Stumpy,the North Atlantic Right Whale
1981-2004Stumpy, 29, a pregnant North Atlantic right whale was killed off the North Carolina coast on February 7th, 2004 when she was hit by a large passing vessel. Stumpy was pregnant with a son who was only weeks from being born. Her surviving family is unknown. She was officially named Stumpy in 1981 by the New England Aquarium because her right fluke is missing a chunk (she's also referred to by her catalog number 1004). The trauma to her fluke was also believed to be the result of a prior vessel strike she had bravely and successfully survived earlier in her life.
Stumpy enjoyed spending her winters in Georgia and occasionally in Florida where she and other right whales would pair up and socialize. She enjoyed traveling and spent time in the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada which was her favorite place. In fact she was sighted there over forty times!
Stumpy is survived by four children and several grandchildren. Her first calf, Phoenix (1705), was born in 1987 and survived a fishing gear entanglement when she was ten years old. Phoenix also gave birth to her first calf in 1996 who was later named Smoke (2605).