But where do the names of whales come from?

The Black Pilot Whale, the “Pilot Whale”

The Atlantic black pilot whale is also a victim of its appearance! In Latin, “globus” means “ball,” and “cephalus” means “head”: it’s easy to see why this black cetacean was given this name when you see it! The “melon” refers to a cetacean’s round head. The pilot whale’s melon contains a gelatinous substance. Although it is not made of the same material as a sperm whale’s, it serves the same purposes: echolocation and communication.

Although it is not made of the same material as a sperm whale’s, it serves the same purposes: echolocation and communication.

The pilot whale is sometimes nicknamed “the pilot whale.” This name may stem from the fact that these whales often strand themselves in groups, possibly because of a single individual. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain this phenomenon. For example, pilot whales may show solidarity with one another. When one member of the group—weakened or disoriented—becomes stranded, the others follow. Another hypothesis suggests that pilot whales become trapped by currents. The areas they usually visit may become inaccessible at certain times of the year due to low tides. The pilot whales may swim against the current and find themselves trapped.

Rorquals: Two Possible Meanings

As for the Norwegian word røyrkval, it has two possible meanings. In Swedish, it means “whale with a pleated belly.” The furrows on rorquals’ bellies stretch like an accordion, allowing them to gulp down water and food. In Norwegian, the word means “red whale.” Indeed, the ventral grooves of these whales fill with blood and turn pink when they feed.

The word “krill,” which also comes from this language, means “small school of fish.” Many words related to cetaceans come from Norway, as that country has a long tradition of whaling. The first naturalists to draw diagrams of whale anatomy were Norwegian.

The Minke Whale: The Result of a Mistake

In French, the name for the minke whale is fairly self-explanatory, but in English, things get a little more complicated. The name “minke whale” stems from a legend of which there are several versions. According to one of them, an inexperienced lookout whose name sounded like “Minke” was working on a whaling ship.

He would report the minke whales she spotted, but the crew would remind him that he was mistaking them for other species of whales sought by hunters.

The right whale, the “good whale”

On Baleines en direct, we use the term “right whale” to refer to members of the genus Eubalaena (which means “good whale” in Latin), but these species are also commonly called right whales. This name reflects the fact that the right whale was a “good whale” for hunters, for two reasons. First, it moves very slowly and feeds at the surface—in fact, it’s known as a “skimmer.” Copepods, small crustaceans found in plankton that it feeds on, eat algae that need light to grow. Second, this whale is so fatty that its carcass floats. This made it a windfall for hunters.

The Fin Whale—Not So Common After All!

The fin whale, the second-largest whale in the world, is classified as a species of least concern. Its name suggests that it was once more abundant in our oceans. In the early days of whaling, the fin whale was less sought after than other species because of its speed. With the advent of motorboats, sailors found it easier to hunt them, and their population plummeted.