Marine Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

Oct 14, 2022

A Parasite Spread by Cat Poop Is Infecting (and Probably Killing) Whales in Canada

Whales have it hard. For a century, they were hunted to a mere fraction of their preindustrial populations, and they now face constant threats from pollution, climate change and ongoing human meddling in the planet's waterways. It's a lot for a cetacean to worry about, and now, according to recent...

Oct 19, 2022

Newfound whale species that lives exclusively in US waters may already be on the brink of extinction

A recently discovered species of whale that lives in U.S. waters is already on the brink of extinction, according to an open letter signed by more than 100 marine scientists. The international group of researchers is calling for the Biden administration to take significant action to save the newfound species,...

Nov 7, 2022

A blue whale's daily intake of microplastics weighs as much as a small person

The world's largest animal, the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), also devours more plastic than any other animal on Earth, a new study shows. Researchers have estimated that each baleen-bearing behemoth could ingest up to 96 pounds (43.5 kilograms) of microplastics in a single day — around the average weight of...

Nov 9, 2022

Whale sighting in Australia hints at 'extremely unusual' interspecies adoption

A southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) in Australia has been spotted with a very unusual companion in tow: a juvenile humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Experts suspect this may be an extremely rare example of interspecies adoption, in which the adult right whale has taken on a surrogate mother role for...

Nov 14, 2022

Weird 'alien' sacks wash up on UK beach, most likely a whale's stomach

A strange, alien-like blob of flesh recently left beach-goers baffled after it washed up on the U.K. shoreline. Experts believe that the unusual object is actually a pile of whale guts that floated ashore. Local resident Helen Marlow discovered the bizarre remains on Oct. 27 at around 12 p.m. local...

Jan 11, 2023

Extremely rare gray whale birth captured on camera, possibly for the first time

A lucky whale-watching group in Southern California recently got front-row seats to one of the rarest and most miraculous spectacles in nature: the birth of a gray whale calf. A video of the once-in-a-lifetime sighting could be the first footage of the species' birth ever recorded, experts suggest. Passengers on...

Feb 28, 2023

Terrifying sea monster 'hafgufa' described in medieval Norse manuscripts is actually a whale

A sea creature mentioned in 13th-century Old Norse manuscripts, which historians thought was a kraken-like mythological monster, is actually a whale using a hunting strategy known as trap or tread-water feeding, a new study finds. Scientists only described this feeding behavior around a decade ago, after they spotted humpback whales...

Mar 1, 2023

Watch footage of 1,000 baleen whales in record-breaking feeding frenzy in Antarctica

Last year, passengers on board a cruise ship near Antarctica were treated to an extremely rare and spectacular sight: a giant congregation of baleen whales feeding on a gargantuan volume of krill for as far as the eye could see. Although initially estimated at several hundred individuals, the true number...

Mar 17, 2023

Heartbreaking footage shows whale with severely broken back struggling to swim

A fin whale with a severely deformed spine was recently filmed struggling to swim off the Mediterranean coast of Spain. This extreme case of scoliosis was likely caused by a vessel strike and will probably cause the gentle giant to slowly starve, experts say. The injured, 56-foot-long (17 meters) fin...

Apr 19, 2023

Humpback whales: Facts about the singers of the sea

Humpback whales are well known for providing stunning marine spectacles, from breaching out of the water to singing haunting and melodic songs. These ocean giants are part of a group of baleen — or filter-feeding — whales called rorquals. The rorquals have expandable grooves, or throat pleats, that run from...

May 1, 2023

In rare attack, 30 orcas 'badly wounded' 2 adult gray whales in California

Stunning new video shows a pod of orcas attacking two adult gray whales in California's Monterey Bay, in a rare case of predation. Monterey Bay Whale Watch videographer Evan Brodsky, who captured the dramatic footage March 30 using a drone, counted more than 30 orcas. The attacked whales split up...

May 10, 2023

Humpback whales caught on film for 1st time treating themselves to a full body scrub on the seafloor

Humpback whales have — for the first time ever — been filmed rolling to and fro on sandy seabeds to scrub off dead skin and unwanted hitchhikers. Footage captured by researchers in the Gold Coast Bay in southeast Queensland, Australia, shows the gigantic marine mammals performing full and side sand...

May 31, 2023

Suspected Russian spy whale is looking for love in all the wrong places

A beluga whale suspected of being an unknowing Russian spy is on the move, possibly in search of love. But it appears that he is headed in completely the wrong direction. The covert cetacean, known as Hvaldimir, is a male beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and is believed to be between 13...

Jun 8, 2023

Ultra-rare, deep-diving whale dies on New England beach with possible case of bird flu

A mysterious, deep-diving whale has died after a highly unusual stranding in Gloucester, Massachusetts — and it may have been infected with bird flu, scientists say. The animal was still breathing when a response crew arrived on the scene at Wingaersheek Beach on May 18. The team had never seen...

Jul 12, 2023

$500,000 chunk of 'floating gold' found in dead whale

A massive chunk of floating gold has been found in the belly of a dead whale beached on the Spanish island of La Palma. The highly valuable substance — called ambergris — is a waxy material secreted by sperm whales when they swallow indigestible material such as squid beaks. Ambergris...