whales

The death of a humpback whale off the Cape Cod coast was a tragedy for the marine mammal, but an opportunity for sharks. A total of eight great white sharks were seen feasting on the whale carcass in mid-August, The Guardian reported. “A dead whale is a lot of really easy food for great white […]

Scientists have discovered an ancient species of four-legged whale that can help explain the animals‘ evolution from land to sea. The new whale, written up in Proceedings of the Royal Society B Wednesday, was discovered in the Egypt desert and named Phiomicetus anubis. “Phiomicetus anubis is a key new whale species, and a critical discovery […]

Blue whales are returning to Spain’s Atlantic coast after an absence of more than 40 years. Since 2017, there have been four sightings of three different whales off the coast of Galicia in northwest Spain. The most recent was reported August 10 by the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI). “We want to share with all […]

When a Fraser’s dolphin washed up dead in Maui in 2018, researchers did not suspect that this could be the first sign of a deadly outbreak. But now, a paper published in Scientific Reports on Monday reveals that the dolphin was infected with a previously unknown strain of morbillivirus, a disease related to human measles […]

In June, the first missions of a successful joint operation between specialized environmental prosecutors of the government of Peru and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society encountered and apprehended multiple illegal fishing vessels in Peruvian waters. Aboard Sea Shepherd’s ship Ocean Warrior, officials and advocates worked together to support the Peruvian government’s efforts to monitor its sovereign […]

By Brett Wilkins Marine mammal experts this week expressed deep concern over the potentially devastating effects of the U.S. Navy’s recent detonation of 40,000 pounds of explosives off the Atlantic coast of Florida on sea life, while progressive observers blasted what they called the government’s misplaced spending priorities. The Navy set off the massive blast […]

By Claudia Geib In the 1980s, video of dolphins dying in fishing nets sparked a public boycott of tuna and the development of “dolphin-safe” labeling programs for canned tuna that have become ubiquitous in many countries. Now, one organization wants to use that model to protect whales from collisions with ships. The Italian NGO World […]

For decades, legendary oceanographer and marine mammal researcher Bill Watkins tracked a mysterious creature without ever finding it. Watkins realized it was probably a whale. Researchers nicknamed it “The World’s Loneliest Whale” because they hypothesized that it sang at a frequency that other whales could not hear or understand — one that rang out clearly […]