Posts Tagged ‘Sperm whale’
Rare sighting of sperm whale off Vancouver Island
After an absence of more than three decades, a sperm whale has been heard and seen in Johnstone Strait, a passage of water separating northern Vancouver Island from mainland Canada. This area is renowned as being home to the famous Northern resident population of orcas and while other species are also recorded, the reappearance of…
Read MoreNew estimate for Mediterranean sperm whale population
A study by the International Fund for Animal Welfare had produced a new estimate for the number of sperm whales living in the Mediterranean Sea. Published by the International Whaling Commission, the research produced a figure of 1678 whales in the western part of the sea and 164 in the eastern region, giving a total…
Read MoreWhale Trips: First stop – meeting sperm whales off Iceland!
I’m delighted to present a guest blog by Oliver Dirr, a German writer, tourism expert and passionate traveller! Oliver and his wife Theresa recently – in his words – “went on a trip around the world to meet some whales and learn about whale watching. First stop: the sperm whales off Iceland.” I’ve always been…
Read MoreFive sperm whales die after latest North Sea stranding
Fivesperm whales have now died stranding off the east coast of the UK in recent days. The first whale came ashore at Hunstanton in Norfolk on Friday. Three more than stranded at Skegness on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, a fifth whale came ashore. The latest deaths come after 12 sperm whales stranded and died…
Read MoreActor Chris Hemsworth condemns whaling ahead of UK film release
Australian actor, Chris Hemsworth has condemned the practice of modern-day whaling, describing it as “completely unnecessary” in an interview with BBC Breakfast television ahead of the UK release of his new film, In the Heart of the Sea. The film is based on the true story of the 19th century whaling ship, the Essex and…
Read MoreMan faces prison sentence for trading whale teeth
A man in the UK is facing a prison sentence for illegally trading in various endangered species. Police found illegally acquired cheetah and dolphin skulls, as well as sperm whale teeth when they raided the home of Aaron Halstead in Lancashire. Halstead has been warned by a judge at Burnley Crown Court that he may…
Read MoreAmbergris: lucky, lucrative and legal?
A lot of people are intrigued by the current story of a dog walker discovering a lump of ambergris washed up on a beach on Anglesey, North Wales. We’ve been asked several times whether it is legal to remove this product from the beach and sell it. The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is yes (at least…
Read MoreRare ambergris could fetch £7000 at auction
A rare lump of ambergris found on a UK beach is set to fetch £7,000 at auction. Ambergris is a waxy rock-like substance produced by sperm whales that is sought after by the cosmetics industry because it helps to prolongue scent of perfume. The initially foul-smelling substance is produced in the intestines of the whales to protect…
Read MorePygmy sperm whale fossils shed light on whale evolution
Fossils found in Panama from a newly-discovered extinct species of pygmy sperm whale have cast new light on how modern day whales evolved. Scientists from the National History Museum in Los Angeles, writing in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, analysed the skulls of two whales found in rocks in a sea cliff. The rock layer…
Read MoreAmazing encounter between RUV and sperm whale caught live on camera
In the deep waters off Lousiana in the Gulf of Mexico, cameras onboard the RUV Hercules have captured a rare encounter with an inquisitive sperm whale. What is more amazing is that it took place while a live broadcast was taking place. Sperm whales are one of the deepest diving whales, easily capable of reaching depths…
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