Whales News

Blue whales 'hedge their bets' in search for food: study By AFP Washington - Every spring, the largest animals in the world, blue whales, migrate from their winter breeding grounds off of Costa Rica to the coast of the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

For some whales, sonar may provoke suicidal behaviour: study By AFP Paris - Scientists have long known that some beaked whales beach themselves and die in agony after exposure to naval sonar, and now they know why: the giant sea mammals suffer decompression sickness, just like scuba divers.

Climate change pushing killer whales to migrate north By AFP Paying no attention to nearby divers, a killer whale and her calf hunting for food frolic in a snowy Norwegian fjord.Their favourite meal, herring, abounds, but climate change means both predator and prey must increasingly migrate further north.

Chilean Patagonia: an open-air lab to study climate change By AFP Punta Arenas - In one of the most inhospitable places on Earth, the southernmost part of Chile's Patagonia region, scientists are studying whales, dolphins and algae in order to help predict how climate change will affect the world's oceans.

New Zealand whale strandings 'linked to ocean warming' By AFP Wellington - More than 50 beached pilot whales perished in New Zealand Friday, the latest in a spate of mass strandings this week that experts have linked to rising ocean temperatures.

145 whales die on remote New Zealand beach By AFP Wellington - Up to 145 pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in a remote part of New Zealand, with authorities saying Monday they made the "heart-breaking" decision to euthanise dozens that lay stricken on the shore.

Belugas adopt toothy whale lost in Canadian waters By AFP Ottawa - A lonely narwhal that strayed far from its Arctic habitat has apparently found a new family in a pod of belugas in Canada's Saint Lawrence River, a marine conservation group said Thursday.

More than 130 pilot whales die in mass Australia beaching By AFP Perth - At least 135 short-finned pilot whales died Friday after a mass beaching in Australia as rescuers worked to herd those still alive back out to sea.

Dead whale surprises swimmers at iconic Rio beach By AFP Rio De Janeiro - The decomposing body of a dead humpback whale surprised swimmers when it washed up on Rio de Janeiro's iconic Ipanema beach Wednesday.

NOAA halts large whale rescues after death of Canadian rescuer By Karen Graham Joe Howlett, a Campobello Island, New Brunswick man, lost his life Monday night while performing a whale rescue in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In response to Mr. Howlett's death, NOAA is suspending all large whale rescues nationally until further notice.

Hundreds killed in mass slaughter of whales in Faroe Islands By Kesavan Unnikrishnan The Faroese Government say that 295 whales have been killed this year in the infamous “grindadráp” – the traditional harvest of hundreds of whales.

Whales shrank before populations crashed: study By AFP Paris - The body size of some whale species diminished by several metres decades before 20th-century factory fishing caused their populations to collapse, researchers said Thursday.

Sri Lanka saves pod of stranded whales By AFP Colombo - Sri Lanka's navy and local residents rescued a pod of about 20 stranded pilot whales off the island's northeastern coast on Wednesday, an official said.

Killer whale breath bacteria highlight endangered species By Tim Sandle Scientists have discovered that droplets in exhaled breath caught from the blowholes of killer whales provide insights into the health of the whales. Additionally, certain bacteria and fungi are a particular threat to killer whales.

Fears of exploding whales as New Zealand clears carcasses By AFP Wellington - The grim task of clearing hundreds of washed-up whale carcasses was under way in New Zealand Tuesday, with the beach closed over fears the bodies will fill with gas and explode as they decompose.

About 200 beached whales refloat themselves in N. Zealand By AFP Christchurch - Most of the more than 200 whales who became stranded on New Zealand's notorious Farewell Spit on the weekend have been able to refloat themselves, conservation officials said Sunday.

Fresh whale stranding on notorious New Zealand beach By AFP Christchurch - Another 200 whales were stranded on a New Zealand coastline late Saturday, frustrating rescuers who had battled through the day and even defied a shark threat to try and keep them at sea.

Fresh whale stranding on notorious New Zealand beach By AFP Christchurch - Another 200 whales were stranded on a New Zealand coastline late Saturday, frustrating rescuers who had battled through the day and even defied a shark threat to try and keep them at sea.

Fresh whale stranding on notorious New Zealand beach By AFP Christchurch - Another 200 whales were stranded on a New Zealand coastline late Saturday, frustrating rescuers who had battled through the day and even defied a shark threat to try and keep them at sea.

Hundreds of whales wash up dead on New Zealand beach By AFP Wellington - More than 400 whales were stranded on a New Zealand beach Friday, with most of them dying quickly as frustrated volunteers desperately raced to save the survivors.

Hundreds of whales wash up dead on New Zealand beach By AFP Wellington - More than 400 whales were stranded on a New Zealand beach Friday, with most of them dying quickly as frustrated volunteers desperately raced to save the survivors.

Hundreds of whales wash up dead on New Zealand beach By AFP Wellington - More than 400 whales were stranded on a New Zealand beach Friday, with most of them dying quickly as frustrated volunteers desperately raced to save the survivors.

Drones give rare glimpse into Australian whales By AFP Sydney - Scientists studying whales in Australia have gained rare images of a white calf swimming with its mother as part of a project they hope will help conservation efforts.

Drones give rare glimpse into Australian whales By AFP Sydney - Scientists studying whales in Australia have gained rare images of a white calf swimming with its mother as part of a project they hope will help conservation efforts.

Drones give rare glimpse into Australian whales By AFP Sydney - Scientists studying whales in Australia have gained rare images of a white calf swimming with its mother as part of a project they hope will help conservation efforts.

France's Marineland accused of 'mistreating orcas' By AFP Antibes - Environmental campaigners said Sunday they were taking legal action against a French marine park, Europe's largest, over the treatment of its orca whales and other animals after many were killed in a recent storm.

Solving the evolutionary puzzle of menopause By AFP Paris - Menopause in women and females from a few other "higher" species is probably a fluke of nature rather than evolution at work, according to a study published Wednesday.

Read about a new way to keep whales safe from fishing boats By Tim Sandle Around the Gulf of Alaska sperm whales like to follow fishing boats. This can place the whales in danger from fishing nets and from the boats. A new decoy can successfully lure sperm whales away from fishermen’s lines.

How sperm whales have different dialects By Tim Sandle A new study suggests that sperm whales have different dialects. The finding demonstrates further the complexity of the great mammals of the oceans.

Five anti-whaling activists barred from Denmark's Faroe islands By AFP Stockholm - Five activists from the militant Sea Shepherd conservation group have been ordered to leave the Faroe Islands after they tried to disrupt a traditional whale hunt in the autonomous Danish province, police said Saturday.

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