert from the TV series Dolphin Cove
Snorky from the Night of the Dolphin segment of The Simpsons 2000 episode "Treehouse of Horror XI"
The dolphin from the fairy tale The Dolphin
Zoom from the anime series Zoom the White Dolphin

Bottlenose dolphins

Akeakamai, featured in the novel Startide Rising
Davina
Ecco from the video game series Ecco the Dolphin
Fungie
Flipper from the 1963 film of the same name and later film and television series in the same franchise
Hiapo
Hope, featured in the film Dolphin Tale 2
Mitzie, who portrayed Flipper^[11]
Moko
Opo
Peter, used in experiments in human-dolphin communication by John C. Lilly and Margaret Howe Lovatt^[12]
Pinky
Ronnie from the television series H₂O: Just Add Water^{[citation needed]}
Tião
Winter, featured in the film Dolphin Tale

Orcas

Brave Little Hunter (a.k.a. kʷiisaḥiʔis in Nuu-chah-nulth)
Camus from the episode "Moby Dopes" of the TV series The Angry Beavers^[13]
Chimo
Corky (II)
Ethelbert
Granny
Hoi Wai, who portrayed Neptune in the film Moon Warriors
Iceberg
Jambu or Willzyx from the episode "Free Willzyx" of the TV series South Park
Kalina
Kanduke
Kasatka
Katina
Katina with trainer Dawn Brancheau
Keet
Keto
Keiko, who portrayed Willy in the film Free Willy
Klee Wyck, the anthropomorphic mascot of the 1994 Commonwealth Games
Kiska, orca housed at Marineland and last captive orca kept in Canada
Kohana
Kotar
Lolita
Luna
Malia
Moby Doll
Morgan
Morgan in August 2010
Namu, featured in the film Namu, the Killer Whale
Neptune from the film Moon Warriors
Ocean Sun (L25)^[14]
Old Thom
Old Tom
Port and Starboard
Ramu III
Samoa
Scarlet
Scarlet and her mother, J-16
Shamu
Springer
Tahlequah
Takara
The orca from the 1977 film Orca
Tico from the anime series Tico of the Seven Seas
Tilikum, known for his involvement in the deaths of three people; heavily featured in the documentary Blackfish
Ulises
Unna
Walter the Whale
Wikie
Willy from the film Free Willy and television adaptation

Risso's dolphins

Casper, an albino or leucistic Risso's dolphin inhabiting Monterey Bay, California^[15]
Pelorus Jack

Sperm whales

The exploding whale of Florence, Oregon
Little Irvy
Moby Dick from the 1851 novel Moby-Dick
Mocha Dick
Monstro from Pinocchio^[16]
Pearl Krabs from SpongeBob SquarePants
Porphyrios (species uncertain), a large whale that harassed and sank ships in the waters near Constantinople in the sixth century
The sperm whale from the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and later adaptations
Timor Tom from Moby-Dick, chapter 45

Belugas

Baby Beluga from the music album of the same name
Bailey from the 2016 Pixar film Finding Dory
Benny
Hvaldimir
Kayavak
Moby Dick (Rhine)
NOC

Legendary

Because these individuals are legendary or mythic, their classification is unclear. As well, for some it is unclear whether they are even whales since whales were historically considered fish in Western culture.^[17]

Jonah in the jaws of the whale

Cetus from Greek mythology
Devil Whale from legends such as the First Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor
Leviathan from Abrahamic mythology
Makara from Hindu mythology (possibly a South Asian river dolphin)
Rongomai from Māori mythology
Tannin from Canaanite, Phoenician, and Hebrew mythology
The whale who saved Kahutia-te-rangi in Māori mythology (usually considered to be a humpback whale – paikea – a name Kahutia-te-rangi would adopt himself)^[18]^[19]
The whale from the Book of Jonah

References

^ Revkin, Andrew C. (21 December 2004). "Song of the Sea, a Cappella and Unanswered". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
^ Mowat, Farley (2012). A Whale for the Killing. Canada: Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 9781771000284.
^ Ranaldi, Chloë; Leavitt, Sarah (30 May 2020). "A humpback whale is swimming in the St. Lawrence River in Montreal". CBC News. Montreal. Archived from the original on 2021-02-23. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
^ O'Malley, Olivia (27 January 2021). "Montreal's humpback whale may not have been killed by collision with boat: researchers". Global News. Archived from the original on 2021-02-21. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
^ "NOAA Fisheries Identifies Stranded Whale in Alaska as Calf Known as Tango". NOAA Fisheries. Alaska. August 28, 2023. Archived from the original on 2025-04-05. Retrieved 23 April 2025. Sasha is one of Juneau's most beloved whales; she spends most of her summers near Juneau and has distinct markings that make her easy to spot. Tango is her third known calf.
^ Steinberg, Jake (August 16, 2018). "Did the blob drive humpbacks out of Southeast Alaska? Some scientists think so". KTOO (FM). Juneau. Archived from the original on 2024-06-22. Retrieved 23 April 2025. Some [whales] become local celebrities, like Sasha, whose fluke has a mark that resembles the letters "A" and "K". Down in Hawaii, where humpbacks spend the winter, she's known as the Alaska whale.
^ Ranger, Scott (2013). "Whale 1879, Sasha". Scott Ranger's Nature Notes. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
^ Mauer, Richard (February 3, 2012). "The real story behind 'Big Miracle'". The Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
^ Goff, Andrew (July 28, 2011). "Whales. In a River". North Coast Journal.
^ "Whale dies after weeks in river, and after calf left". NBC News. 16 August 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
^ "Flipper (1963)". IMDb. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
^ Riley, Christopher (8 June 2014). "The dolphin who loved me: the Nasa-funded project that went wrong". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
^ ""The Angry Beavers" Moby Dopes/Present Tense (TV Episode 2000)". IMDb. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
^ Griffin, Brooke (31 January 2025). "Meet 'Ocean Sun', the nearly 100-year-old Southern Resident Orca crowned oldest in the world". KIRO 7 News Seattle. Seattle: Cox Media Group. Archived from the original on 1 Feb 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025. 'Ocean Sun', also known as L25, is considered the oldest orca in the world [...] 97 years old.
^ Popęda, Agata (2 November 2021). "Casper the all-white dolphin pays a visit to Monterey Bay—just in time for Halloween". Monterey County Weekly. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
^ Mullen, Chris (2016-06-29). "A Whale of a Tale: An Ode to Monstro". Walt Disney Family Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
^ DeCou, Christopher (8 October 2018). "When whales were fish". Lateral Magazine. Lateral Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
^ "The Story of Paikea and Ruatapu". Te Ao Hou: The Maori Magazine. September 1962. p. 6. Retrieved 28 June 2020 – via the National Library of New Zealand.
^ Haami, Bradford (2006-06-12). "Te whānau puha – whales". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. pp. Summary, 1–2, "Paikea, Waipapa marae, University of Auckland". Retrieved 2020-08-08.

[nyt-1] Revkin, Andrew C. (21 December 2004). "Song of the Sea, a Cappella and Unanswered". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-08-06.

[2] Mowat, Farley (2012). A Whale for the Killing. Canada: Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 9781771000284.

[3] Ranaldi, Chloë; Leavitt, Sarah (30 May 2020). "A humpback whale is swimming in the St. Lawrence River in Montreal". CBC News. Montreal. Archived from the original on 2021-02-23. Retrieved 19 February 2021.

[4] O'Malley, Olivia (27 January 2021). "Montreal's humpback whale may not have been killed by collision with boat: researchers". Global News. Archived from the original on 2021-02-21. Retrieved 19 February 2021.

[5] "NOAA Fisheries Identifies Stranded Whale in Alaska as Calf Known as Tango". NOAA Fisheries. Alaska. August 28, 2023. Archived from the original on 2025-04-05. Retrieved 23 April 2025. Sasha is one of Juneau's most beloved whales; she spends most of her summers near Juneau and has distinct markings that make her easy to spot. Tango is her third known calf.

[6] Steinberg, Jake (August 16, 2018). "Did the blob drive humpbacks out of Southeast Alaska? Some scientists think so". KTOO (FM). Juneau. Archived from the original on 2024-06-22. Retrieved 23 April 2025. Some [whales] become local celebrities, like Sasha, whose fluke has a mark that resembles the letters "A" and "K". Down in Hawaii, where humpbacks spend the winter, she's known as the Alaska whale.

[7] Ranger, Scott (2013). "Whale 1879, Sasha". Scott Ranger's Nature Notes. Retrieved 23 April 2025.

[8] Mauer, Richard (February 3, 2012). "The real story behind 'Big Miracle'". The Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved 2020-08-08.

[9] Goff, Andrew (July 28, 2011). "Whales. In a River". North Coast Journal.

[10] "Whale dies after weeks in river, and after calf left". NBC News. 16 August 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2025.

[11] "Flipper (1963)". IMDb. Retrieved 8 August 2020.

[12] Riley, Christopher (8 June 2014). "The dolphin who loved me: the Nasa-funded project that went wrong". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2022.

[13] ""The Angry Beavers" Moby Dopes/Present Tense (TV Episode 2000)". IMDb. Retrieved 11 April 2023.

[14] Griffin, Brooke (31 January 2025). "Meet 'Ocean Sun', the nearly 100-year-old Southern Resident Orca crowned oldest in the world". KIRO 7 News Seattle. Seattle: Cox Media Group. Archived from the original on 1 Feb 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025. 'Ocean Sun', also known as L25, is considered the oldest orca in the world [...] 97 years old.

[15] Popęda, Agata (2 November 2021). "Casper the all-white dolphin pays a visit to Monterey Bay—just in time for Halloween". Monterey County Weekly. Retrieved 26 December 2022.

[16] Mullen, Chris (2016-06-29). "A Whale of a Tale: An Ode to Monstro". Walt Disney Family Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2020.

[17] DeCou, Christopher (8 October 2018). "When whales were fish". Lateral Magazine. Lateral Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.

[18] "The Story of Paikea and Ruatapu". Te Ao Hou: The Maori Magazine. September 1962. p. 6. Retrieved 28 June 2020 – via the National Library of New Zealand.

[19] Haami, Bradford (2006-06-12). "Te whānau puha – whales". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. pp. Summary, 1–2, "Paikea, Waipapa marae, University of Auckland". Retrieved 2020-08-08.

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