Category: Whale News
What’s happening in the world under the sea (and sometimes in the stars), with our cetacean brothers & sisters
Whales: Playing together….
From my friend Carol: In recent years years, bottle-nose dolphins were documented riding humpback whales in Hawaiian waters. The dolphins actually slide down the backs of the whales into the water like a makeshift “slip and slide.” Scientists believe it is just a game between the two species, because neither of them displays aggressive or…
Whales: Keller & the dolphin both make each other’s lives better….
What do you do when a friend asks for help? Easy answer. Keller Laros was diving when a dolphin came & asked for help. I honestly believe this little video will change your day. Thanks, Keller & Martina (who shot the footage)!
Whales: Attack by killer whale…unlikely, according to expert
Human/killer whale attacks are rare, which prompts this expert in New Zealand to suggest this event was unfortunate, but more of an accident – here’s more: An expert on marine animals is skeptical about reports of an orca grabbing a free diver’s catch bag and dragging him underwater until the rope became free. Whale rescue…
Whales: Monika, with the grey whales in Baja
I love to read Monika Wieland‘s take on the way things work in the natural world…she writes so well & you already know I’m a fan of her pictures! Here’s her report from Baja, with her first day on the water, with her observations & photos.
Whales: Capturing our brother & sister killer whales, in Russia
If the marine entertainment industry folks tried to capture orcas in Atlantic waters, or off the Pacific coast….you bet there would be a fight. So they’re doing it in the cold seas of Russia. According to Erich Hoyt: Four more orcas have now been confirmed to have been captured in Russian waters for ocean amusement…
Whales: Killer whales seen off Kona, Hawaii
There is no known resident pod of orcas around Hawaii, which makes it that much more exciting – and that much more rare – when they are seen. Here’s more from Pete Thomas Outdoors about last week’s sighting, and what it means.
Whales: Welcome home, old friend….”They are fishermen, like we are.”
Just what you want to hear. And yeah, more than a coincidence. On Tuesday, killer whales came close to a ferry from Seattle as it approached Bainbridge Island. The killer whales surrounded the ferry and splashed in the water. By coincidence, on board the ferry were officials from The Burke Museum in Seattle who were…
Whales: Interspecies love….
If dolphins & dogs can get along…. You’ve kissed people – did you ever see anyone jump like this, afterwards? from One World, One Ocean
Whales: What do you do when a humpback takes a swipe at you?
When freediver Chris Coates was swimming off the coast of Africa, he had seen humpbacks all day….but this one came close & thumped him with its pectoral fin. You can see his amazing video & the rest of the story here – check it out!
Whales: Plastic in the gut – it’s a killer
Ever since I met Captain Charles Moore a few years ago (he came to San Juan Island for a rousing talk), I’ve had plastics on the brain. If you haven’t seen his here’s-everything-in-a-nutshell TED talk, check it here. The amount of plastic in the world’s oceans is staggering, and it makes its way into the…
Whales: Meet Ken & check in on the orcas, with Carl Safina
Carl Safina came to San Juan Island in Washington State to see what’s happening with the killer whales, and to hang out with the Center for Whale Research’s Ken Balcomb. The state of the environment for the orcas: short on food, and decreasing numbers in the resident pods. It doesn’t help that the Navy does…
Whales: Watch a humpback in action (it’s like riding a whale….)
Here’s a story you’ll find fascinating: NOAA shares research showing how humpbacks manage their bottom-feeding, including eating sand lance (sand eels.) And you can watch, as they attach a “crittercam” to the whale to actually see it in action. Check it out, here.
Whales: Photobomb by a dolphin, sharing the wave
A photographer was trying to line up this picture of a surfer, but a dolphin came by. Result: Awesome photo. Here’s the story in the Daily Mail.
Whales: Twenty years after “Free Willy,” what have we learned, and what have we missed…
Do you remember where you were, the first time you saw Free Willy? For me, it was in a movie theatre in Eugene, OR, USA, with a packed house that screamed & cheered & clapped when Willy gets away at the end (see the poster at right, for spoiler). It was a football game where…
Still endangered? NOAA reviews what’s next for humpbacks…
My friends at Whale Trust in Maui tell me that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is set to review whether humpbacks will remain protected as an endangered species, or whether their status would be downgraded to “threatened.” The issue includes checking to see if the North Pacific humpback should be considered as a separate species,…