Skip to content
All articles
  • All articles
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Green Whale
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save...

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas -...
A dolphin called Arnie with a shell

Dolphins catch fish using giant shell tools

In Shark Bay, Australia, two groups of dolphins have figured out how to use tools...
Common dolphins at surface

Did you know that dolphins have unique personalities?

We all have personalities, and between the work Christmas party and your family get-together, perhaps...
Leaping harbour porpoise

The power of harbour porpoise poo

We know we need to save the whale to save the world. Now we are...
Holly. Image: Miray Campbell

Meet Holly, she’s an incredible orca leader

Let me tell you the story of an awe-inspiring orca with a fascinating family story...
Humpback whale. Image: Christopher Swann

A story about whales and humans

As well as working for WDC, I write books for young people. Stories; about the...
Risso's dolphin at surface

My lucky number – 13 years studying amazing Risso’s dolphins

Everything we learn about the Risso's dolphins off the coast of Scotland amazes us and...

Longest migration – gray or humpback whales?

The news has embraced gray whales as the new winner for the longest mammal migration title, a superlative long thought to belong humpback whales. However, does the recently-released research really give the edge to gray whales?   In the case of the gray whale, tagging data provided the distance calculation, however, migration distances are typically based on calculating the shortest possible path between two points as researchers know where an individual moved from and where they went to, but not necessarily the exact path they took.  While there is no denying the gray whale movements are impressive, a straight line calculation, rather than actual movements, calls the migration title into question.  Researchers from Allied Whale, who curate the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalog, matched photos of a humpback whale who migrated from the Russian Arctic to the Dominican Republic, a journey of comparable length to the gray whale, but in the Atlantic.  So the question remains as to whether gray or humpback whales hold the title as the Longest Migrating Mammal.  Perhaps it belongs to another species entirely.  As we continue to learn more about these amazing whales, we realize there is still so much to discover! 

 Migration paths of a gray and humpback whale

{But truth be told, we are hoping humpbacks remain the champs as we root for WDC’s humpback whale adoption star travelers, like Coral and Reflection.  Thanks to all our, past, current, and future whale adoptors who help to support WDC’s work, and share our vision of a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free! Interested in adopting a whale for yourself or as a gift? Go to WDC’s adoption page and thank you for your support!}