Whale Science

The Great Whale Conveyor Belt: Earth’s Largest Mammals Keep Oceans Thriving

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Each year, the world’s largest mammals embark on epic journeys spanning thousands of miles across the planet’s oceans. However, large whales aren’t just impressive travelers – they’re also operating what scientists have called “the Great Whale Conveyor Belt,” the largest long-distance nutrient transport on Earth. An exciting study just published in Nature Communications has quantified […]

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Super-sized Sacrifice: The Enormous Costs of Being a Humpback Whale Mom

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Imagine being a humpback whale mom-to-be. You have been pregnant for 10 months. Your 2600-pound calf is due in just four to six weeks. Over the summer and fall, you have consumed as much food as possible, preparing for the journey ahead. Soon, you will embark on a 3000-mile migration south to the Hawaiian breeding

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Eyes in the Sky: Drones Transform Sperm Whale Research

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Traditional sperm whale identification has long relied on photographing tail flukes from boats, capturing the distinctive notches and patterns that make each whale unique. However this method has a significant limitation: researchers can only identify whales when they perform their characteristic deep dive, raising their tails above the surface. Now, drone technology is opening new

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Seal singers in Antarctica: From love songs to ultrasonic vocalizations

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Seals are among the most fascinating creatures to call Antarctica’s icy waters and shores home. Their remote, vast habitat makes studying them a real challenge, and scientists are only beginning to uncover the secrets of these elusive animals. Among the most intriguing mysteries? Their haunting, otherworldly vocalizations. We’ve heard about the enchanting songs of humpback

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Can Whales Eat and Swallow Humans?

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Whales are unlikely to swallow humans due to their anatomy and behavior. Baleen whales, with small esophagi, filter-feed on tiny prey, while toothed whales have larger throats but do not treat humans as prey. Encounters are generally non-aggressive and driven by curiosity. Historical anecdotes and myths exaggerate these possibilities.

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Russian ship played classical music to rescue entrapped belugas

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The Moskva was the largest and most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker at her delivery time. She got international attention in 1985 when she herded around 2000 ice-entrapped belugas back to the open sea … by playing classical music. Yes, you read that right! What is an icebreaker? An icebreaker is a class of ships that can

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Whales and Dolphins Uniting for Survival, Bounty, or Companionship?

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Cetaceans like whales, dolphins, and porpoises form interspecies associations for predator deterrence, predator avoidance, foraging, and socialization. These behaviors can involve thousands in a pod, with practices like coordinated feeding and shifts for vigilance against predators. Such alliances may also have aspects like alloparenting and possible interspecies communication, showcasing complex social dynamics and cooperative strategies among different species within the marine environment.

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Toxic chemicals from plastics found in Norwegian marine mammals

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Plasticizers added to plastics give them their properties, but these chemicals can leach into the oceans and harm marine life. Recent studies found plastic chemicals in marine mammals in Norway, raising concerns about their prevalence and impact. To help, reduce plastic use, recycle, and support policies to ban harmful chemicals and protect ocean creatures.

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Why are baby whales and dolphins born with whiskers?

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Vibrissae, or whiskers, are found in most mammals, including cetaceans like dolphins, whales, and porpoises. These were likely inherited from terrestrial ancestors, serving as sensory organs during these species’ evolution from land to water. While in many cetaceans, whiskers disappear as they mature, leaving behind small cavities termed ‘vibrissal crypts’, certain species, such as the Amazon river dolphin, retain them, helping in food detection and possibly electroreception.

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