Tourists whoop with delight as a massive killer whale chases their boat through the Gulf of California. On February 20, the visitors were on a fishing expedition off the coast of Sinaloa, Mexico, when the orca came and chased their boat for several minutes. Beatriz Acevedo Tachna published the footage the next day on Twitter, […]
Tag: whales
Humpback whales entangled in fishing nets are rescued by Australians using cutters
Wayne Phillips has both feet firmly on dry land as he acts out cutting a whale loose from fishing gear. The 51-year-old head of marine sciences at SeaWorld in Queensland oversees the park’s marine rescue team – four cutters, a coordinator, a captain and a videographer – who untangle humpback whales that have become bound […]
Orcas observed killing blue whales in ‘biggest predation event on the planet’
Killer whales truly deserve their name. They’ve been observed taking down everything from sea lions to great white sharks. And now, for the first time, they’ve been observed attacking and killing the largest animals on earth: blue whales. Scientists writing in the journal Marine Mammal Science on January 21 recorded three incidents in which orcas […]
Indian Authorities Seize $1 Million Worth of Sperm Whale Poo Used in Perfumes
Authorities in Tamil Nadu, India seized 8 kilograms of sperm whale ambergris. Which is also called sperm whale poop or sperm whale vomit. Ambergris is the waxy substance created in the bile ducts of sperm whales. It has long been used to make perfumes and is served as a delicacy in some countries. The stuff […]
Baleens – beneficial gluttons of the seas.
Scientists believe the ravenous appetites of baleen whales – Earth’s largest creatures – and their prodigious waste – hold clues to the very health and productivity of our oceans. Baleens include the humpback, fin, minke and blue whale, the latter being the largest creature ever to live on Earth. The carnivorous marine mammals catch and […]
Lone beluga whale is spotted swimming off the coast of Seattle, 1,500 miles from the nearest population in Alaska – and scientists have no idea why
They are known to be extremely social creatures that thrive in the freezing waters of the Artic. So the discovery of a lone beluga whale off the coast of Seattle — almost 1,500 miles from its nearest population in Alaska — has left scientists baffled. The wayward creature’s ‘very rare’ appearance is the first documented […]
Judge recommends tribe be allowed to hunt gray whales off Washington state
An administrative law judge has recommended that a Native American tribe in Washington state be allowed to hunt gray whales – a major step in its decades-long effort to resume the ancient practice. “This is a testament to what we’ve been saying all these years: that we’re doing everything we can to show we’re moving […]
Tell SeaWorld to Send its Orcas to Sanctuaries
Amaya, the youngest orca at SeaWorld, died unexpectedly last month. While this may seem like a one-time, tragic incident, it is well established that orcas suffer in captivity. Orcas, otherwise known as killer whales, are the largest member of the dolphin family and are found in every ocean on the planet. They are able to […]