A narwhal that thinks it\u2019s a beluga, unidentifiable humpbacks and minke whales in search of recognition. This week, the whales of the St. Lawrence make us wonder about the notion of identity.<\/p>\n
At a time when humans have to prove who they are using a QR code to enter a bar or restaurant, humpbacks shamelessly show off their \u201cID.\u201d When it dives, this giant with oversized pectoral fins generally lifts its tail in the air for a few seconds… leaving just enough time for seasoned observers to take a photo and identify the individual thanks to the unique colour pattern on the underside of the caudal fin. For the past several decades, researchers from the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) have been identifying humpback whales in the St. Lawrence. The catalogue maintained by this organization features several hundred individuals, some of which have an official name while others are only referenced in the form of an alphanumeric code.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A narwhal that thinks it\u2019s a beluga, unidentifiable humpbacks and minke whales in search of recognition. This week, the whales of the St. Lawrence make us wonder about the notion of identity. At a time when humans have to prove who they are using a QR code to enter a bar or restaurant, humpbacks shamelessly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":55055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-observation-of-the-week"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n