Threats

Harbor porpoise calves ingest toxic chemicals through their mother’s milk

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), though banned, remain a threat to marine ecosystems, particularly damaged the harbor porpoises in the North Sea. A study found that these porpoises consume high concentrations of such pollutants while feeding, compromising their health and reproduction. Transferred from mothers to calves through lactation, these chemicals, such as PCBs, pose a major concern for the future population of these marine mammals. This calls for enhanced conservation strategies and more responsible individual actions.

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Florida Manatees -Tough on the outside, but not invincible

Manatees, affectionately known as “sea cows” or “mermaids,” are peaceful herbivorous giants found in fresh and saltwater coastal areas. Despite lacking natural predators in the case of the West Indian Manatees (the ones we find in North America), their population numbers are not as robust as one might expect. This post will shed light on

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Toxic Menus: Contaminants Threaten the Health of North Atlantic Killer Whales

In a ground-breaking new study just published in Environmental Science & Technology, a disturbing picture of contamination among North Atlantic killer whales has emerged. Persistent organic contaminants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides (DDTs, Chlordanes, etc.), and flame retardants, were detected at alarming levels in these apex marine predators. This study sheds light on the

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Baby killer whales face many challenges in their first year

We just heard the news that a new killer whale baby was born into the L-pod of the critically endangered Southern Resident population. While we’re delighted to hear about the birth of a new killer whale calf, it’s important to be cautious. Unfortunately, newborn killer whales have a high mortality rate within their first six

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A curious whale: The Sowerby’s beaked whale

Happy new year! This January, we are happy to feature the Sowerby’s beaked whale, also known as the North Atlantic beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens). This rare and elusive whale is quite understudied because it spends most of its life deep under the ocean’s surface, hunting for prey. Did you know that males sometimes compete with

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Are humpback whales really not threatened anymore?

Happy World Oceans’ Day, everybody! To celebrate, we are reflecting today on the humpback whales’ recovery and current threats. On this site, we’ve previously discussed both Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and international conservation efforts to protect whale populations after their decimation by the commercial whaling industry. Today, I wanted to bring these two together and

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Scientists Found Microplastics In Baleen Whale Poop Off New Zealand

Ever since the creation of synthetic plastic in 1869, plastic has become an inescapable part of life on Earth. From large, bulky items to the invisible-to-the-naked-eye pieces, plastic circulates in the air, water, and even our blood and lungs. Today we are focusing on a new study that looked at microplastics in baleen whales off

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Let’s learn more about the harbor porpoise!

Happy holiday season! This month, we decided to highlight a shy little odontocete, the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). They are not known for grand displays in the water, but we wanted to do them justice this month because we believe they do not get enough love! These shy little guys face various human threats, so

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