Happywhale

Happywhale Happywhale tracks individual whales throughout our world's oceans. What is Happywhale.com about? The vast majority of these are only known by five digit ID .
(1)

We have two goals: One, to open to you the wonderful world of knowing whales as individuals, and two, to create a deeper understanding of whales both through education and improved science. This work is a collaboration with Cascadia Research Collective of Olympia, Washington, to whom we provide whale encounter date gathered through participatory citizen science. Currently we are focused on the Hum

pback Whale population of coastal California, with plans to expand as we are able both to other regions and other species such as Blue Whales. We are still in a beta phase — please bear with any rough edges (and give us feedback!) You can upload images of Humpback Whale tails (flukes) via the ’Submit Images’ button at Happywhale.com. For every submitter, we will create an account and we will attempt to match your whales. As we develop, we will give you a login with access to your encounters, the history and stories that we know for your whales that we successfully match, and an ability to connect with others who have encountered the same whales. Meanwhile we will be sharing this data with scientists who use the data gathered to improve our understanding of whale population health. WHALE NICKNAMES — ASKING FOR YOUR INPUT!: Our known population comes from decades of work by Cascadia Research Collective, with upwards of 3000 individuals in the catalog. But we know some of these whales have nicknames that are already in use by specific groups. We want to gather these nicknames. If you have images of any Humpbacks or other California whales you know by name, please share (via the link on Happywhale.com — put nicknames in filenames, in the text field in the file submission process, or send by email to [email protected]). We’ll gather known nicknames for use in the system. We would love for you to participate, to try to ID your photos, and to hear what you think of these efforts. Thank you for your interest!

Meet Fran!Known on Happywhale as CRC-12049, Fran is a female humpback whale whose story has been pieced together through...
07/29/2026

Meet Fran!

Known on Happywhale as CRC-12049, Fran is a female humpback whale whose story has been pieced together through years of photographs, sightings, and collaboration across the whale research community.

We will always remember Fran and the legacy she left behind. Fran’s death has brought so much awareness to vessel strikes and what we can continue to do to help make the oceans safer for whales.

Like every whale featured in our StoryMap Series, Fran is more than a sighting or a fluke photo. She is an individual with a history, a family, and a story that continues to unfold each time she is seen.

Her journey reminds us of the power of photo identification and citizen science. Every photograph contributes to a larger understanding of whale lives, migrations, and connections across oceans and generations.

Explore Fran’s full StoryMap through our Linktree and discover how decades of sightings help reveal the hidden lives of whales.

If you enjoy following stories like Fran’s, please consider supporting Happywhale. Your support helps fund the technology, research, and human expertise that make these discoveries possible.

Follow Fran here:
https://happywhale.com/individual/7

07/29/2026

The infrastructure on the islands is basic and much of it is in disrepair, meaning waste is running directly into the ‘big blue bin’ – without treatment

🔴 Lucie Heath reports

Gray whales need our help!Happywhale is launching a new initiative focused on understanding and protecting Eastern North...
07/26/2026

Gray whales need our help!
Happywhale is launching a new initiative focused on understanding and protecting Eastern North Pacific gray whales through AI, photo identification, and collaborative research.

In partnership with Cascadia Research Collective, The Marine Mammal Center, and Oregon State University’s GEMM Lab, we are working to build a shared gray whale photo-ID database and AI matching system that will help researchers connect sightings, monitor individuals, and better understand population decline and recovery across the Pacific.
But the urgency is real. These gray whales have experienced dramatic population decline since 2019, and recent research highlights increasing mortality linked to vessel strikes and malnutrition in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read more about this research by visiting the link in this post.

Every whale photo helps tell a bigger story. Every sighting matters.

We are currently seeking supporters to help fund this project and protect gray whales for future generations.

Please go to the link in our bio or linktree to learn more about supporting this project.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2026.1775666/full

Every responsibly collected photo helps researchers better understand whale populations and contributes to conservation....
07/23/2026

Every responsibly collected photo helps researchers better understand whale populations and contributes to conservation.

With every exciting whale season comes an important reminder: the best observations happen when whales are allowed to behave naturally. Whether you’re a whale watch operator, photographer, researcher, or citizen scientist, thank you for helping promote ethical wildlife viewing by giving whales, especially mothers and calves, the space they need to rest, nurse, travel, and care for their young. By respecting whales and following local viewing guidelines, you’re protecting these incredible animals and contributing to better science.

Ethical wildlife viewing is the foundation of good science!

Long live, Skipper!In October 2025, Skipper, a young humpback whale calf born to Zig Zag earlier that year, was struck a...
07/14/2026

Long live, Skipper!

In October 2025, Skipper, a young humpback whale calf born to Zig Zag earlier that year, was struck and seriously injured by a ferry in the Salish Sea. At just 9–12 months old, the outlook was uncertain.

When Skipper was seen again that December, there was hope.

Now, after what was likely a migration to warmer waters in Hawaii or Mexico, Skipper has returned. Sighted on June 26, 2026 off Washington, this resilient young whale appears healthy, strong, and remarkably well healed.

Stories like Skipper’s remind us that whales can be incredibly resilient, but they also highlight the very real threat of vessel strikes. Every successful recovery is worth celebrating, while also reminding us why responsible boating, slower speeds in whale habitat, and continued conservation efforts are so important.

Here’s to many more years of sightings, safe migrations, and new chapters in Skipper’s story.

You can follow Skipper’s journey on Happywhale and help us continue tracking whales around the world by sharing your whale photos.

Click the Linktree in our bio to learn more about supporting Happywhale.

Meet Zig Zag: https://happywhale.com/individual/4302

Meet Skipper: https://happywhale.com/individual/140468

⚠️ Content Warning: This post includes photographs of a whale recovering from serious injuries. Some images may be graphic, but they also tell an important story of resilience and hope.

07/11/2026

As AI transforms industries and our daily lives at a rate never-before-seen, the question of whether it can be used to grapple with humanity’s greatest concerns has moved from aspiration to measurable fact. On 8 July, the AI for Good Impact Awards 2026 unveiled its winners during the Gala Dinner.

A new study shows what becomes possible when thousands of whale sightings are connected across years and oceans. By comb...
07/01/2026

A new study shows what becomes possible when thousands of whale sightings are connected across years and oceans. By combining photo-ID records from many contributors, researchers gained new insight into the movements and abundance of depredating killer whales, another example of how shared data can power conservation science.

Towers, J. R., Tixier, P., Guinet, C., and colleagues (2026). Total Numbers and Movements of Photo-Identified Subantarctic (Type D) Killer Whales. Marine Mammal Science, 42(3), e70192. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.70192

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.70192

06/03/2026

One whale. Decades of sightings. Generations of family.

This is Big Mama’s story!

Known on Happywhale as CRC-15122, Big Mama has been documented in more than 2,000 encounters and has helped reveal a family tree spanning multiple generations of humpback whales in the Salish Sea.

What you’re seeing here represents years of photographs, contributions from researchers and citizen scientists, and the power of connecting sightings across time. Without long-term photo identification efforts, stories like this would remain hidden beneath the surface.

Every whale in this animation represents data, dedication, and a growing understanding of the lives of whales.

Explore Big Mama’s StoryMap through our Linktree.
If you believe in the power of citizen science and whale conservation, please consider supporting Happywhale. Your support helps us maintain the tools, technology, and human expertise that make discoveries like this possible.

Visit Big Mama’s Happywhale page here:
https://happywhale.com/individual/2120

Click our Linktree for more ways to support Happywhale!

06/01/2026

What an exciting 10AM trip on May 31, 2026 with the co-founder of Happywhale, Dr. Ted Cheeseman! Passengers and crew on board enjoyed listening to Ted Cheeseman talk all things humpback whales - from population status and behaviors, to new studies and climate change, there was something new for everyone to learn! We observed at least 30 different humpback whales, three of which we were able to get IDs of - Ziggurat, CRC-11603, and CRC-10879. There was also an exciting bird sighting on board: a South Polar Skua! This was a “lifer” for many on board. We were also joined on board by Krista Hanni, co-owner of Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris, who helps organize these trips. Join us on the next Cheeseman trip on June 28, 2026!

Address

Santa Cruz, CA
95060

Website

,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Happywhale posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Happywhale:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share