One day last July, a newborn humpback whale calf lay motionless on the seafloor, just a kilometre off Australia’s Gold Coast. The encounter was captured through underwater video. For more than an hour, the mother repeatedly returned to the same spot, gently touching the calf with her head and pectoral fin and resting beside it […]
Tag: Sea Lion
5 New Marine Reserves to Protect Dolphins and Kelp Forests off New Zealand’s South Island
In what is being described as an “important first step,” for marine protections in the island nation of New Zealand, 5 new marine preserves will enter into force next month. Surrounding a district called Otago near the southeastern tip of the South Island, 308 square miles of key marine habitats filled with charismatic species will […]
“Beaching here could be lethal.” Dolphins in South Carolina have developed a genius – but deadly – hunting strategy. Watch the tense Attenborough-narrated footage
Famed for their intelligence, dolphins have developed an array of incredible hunting techniques. Whether using tools such as sponges and shells to access prey, or rounding up fish by creating mud nets or forcing them to form bait balls, they cooperate and share knowledge in unprecedented ways. But in South Carolina, USA, bottlenose dolphins have […]
US marine park investigated over animal-welfare concerns
US law enforcement and wildlife officials have raided a marine park in Florida following allegations of “animal abuse” at the site. Four dolphins have died at the Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach in the past year, local media say. Animal rights activists have recently posted drone footage appearing to show dolphins swimming […]
Bird flu finds its way into Western wildlife
Last fall, a Clallam County, Washington, resident spotted a young male cougar walking slowly through a field on the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula. It was the middle of the day — a clear sign that something was off — and he was also skinny and weak, dragging his matted tail in the mud. […]
Killer whale becomes mom for first time. See her ‘little pumpkin’ swim off Washington
A killer whale has become a first-time mom after a peachy-orange calf was spotted swimming with her off Washington, a whale watching group said. The baby orca was discovered March 20 in the Salish Sea between Port Townsend and the San Juan Islands, the Pacific Whale Watch Association said in a March 25 news release. […]
Man’s vile act against innocent sea lion leaves California beachgoers horrified
A California man was arrested for a despicable act of cruelty against a sick sea lion on the beach. Christopher Hurtado, 31, was taken into custody Tuesday morning after police in Ventura saw surveillance footage showing him heartlessly beating the sea lion with a stick. The alleged attack occurred along the Ventura Beach Promenade, where […]
Killer whales amaze Seattle onlookers with rarely seen bird hunt
A pod of orcas swam close to shore and amazed onlookers in Seattle by treating the whale watchers to the rare sight of the apex predators hunting a bird. The pod of Bigg’s killer whales visited Elliott Bay and were seemingly on a hunt underwater just off Seattle’s maritime industrial docks. The pod exited the […]