Hvaldimir’s story Some of you might have heard of Hvaldimir, the “Russian spy” beluga. Maybe you even heard of him without knowing his name. This beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) has become quite famous in Northern Norway. He was found on April 26th, 2019, in a little fjord called Tufjord, on an island off the northern […]
Is this beluga whale a Russian spy? Read More »
Noise in the ocean comes from different sources. Some are natural (seismic activity, tectonic movements), and some are human-made like sonars, underwater bombs, etc. Deep diving whales rely on echolocation to hunt for their prey. The noise from human activities can affect these whales in quite extreme ways. In this post, we will talk about
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Hello everybody, it’s Anaïs, writing from Montréal, Canada. Quebec just rose to 40 000+ COVID-19 cases between early March and early May. We are under non-strict confinement which basically means social distancing and working from home. McGill University closed its doors mid-march. I have now been working on my PhD from home for six weeks
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The sperm whale or Physeter macrocephalus is one of our favorite animals on earth. This fascinating whale is one of the most recognizable with its square-shaped head. It looks like it comes from another world. First, the name, “sperm whale,” resulted from whalers misinterpreting the function of the “spermaceti” oil in the forehead of the
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You have probably seen it at least once on the news. There are a lot of accidents happening with baleen whales. Worldwide reports of ship strikes (when a boat runs into a whale) and entanglement increase every year. It makes me sad because baleen whales are still recovering from the intensive industrial whaling that went
What are the main threats affecting baleen whales? Read More »
Being a whale scientist is pretty cool and can be perceived as a “sexy job”. However, a lot of clichés and misconceptions exist about whale scientists. 1 – “I want to be a whale scientist, because whales are fun” Maybe you watched wonderful dolphin movies (free willy, etc.) when you were a kid and you
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Recently, we’ve personally been asked questions from undergrad students wanting tips on how to find the right master program in marine mammal science. We are here to tell you it’s ok to have it not figured out yet. What you need to know is that there is no secret magic recipe to become a whale
How to find the right master program? Read More »
It can be incredibly difficult and frustrating to find a summer internship or a volunteering position. We have been there and we definitely feel your pain. However, we want to give you some of our personal tips, strategies that have worked for us over the years. Internships and volunteering are for the most part unpaid
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The idea of working on whales and dolphins fascinates most people. And when I talk to people about what I do, I see their eyes twinkle with excitement. I usually spend the next few minutes answering crazy questions about whales or dolphins. And since I am crazy passionate about my research and cetaceans as a
So you want to become a whale scientist? 10 tips to aspiring marine mammalogists Read More »
