Allan is Lady Oracle’s adolescent son who has lived with his family for the past 14 years. A kind and affable spirit, he has steadily displayed supportive and measured behavior within his unit. He is particularly deliberate, gentle, and patient when interacting with the calves.

During a memorable exchange between Allan and Aurora in 2018, we observed the two whales tenderly nuzzle one another as they leisurely swam beneath the water. Similar interactions with other calves demonstrated his ability to form affectionate bonds among members of his group and confirmed his capacity to assume a caretaking role as a juvenile male.

We first met Allan in 2012, when he was four years old.  He was large and muscular for his age, and traveled comfortably in the middle of the social group in relatively close proximity to his mother.

When we saw him again in 2018, he was interactive during every encounter, both with humans and members of his social group. He was interested, curious, and subtly vied for our attention at first from afar, before eventually drawing closer. He would spontaneously perform hydrodynamic somersaults directly beneath us to showcase his skills.

In 2019, Allan was demonstratively more aloof and maintained a greater distance from the whales in his social group. We identified him primarily from the surface, however I was able to film him in the water cruising with a thin tendril of squid dangling from his mouth. He had grown considerably in length and mass, and was notably more muscular. His behavior indicated that he was intentionally taking small steps towards attaining independence from his family.

In November of 2021, local researchers reported that Allan had possibly departed the coast of Dominica to join a bachelor school to continue growing and maturing. However, we sighted him on several occasions during our field work in December of 2022. He was observed among members of Unit A, and also swimming and diving to hunt on his own while his family group slept in his general vicinity.

We suspect that he will soon be leaving the social group in early 2023. At that time, he will steadily make his way towards higher latitudes to inhabit colder water as an adult.