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Tracking whales from space will help us save them

Tracking whales from space will help us save them

Satellite technology holds one of the keys to 21st century whale conservation, so we’re exploring an incredible new project idea that will revolutionise saving whales. The fate of whales may well lie, not in the ocean, not in vast halls where policymakers debate laws to protect them, but in the night sky. Beyond the atmosphere. …

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Dolphins catch fish using giant shell tools

A dolphin called Arnie with a shell

In Shark Bay, Australia, two groups of dolphins have figured out how to use tools to help them catch fish. They are known as the spongers and the shellers. I introduced you to the spongers in a previous blog so today, let’s meet the shellers. Shelling is a skillful fishing technique practiced by a culturally…

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Did you know that dolphins have unique personalities?

Common dolphins at surface

We all have personalities, and between the work Christmas party and your family get-together, perhaps you notice them even more at this time of year! It’s not so different for dolphins – each dolphin has a different character and role in their pod.  Dolphins are intelligent and self-aware, and they clearly enjoy being together. They…

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Meet Holly, she’s an incredible orca leader

Let me tell you the story of an awe-inspiring orca with a fascinating family story … and then maybe you’d like to adopt her for someone you love this Christmas.  Holly has a wonderfully seasonal name, but it’s actually just one of three names she is known by. She was one of the first whales…

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A story about whales and humans

As well as working for WDC, I write books for young people. Stories; about the sea, about whales, about conservation. I’ve seen how fiction and non-fiction can inspire and move and I’ve come to believe that these forms are not so different, that when it comes to the next chapter of whale conservation, it is…

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Why do whales and dolphins strand on beaches?

People often ask me ‘why’ whales and dolphins do one thing or another.  I’m a whale and dolphin scientist and so it’s my job to know stuff like that. Over recent days, the world has watched the heart-breaking scenes on two remote New Zealand beaches as almost 500 pilot whales have died after becoming stranded.…

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Meet the legendary pink river dolphins

Botos don’t look or live like other dolphins. Flamingo-pink all over with super-skinny snouts and chubby cheeks, they certainly stand out in a crowd. And they never set a flipper in the ocean – home is the fresh, flowing waters of three mighty South American river basins: the Amazon, Orinoco and Tocantins-Araguaia. The botos’ magnificent realm…

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Did you know dolphins use tools? Meet the Shark Bay spongers …

Dolphin using a sponge as a tool in Shark Bay

Like humans, dolphins live in societies with unique cultures. Like us, they bond with others who share similar traditions and habits. In Shark Bay, Australia, bottlenose dolphin society is multicultural and awesome.  There are the beachers – dolphins who chase fish onto the seashore,  temporarily beaching themselves in the process, and the shellers who lift…

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Whale culture and conservation: to infinity and beyond …

In 1977, the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft launched, carrying with them the song of humpback whales and greetings in 55 human languages. Why was humpback whale song chosen to accompany this time capsule of life on Earth being projected to the outer reaches of our solar system and beyond? Perhaps because it is haunting,…

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