Sirius’ Story

Sirius: A Unique Humpback Whale of the Gulf of Maine

Sirius is a standout among humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine, distinguished by his rare ** black pectoral flippers**. While most humpbacks in this region have predominantly white flippers (with varying black markings on the dorsal side), Sirius is one of the few with nearly solid black pigmentation on the top of his exceptionally long (up to 15-foot) flippers. This trait is far more common in Pacific populations, making him particularly unique in North Atlantic waters.

Born in 1982 to a mother named Fringe, Sirius is now in his mid-40s—a prime middle-aged adult for a species that can live 80–90 years or longer. Humpback whales (*Megaptera novaeangliae*) are migratory baleen whales renowned for their acrobatic breaches, elaborate songs (primarily sung by males on breeding grounds), and highly individualistic tail fluke patterns, which serve as “fingerprints” for photo-identification by researchers.

Sirius earned his name from the bright, circular white marking in the center of his tail flukes, evoking Sirius—the brightest star in the night sky (also known as the Dog Star). Like many Gulf of Maine humpbacks, he bears scars from past entanglements in fishing gear, a common threat in these busy waters.  You can see one cut in his tail stock.

One of Sirius’s most memorable moments came during a feeding session on sand lances (a favorite prey). He employed **kick-feeding**, an innovative technique unique to (or at least pioneered in) the Gulf of Maine population: The whale forcefully slaps its powerful tail on the surface near a school of fish, creating a startling bubble cloud that confuses and herds the prey into a tight ball. The panicked fish seek refuge in the bubbles, only for Sirius to lunge upward from below with his mouth agape, engulfing thousands in a single gulp.

As he surfaced, water gushed out through his baleen plates—fringe-like filters in his upper jaw that trap fish while expelling water. Opportunistic herring gulls often exploit these moments, darting into the whale’s partially open mouth or perching on its lower jaw to snatch escaping fish. On this occasion, one gull lingered too long, and Sirius inadvertently closed his mouth around it before it could escape—a rare but documented mishap during lunge or kick-feeding.