Marine Mammals, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 14, 2023

Fears that dead 60-foot-long whale in Ireland could explode sends experts scrambling

Wildlife experts were recently forced to abandon the autopsy of an enormous fin whale corpse that washed up on a beach in Ireland after sounds coming from the giant creature's gut suggested that it could explode if they cut it open. The dead fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), which was around...

Aug 2, 2023

This colossal extinct whale was the heaviest animal to ever live

A colossal ancient species of whale that lived 39 million years ago was a true heavyweight, weighing more than double a blue whale and likely earning itself the title as the heaviest known animal to have ever lived. The newly described basilosaurid (a family of extinct cetaceans), called Perucetus colossus,...

Aug 6, 2023

What is the deepest-diving mammal?

Marine mammals like whales and seals need highly specialized bodies to dive far below the waves and withstand the crushing pressure of the deep ocean, while going without oxygen for an extended period of time. That’s because mammals, unlike fish, can only get oxygen by breathing the air at the...

Aug 8, 2023

Baby Moby Dick? Rare white humpback whale calf filmed off Australia

A pearly white baby humpback whale has been filmed off the coast of Australia, prompting speculation about whether it is an extraordinarily rare albino whale. Others also wondered whether the calf could be the offspring of Migaloo, a completely white whale like the mythical Moby Dick. Drone operator Jaydyn Mathewson...

Aug 10, 2023

Tiny 'King Tut' whale 'lived fast and died fast' in ancient Egyptian waters

A pint-size whale that lived 41 million years ago in what is now Egypt was the smallest of its kind and died young, leading researchers to name it after the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, who died at age 18. Called Tutcetus rayanensis, the newly described species of basilosaurid, an extinct...

Sep 7, 2023

Could an impending rise in solar storms cause more whales to strand?

An unusually explosive peak in the sun's solar cycle is fast approaching, which could spell trouble for a surprising group of animals — whales. Past research showed that some larger whale species are more likely to get lost and accidentally beach themselves during solar storms, which become stronger and more...

Sep 28, 2023

Kelping is a 'global phenomenon' sweeping the world of humpback whales, scientists say

Humpback whales frolicking in seaweed — a behavior known as kelping — is more widespread than previously thought and constitutes a global phenomenon, new research has found. Kelping was first observed in 2007, and scientists have described the behavior before — but only as isolated events. It turns out, humpbacks...

Oct 17, 2023

Scientists finally figure out why hundreds of gray whales keep washing up dead along US coasts

A strange series of mass deaths among gray whales in the northeastern Pacific Ocean may finally have an explanation, with scientists linking Arctic sea ice levels to the major die-off events. Three mortality events have struck gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) living off the coast of North America since the 1980s,...

Jan 9, 2024

Whale with broken back spotted near Mexico after suspected ship collision will likely die

A whale with a broken backbone has been spotted off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico after a suspected ship strike. An image of the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) taken with a drone camera shows its spine badly deformed at the tail — an injury that will likely prove...

Feb 5, 2024

Hidden DNA found in blue whales reveals they've been mating with other species — and their hybrid offspring

Blue whales in the Atlantic Ocean are harboring a previously unknown and potentially alarming level of hybrid DNA, a new study shows. The findings hint that whale hybrids are much more reproductively viable than previously realized. Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are the world's largest animal, capable of reaching an astonishing...

Feb 20, 2024

Eerie photograph captures whales hunted off Greenland lying in their watery grave

An eerie image captures whale skeletons resting in their watery grave after being killed by hunters off Greenland. The whales had been taken to shore, stripped of the skin, blubber and meat, before being dragged back into the sea. There, they remain in the shallows to be consumed by marine...

Feb 27, 2024

Critically endangered right whales are shrinking, with drastic consequences for their population

Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are getting smaller, which is impacting their ability to breed, scientists have discovered. In a study published Wednesday (Jan. 28) in the journal Royal Society Open Science, researchers analyzed decades of data and found that smaller females had fewer babies. We provide strong evidence...

Feb 29, 2024

Male humpback whale seen forcing sex on emaciated, injured male in extremely rare encounter

For the first time ever, researchers have documented penetrative sex between two humpback whales. What’s more, both whales were male. A private vessel spotted the adult whales off the Hawaiian island of Maui in January 2022. Citizen scientists on board the boat noticed one of the animals was an unusual,...

Mar 13, 2024

7,000 humpback whales died in the North Pacific over 10 years — and 'the blob' is to blame

Around 7,000 humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean may have starved to death following the disastrous effects of a marine heat wave, a new study reveals. From 20 years' worth of data, researchers found that a 20% drop in the North Pacific humpback whale population coincided with a marine...

Mar 13, 2024

Why some whales go through menopause

Menopause evolves in toothed whales, like orcas and belugas, by lengthening their lives without changing how long they can reproduce. That allows older females to care for grandchildren without competing with their own daughters and sisters, a new study reveals. The study, published today (March 13) in the journal Nature,...