Pacific Gray Whale Population Drops by Nearly 25%
Being taken off the endangered species list sadly doesn’t guarantee a carefree future for whales. Recent research estimates that the population of Pacific gray whales off North America’s West Coast has declined by almost a quarter since 2016. These whales are known for the epic migrations between their Arctic feeding grounds and the breeding lagoons…
Read MoreAnimal culture crucial for conservation says new research paper
New research published today in The Royal Society Journal Proceedings B creates a compelling case for integrating the social learning and culture of creatures like whales into decision-making. WDC’s Philippa Brakes, together with a number of experts working on a wide range of species, from whales to chimpanzees, argues in the new paper that the…
Read MoreEnter to win a virtual ticket to the pre-screening of National Geographic’s “Secrets of the Whales”
To celebrate Earth Day, National Geographic’s “Secrets of the Whales” is being released on Disney+ on April 22nd. This 4-part series plunges viewers deep within the epicenter of whale culture to experience the extraordinary communication skills and intricate social structures of five different whale species: orcas, humpbacks, belugas, narwhals and sperm whales. WDC is excited…
Read More“Big” News: New Whale Species Identified in the Gulf of Mexico
NOAA Fisheries It is truly amazing that there is still so much we don’t know about whales – including the existence of a brand new species! A study led by NOAA Fisheries scientist Dr. Patricia Rosel confirms that a population of whales living in the Gulf of Mexico is in fact a new species –…
Read MoreBlue whale sightings increase off South Georgia
New research suggests that blue whales may finally be returning to South Georgia decades after the end of whaling. The waters around the island in the South Atlantic were the location for some of the most devastating impacts of commercial whaling. Over 40,000 blue whales were killed during the first part of the 20th century…
Read MoreHumpback whales swim up river in Kakadu National Park
Wildlife experts in Australia’s Northern Territory are monitoring a humpback whale that has travelled 18 miles (30km) up the East Alligator river. It is the first time a whale has been recorded swimming so far up a river in Australia. Two other whales that were originally seen in the river have returned to the ocean.…
Read MoreWDC scientists join call for global action to protect whales and dolphins from extinction
Scientists from Whale and Dolphin Conservation, along with over 250 other experts from 40 countries, have signed on to an open letter calling for action to urgently address the precarious situation of many populations of whales, dolphins and porpoises, (collectively ‘cetaceans’) many of which face extinction threats due to harmful human activity such as incidental…
Read MoreDolphins sync when they work together
A new study has shown male bottlenose dolphins synchronise their physical and verbal actions when they work together in a very similar way to humans. Using long-term acoustic data from studying a population of dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia, researchers discovered that the male dolphins in the group matched the tempo of each other’s…
Read MoreRussia to give orcas greater protection
According to reports, Viktoria Abramchenko, the Deputy Prime Minister in Russia responsible for environmental affairs, has announced that transient orcas are going to be added to the country’s Red Data Book of endangered species. In recent years, Russia has allowed a number of wild orcas to be captured for sale to the captivity industry. The…
Read MoreRecord breaker Riptide the orca swims from Iceland to Lebanon
A male orca, commonly known as Riptide, has been spotted in waters around Beirut, Lebanon, on February 19th and 20th after completing what is thought to be a record breaking journey. Riptide belongs to an Icelandic pod of orcas that has notably been travelling unprecedented distances over the past year. It is believed his journey…
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