Adopt Colt the Humpback Whale - He is the friendliest
Colt is widely regarded as the friendliest whale in the world.
What sets Colt apart from the thousands of other humpbacks identified by researchers is his extraordinarily curious and interactive personality around humans on boats. Unlike many whales that keep their distance, Colt has built a decades-long reputation for seeking out whale-watching vessels, treating them like giant toys, and delivering what can only be described as aquatic comedy routines.
Boat Captains who recognize Colt by his big floppy dorsal fin at the surface of the water always choose to go in Colt’s location. The passengers on the boat are almost always treated to a once in a lifetime experience.
His antics around boats as well as his common behaviors have been documented extensively by The Whale Video Company over 16 feeding seasons and preserved for future generations in The Whale and Marine Life Video Archive.
Colt's Fluke © Carole Carlson
Colt's Rounded Dorsal Left Side (A scene from Colt's adoption video)
Colt's Blowholes Open Next to the Boat (A scene from Colt's adoption video)
Colt Facts
Colt’s Story (Friendliest)
Colt is a well-known male humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) famous for his extraordinarily friendly and playful interactions with humans, particularly whale-watchers in the waters of the Gulf of Maine and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Massachusetts.
The origin of his name remains a matter of debate among researchers. Some believe he was named after his mother, Equus—a Latin word meaning “horse.” Others argue that the name comes from a distinctive black marking on the upper left side of his fluke that strikingly resembles a pistol. This second explanation aligns with the common naming tradition for humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine: researchers gather at informal “whale naming parties,” where a whale earns its name commonly from a unique patch of black pigmentation on the underside of its tail that vaguely resembles an object, animal, or symbol.
Born in 1981, he’s now in his mid-40s—a middle-aged adult for a humpback, which can live 80–90 years or more. Humpbacks are migratory baleen whales known for their acrobatic behaviors, complex songs, and unique tail patterns (called flukes) that act like fingerprints for identification.
Colt’s Video Documentary (36 Min)
A captivating 36-minute documentary chronicles Colt’s life and beautifully illustrates why the title (Friendliest whale in the world) fits him so perfectly.
Colt’s video documentary is perhaps the most surprising, entertaining and informing whale program in existence. He puts the word close in close boat approach. On most such visits, he has his head under the boat and the rest of his 45 foot body up at the surface. Sometimes he decides to swim under the boat and surfaces on the other side. Colt also likes to be belly up next to boats.
He is well known for showing interest in and doing things that make passengers scream with delight. On a few special occasions, he splashes people with his flippers, makes sounds from his blowholes that mimic elephants, hippos and perhaps walruses. He shows a surprising talent for making sounds and on one occasion, sings next to the boat.
He is a master at approaching boats with one or more other males who seem to draw from his energy. While it may not be play or showing off, it certainly seems that way to the people watching. It also makes you wonder who is watching who?
The males he brings over to the boats include Bandit, Thorn, Sirius, Stub and Icarus.
Throughout the film Colt displays the full repertoire of mature humpback behavior with effortless grace:
Deep, prolonged dives
Kick-feeding (creating bubble nets with powerful tail kicks)
Spectacular open-mouth lunge feeding at the surface
– Flipper slapping
– Lobtailing
– Curious and confident approaches to boats
– Powerful, acrobatic breaching
Colt’s Family Tree
Colt’s mother is a whale named Equus. She was first sighted in 1977.
The name “Equus” comes from Latin for “horse,” inspired by a prominent, horse-shaped mark on the left side of her fluke. This fits the tradition of naming humpbacks based on visible traits, making them easier to reference in research and public education.
Equus’ Calves and year born
Tusk 1979
Colt 1981
Merlin 1984
Channel 1986
Stump 1988
RK 1990
Colt’s Friends
Humpback whale relationships are very short term lasting a few hours or a few days.
Determining whether whales form true friendships or merely tolerate certain companions is challenging, but when multiple humpbacks approach a boat together and move in coordinated harmony, it’s reasonable to describe them as friends—or at least close associates.
Colt is the whale every whale-watcher dreams of meeting. As a young calf, he earned a reputation for boldly swimming straight toward any approaching vessel, even though regulations require boats to remain at least 100 feet (30 meters) away. Once Colt decided he liked you, leaving became the problem. He would linger alongside—or even directly beneath—the boat, sometimes just a foot or two off the hull, for 30 or more minutes at a time. Since captains are not permitted to start their engines with a whale that close, Colt single-handedly made dozens of tours run late, keeping delighted (and occasionally frustrated) passengers far out at sea long after scheduled return times.
Colt has been documented in numerous close, playful encounters with other well-known humpback males, including Bandit, Coral, Thorn, Stub, Icarus, and Sirius. He has also been sighted frequently in the company of known females Salt, Thalassa, Mars, Buckshot, and Shark. Whether these repeated associations reflect genuine social bonds or simply shared curiosity about boats, Colt clearly travels in lively and charismatic company.