Skip to content
All news
  • All news
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Corporates
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent bycatch
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Science
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
  • Stranding
WDC2023-007 NMLC Release (16)

Seal Rescued in Marshfield Released Back Into The Wild

For Immediate Release, May 31, 2023 PLYMOUTH, MA - A young male grey seal that...

Norway ups whale kill numbers and removes whale welfare protections

The whaling season in Norway has begun on the back of disturbing announcements from the...
Image taken from an unmanned hexacopter at >100ft during a research collaboration between NOAA/SWFSC, SR3 and the Coastal Ocean Research Institute. Research authorized by NMFS permit #19091.

Southern Resident orca petition to list them under Oregon Endangered Species Act advanced

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to advance a petition seeking to protect...
Hysazu Photography

WDC and Conservation Partners Continue to Seek Oregon Endangered Species Protection for Southern Resident Orcas

On Friday, April 21st, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will determine whether the petition...

Earthquake disrupts sperm whales’ feeding behavior

Sperm whales have large brains

A new study has revealed how an earthquake affected the ability of a group of ‘dazed and confused’ sperm whales to find food for over a year.

Kaikoura is a coastal town on the South Island of New Zealand known for its abundant marine wildlife, including a population of sperm whales.

On November 14th, 2016 a 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook the region, triggering widespread mudslides in the underwater canyon off the coastline. This earthquake altering the undersea landscape that the sperm whales were accustomed to.

Researchers from the University of Otago had been monitoring over 50 sperm whales in local waters for many years before the tremors hit. They already knew where the sperm whales were and their usual behavior patterns when the earthquake struck.

After the earthquake, they noticed that the whales spent about 25 per cent more time at the surface than before.

‘With sperm whales, because they feed at deep depth and spend so much time underwater, it's hard to know exactly what is going on but you can use these times at the surface to determine what they are doing,’  says lead researcher, Dr. Marta Guerra.

More time on the surface may mean the whales were spending time and effort diving and searching for food because of less prey to feed on They may also have had to "re-familiarize" themselves with underwater areas that may have changed due to the earthquake.

The study also found large underwater sounds produced by earthquakes and aftershocks caused hearing damage and behavioral changes.

The whales' behavioral changes lasted for around a year before returning to normal levels.

Related News

Lasting legacies

Lasting Legacies: Orca Action Month 2023

Each June we celebrate Orca Month and the unique community of Southern Resident orcas, and this June is extra special.  2023 is also the 50th anniversary of...
WDC2023-007 NMLC Release (16)

Seal Rescued in Marshfield Released Back Into The Wild

For Immediate Release, May 31, 2023 PLYMOUTH, MA - A young male grey seal that was rescued from Old Rexhame Beach in Marshfield in April...
North Atlantic right whale - Peter Flood

Whale AID 2023: A Night of Music and Hope for North Atlantic Right Whales

The inaugural Whale AID concert to support Whale and Dolphin Conservation's (WDC's) work to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales rocked the house -...

Norway ups whale kill numbers and removes whale welfare protections

The whaling season in Norway has begun on the back of disturbing announcements from the country's government stating the number of whales that can be...

Leave a Comment