Conservationists and scientists in New Zealand were astonished to find the world’s rarest whale washed ashore in the South Island in July. As only the seventh spade-toothed whale identified, and with none ever seen alive, this month saw the first dissection of a complete specimen Rangers in New Zealand inspect a beaked whale, believed to […]
Tag: whales
Right Whales Can Live 130 Years or Longer, Research Finds
Scientists have estimated that bowhead whales — the longest-living whale species — can live more than 200 years. It was once thought that the bowhead’s cousin, the right whale, had an average lifespan of about 70 to 80 years, but new research has revised that estimate to more than 130 years — nearly twice as […]
Hundreds of whales to be harpooned as Iceland issues new hunting licenses
On Dec. 6, Iceland‘s caretaker government announced it had issued five-year licenses to hunt fin and minke whales in Icelandic waters. It granted the fin whale hunting license to Hvalur hf., the country’s only remaining fin-whaling company, run by billionaire Kristján Loftsson, and the minke-hunting permit to a ship owned by Tjaldtangi ehf., a whaling […]
Sea Shepherd’s Valentina Crast Speaks Out Against Whale Hunts
Sea Shepherd’s Faroe Islands Director, Valentina Crast, joined an expert panel on November 25, 2024, as part of the American Bar Association’s inaugural “Blue Crimes Webinar Series.” This session, titled “Legality of Dolphin and Whale Hunts,” examined the legal, ethical, and environmental implications of cetacean hunts worldwide. The event launched a three-part series addressing crimes […]
Humpback Whale Sets Record with Incredible 8,000 Mile Journey
A humpback whale has shattered records by traveling over 8,000 miles from the coast of South America to Africa, marking the longest known journey for an individual whale. This extraordinary feat was documented in research published in Royal Society Open Science. Initially spotted near Colombia nearly a decade ago, the same male whale was identified […]
‘It’s nonstop’: how noise pollution threatens the return of Norway’s whales
From the moment that the biologist Dr Heike Vester presses play, the sound of the static of the fjord fills the room. First comes the constant, steady rumbling of a boat engine. Then, every eight seconds, like a foreboding bass drum, comes the explosion of seismic airguns – extremely loud blasts used in oil and […]
Saving ‘old and wise’ animals vital for species’ survival, say scientists
It’s not just humans who get wiser as they age – animals do too, according to a growing body of research. The bigmouth buffalo fish can reach 127 years old, the Greenland shark 392, and some sponges can live for 10,000 years or more. And age is not just a number: as animals get older […]
‘Old’ animals offer wisdom and stability, need protection: Study
In many animal societies, elderly individuals are critical contributors to their species’ survival, a new study has found. That’s why wildlife conservation must account for older animals, researchers say. Keller Kopf, lead author and ecologist at Charles Darwin University, Australia, told Mongabay he wanted to counter the idea that “getting old is always a bad […]