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Whale and Dolphin Conservation partners with local artist for art auction

PLYMOUTH, MA - Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) has partnered with local artist Erik Simmons...
dolphin FB Fundraiser

e.l.f. Cosmetics announces new “porpoise-ful” initiative to benefit Whale and Dolphin Conservation

For Immediate Release, March 16, 2023 OAKLAND, CA - On the fins of its first...

Kiska the ‘world’s loneliest whale’ dies at Canadian theme park

Kiska, dubbed the loneliest whale in the world, has died at Marineland, a zoo and...
Grey seal is released from the kennel on the ocean side of Duxbury Beach

Why did the seal cross the road? WDC responds to a grey seal near Gurnet Point in Plymouth, MA

Grey seal is released from the kennel on the ocean side of Duxbury Beach For...

Prehistoric beaked whale found with last meal

A beaked whale, Messapicetus gregarius that lived round 9 million years ago, has been discovered with remnants of what researchers believe may have been its last meal. The fossil of the whale was found in rocks in southwestern Peru last year.

Writing in the the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B., their findings reveal that a large number of sardine-like fish were found around its head and in its chest. It is the discovery of these fish that is most significant as they are thought to have lived near the surface of the ocean, much like their descendants do. This provides new information of the evolution of beaked whales as their modern-day relatives generally live and feed in deep water. Indeed, the Cuvier’s beaked whale holds the record for the deepest dive of a whale ever recorded.

The researchers think that the evolution of dolphins soon after and their success in the shallow coastal waters forced the beaked whales to head for deeper depths where they flourished.

The full scientific report can be read at: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1815/20151530

Cuvier’s beaked whale © Tim Stenton