whales

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Baby Whale Killers May Have Come From the Sky

It might be from 'gull harassment,' scientists say

(Newser) - Scientists have been scratching their heads over hundreds of baby whales that perished off the coast of Argentina between 2013 and 2014, but a new study points the finger at a possible cause, or at least a contributing factor: pesky seagulls, Live Science reports. The study published in PLoS One ...

Japan to Begin 3-Month Antarctic Whale Hunt

Critics say whales don't need to be killed for conservation research

(Newser) - Japan is wasting little time in resuming its "scientific" whale hunte : Its whaling fleet will leave Tuesday for the Antarctic for a three-month, scaled-down hunt, the government says, despite protests. Monday's announcement comes days after Japan submitted its final plan to the International Whaling Commission after the...

As Big Mammals Die Off, Planet Suffers a Poop Shortage

The flow of phosphorous and other nutrients has declined dramatically

(Newser) - Earth isn't just dealing with the loss of big mammals, such as elephants, whales, and rhinos. It's also faced with a dramatic reduction in their poop, which could have profound effects on the planet's ecosystems, reports Red Orbit . Researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy ...

This Photo Just Made Scientists' Entire Week

6th orca calf born since December spotted off San Juan Island

(Newser) - Scientists are celebrating after a days-old orca calf was spotted off the west coast of Washington state's San Juan Island on Saturday. The calf was born into one of three pods of Southern Resident orca whales, known as "J Pod," which happens to have the best record...

SeaWorld Has Just Been Dealt a Killer Blow

Commission says San Diego park can no longer breed killer whales

(Newser) - SeaWorld San Diego's top attraction may be on its last legs, er, fins. In approving a $100 million project that will see a larger holding facility for the park's orcas, the California Coastal Commission imposed some conditions: bans on captive whale breeding and bringing in wild-caught orcas—changes...

Whales Return to Long Island Sound After 2 Decades

Boaters are snapping pics of humpbacks and belugas, but NOAA issues warning

(Newser) - It's been more than 20 years since whales were spotted in the Long Island Sound—and even longer since the last humpback was spied—but that streak was broken this summer in what one maritime expert is calling "the year of the whale," the Hour reports. Boaters...

Navy Cuts Deal to Save Whales
 Navy Cuts Deal to Save Whales 
Sep 15, 2015 1:40 AM CDT

Navy Cuts Deal to Save Whales

Sonar use to be limited off Hawaii, California

(Newser) - The Navy agreed to limit its use of sonar and other training that inadvertently harms whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals off Hawaii and California in a settlement with environmental groups approved yesterday. The agreement signed by a federal judge in Honolulu includes limits or bans on mid-frequency active sonar...

Dozens of Whales Are Mysteriously Dying in Alaska

NOAA will investigate 30 deaths since May

(Newser) - Some 30 large whales have been found dead in the western Gulf of Alaska since May and the NOAA wants to know why. The agency says it is opening a scientific investigation into what is calls an "unusual mortality event," with the number of whale deaths at three...

Rare Deep-Sea Creature Washes Up in Massachusetts

It's thought to be a Sowerby's beaked whale

(Newser) - How rare is the carcass of a beaked whale that washed ashore in Massachusetts on Friday morning? This rare: "New England Aquarium biologists have been conferring to determine the exact species," officials with the aquarium said in a statement released Saturday, per the Boston Globe . The 17-foot-long female...

Feds: Most Humpbacks No Longer Endangered

NOAA wants to split species into 14 groups

(Newser) - NOAA says it's a whale of a success story: Most of the world's humpback whale populations, including all those that enter US waters, are no longer endangered, according to the agency. NOAA, which says 45 years of protection have helped whale populations rebound, wants to reclassify the...

Gray Whale's Record Journey Puzzles Scientists

Varvara began in Russia, traveled 14K miles for longest mammal migration

(Newser) - A gray whale named Varvara has surprised marine scientists with an epic six-month migration of nearly 14,000 miles. That's the longest such journey ever recorded of a mammal, surpassing the humpback whale's migration of about 10,000 miles, reports USA Today . Varvara began her journey off the...

Diver Caught in Whale 'Poonado'

Cloud of feces was 100 feet in diameter

(Newser) - As octopuses shoot out ink as a defense mechanism, so sperm whales blast threats with poop. At least that's the theory explained by a diver to the BBC . Keri Wilk and three fellow divers were engulfed in what he describes as a "poonado" let loose by one such...

Whale's Cause of Death: Swallowed DVD Case

Shard sliced endangered animal's stomach

(Newser) - A discarded DVD case is offering a brutal example of the effects our trash continues to have on marine wildlife. A young sei whale—a member of an endangered species—was found in a Chesapeake Bay tributary, seeming confused. Within days, it was found dead: It had been unable to...

Study: Whales grew huge after super-sized shark went extinct
Whales Got So Big After Super-Sized Shark Died Out
new study
Oct 24, 2014 10:25 AM CDT

Whales Got So Big After Super-Sized Shark Died Out

Megalodon died out 2.6M years ago, scientists estimate

(Newser) - Great white sharks have nothing on the ancient megalodon, which grew up to 50 feet in length and sported teeth as long as 7 inches. And now scientists have their firmest timeframe yet for when the creature went extinct. Scientists at the University of Florida in Gainesville report this week...

How Whale-Watching Might Be Harming Whales

Researchers say the animals get stressed, see boats as predators

(Newser) - Gazing at whales from a boat may seem like an animal-friendly pursuit, but new research is questioning that idea. Why? It's not just about the odd collision; whale-watching seems to stress out the whales, Nature reports following a symposium in Scotland. When they spot a boat—whose operators know...

Washed-Up Whale in Jersey Gets Tagged With Graffiti

Appears to be a fraternity name

(Newser) - A dead Minke whale that washed ashore in New Jersey suffered one last indignity: someone tagged it with graffiti. The whale, roughly 12 to 15 feet long, was discovered Thursday morning below Atlantic City's Central Pier. This looks like the work of a former frat boy rather than a...

Whale Watchers See Orcas Fight Mom, Drown Her Baby

In Monterey Bay, battle goes on for 2 hours

(Newser) - Whale watchers witnessed quite a grueling battle this week when a group of twenty orcas attacked a female gray whale and its calf off the California coast, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Like a pack of coyotes, the orcas tried separating the child from its mother—who fought back valiantly...

After 50 Years, Mysterious Ocean Quack Identified

'Bio-duck' is actually minke whale

(Newser) - A mysterious quacking noise in the ocean that has baffled scientists for decades has finally been identified, researchers say. Acoustic recorders placed on Antarctic minke whales have produced what NOAA experts say is "conclusive evidence" that the sound is their chatter, the BBC reports. The sound was dubbed the...

Navy Warship Stops —to Let Whales Pass

Whale-watching boat warned of potential collision

(Newser) - What's it take to make the Navy's speedy new warship stop dead in its tracks? A few whales on a leisurely swim. The USS Coronado ceded the right-of-the-way in a close call over the weekend off Southern California, reports the Orange County Register . It seems the captain of...

Unusual Way to Help Whales: Colored Lobster Rope

Scientists say it can cut down on entanglements

(Newser) - Preventing endangered northern right whales from becoming entangled in lobster gear could be as simple as changing the color of rope, a whale researcher says. If the whales can see the fishing gear more clearly, then they are better able to avoid it, says Scott Kraus, a leading researcher on...

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