This is the story of the successful release of captive dolphins in Korea who later became moms in the wild. Sampal, Chunsam, and Boksoon were captive indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins at an entertainment park in Korea. They were released off of Jeju Island between 2013 and 2015. The three babies were born in April 2016, August […]
Successful release in Korea: captive dolphins now have babies in the wild Read More »
This April, let’s celebrate Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori). They are the only cetaceans endemic to New Zealand, which means they are only found there. Hector’s dolphins actually include two subspecies: the endangered South Island’s Hector’s dolphins and the critically endangered Maui dolphin. Let’s find out more about Hector’s dolphins in this post. One of the
The mysterious Hector’s dolphins Read More »
Scientists have for a long time thought that orcas in Iceland specialized in eating fish (like herring). Recently, however, experts have noticed that some Icelandic orcas seem to enjoy another type of snack: marine mammals. This could be a problem, and eating marine mammals could threaten the long-term survival of these orcas. In this post,
Preying on marine mammals might be threatening the survival of Icelandic orcas Read More »
Fresh news in the killer whale world, Surprise! (L-86) just gave birth! Since July 2020, three different Southern Resident Killer whales have given birth! J35, Tahlequah, who lost her baby about two years ago, gave birth on September 6th, 2020, to a baby boy, J57. Next, J41, Eclipse, was the second mom, giving birth to
Third newborn for Southern Residents: Killer whale baby boom Read More »
Meet the crabeater seal. This little guy comes from Antarctica and has the most specialized teeth in the carnivore world. Keep reading to know more about the crabeater seal. Teeth to eat crab? You might think that crabeater seals eat crab. Indeed, their Latin name is “Lobodon carcinophaga“, and carcinophaga literally means “crab-eating”. But here
This seal has the craziest teeth in the carnivore world Read More »
Altruism: the belief in or practice of selfless concern for the well-being of others. Compassion: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. These two words are usually applied to humans and situations involving us. But one question stands: Could some animals like humpback whales have the ability to feel and express
Are humpback whales the nicest animals in the world? Read More »
Whalecome to our new whale of the month, the sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis! This mysterious baleen whale is the third largest of the rorqual family. It is also an endangered species that was hunted to near extinction and is now slowly recovering. Here are a couple of cool facts about the sei whale. Sonic whale
Bad news in Tasmania The world just woke up to the terrible news: at least 470 pilot whales beached themselves in Tasmania and around 400 are dead. First, a pod of 270 individuals stranded together on Tuesday. They were soon followed by 200 other individuals on Wednesday. This is the biggest stranding event in Tasmania
Massive graveyard in Tasmania: Why do whales beach themselves? Read More »
We found long-banned pesticides and industrial pollutants in the blubber of humpback whales from Antarctica, suggesting these contaminants accumulate in Antarctic food webs. The pollution levels however were the some of the lowest measured in the world for these whales. Good news for the whales! Our study on humpback whales from Antarctica just got published
What can whales tell us about pollution in Antarctica? Read More »
With their petite size ranging from 2 to 2.8 meters (6 to 9 feet), Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) possess an endearing resemblance to baby beluga whales. What sets these shy and endangered dolphins apart is their super cute and expressively charming faces. In this post, we highlight some fascinating facts about these endangered marine creatures.
The Irrawaddy dolphin needs our help Read More »
