PIECES OF A PUZZLE
The first weeks of the whale-watching season have already brought an exciting reminder of just how dynamic and far-reaching the lives of humpback whales are.
Among the whales we’ve encountered so far are several known individuals—animals documented in previous years that have now returned once again to their feeding grounds in Northeast Iceland. At the same time, we’ve also spotted whales that have either never been documented before or only recently elsewhere around Iceland.
Humpback identification is based on the unique patterns on the underside of a whale’s tail fluke. Much like a human fingerprint, each fluke carries distinct markings, shapes, scars, and pigmentation patterns that allow us to recognize individuals across years and even oceans.
Among the whales we managed to photograph so far, one match stood out in the mid of April: a whale called Damon. First documented in the Dominican Republic in 2005, it was then not seen again until it appeared in our bay last November. Now, it has returned once more as one of the first humpbacks of the season. Its reappearance after such a long gap highlights the value of long-term photo identification and international collaboration, linking sightings thousands of kilometers apart.
As the season continues, we hope for even more discoveries—returning individuals, new faces, and perhaps a few more surprises like Damon. Every trip out is another chance to capture a fluke, make a match, and add a piece to a much larger puzzle that tells the story of these extraordinary animals.
Have you been out at sea with us in recent weeks? Which whales did you see?
If you would like to share your photos and contribute to the humpback whale puzzle—or simply find out which individual you encountered during your tour—you can upload your sightings to Happywhale (happywhale.com).
(We do not identify individuals ourselves; all matches are made and confirmed through Happywhale, a global citizen science platform that helps track individual humpback whales across the world.)
