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Whale fossil from Peru may have been heavier than blue whale

Whale fossil from Peru may have been heavier than blue whale

blue whale

Scientists examining the bones of a 39 million-year-old ancient whale have concluded that it may have been heavier than a blue whale, up to now thought to be the heaviest creature ever to have lived on Earth. The fossils of the whale , known as a basilosaurid, were discovered 13 years ago in southern Peru…

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Humpback whales breach in synchronisation

Humpback whale © Christopher Swann

Humpback whales are renowned for their incredible acrobatic displays, but a family in the USA were treated to a particularly amazing experience when three humpbacks breached in perfect synchronisation in front of them. The video was taken off Cape Cod in the Gulf of Maine which humpbacks visit each year in order to feed during…

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Unusual activity witnessed before pilot whale stranding

Long-finned pilot whale

Just days after a pod of long-finned pilot whales stranded on an island in the Hebrides in Scotland, another stranding event involving the same species occurred on the other side of the world in Western Australia. Around 100 whales stranded on a remote stretch of coastline over 450km south east of Perth. There are various…

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Rescuers find young girl’s body surrounded by dolphins

Reports from South Africa about a tragic drowning off Llandudno beach, Cape Town say that the body of a teenager was found surrounded by a pod of dolphins. Rescue services launched a search for the missing 15-year-old girl who is thought to have slipped off the rocks and been swept away by strong currents. Her body…

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Elusive whale seen alive for the first time

Using DNA evidence, scientists have been able to officially confirm the first live sightings of the Sato’s beaked whale. Up to now the only Sato’s whales seen have been the few that have washed up dead and some unconfirmed reports from whale hunters. As a result, we know very little about their lives, habits, where…

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Fin whales return to old feeding grounds in Southern Ocean

Fin whale

An exciting discovery by researchers in the waters around Antarctica suggest that fin whales are starting to return to their former feeding grounds. During the first part of the 20th century, commercial whaling decimated whale numbers in the region as whalers reduced populations to a fraction of their original figure. By the time it become…

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Humpback whale rescued from shark net in Australia

Humpback whale underwater

A humpback whale and her calf have managed to escape after becoming entangled in a shark net off the coast of Queensland.. Humpback whales spend the austral summer in Antarctica before migrating north during the winter months to breed and give birth in warmer waters. Their migration route takes them along the east or west…

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River dolphins observed playing with anaconda

Amazon River dolphin (Boto)

Researchers in Bolivia recorded an unusual interaction between local rivers dolphins and an anaconda snake last year in the Tijamuchi river. The two species would not normally interact but on this occasion a group of dolphins, some of which appeared to be juveniles, were seen carrying the snake through the water. At times the dolphins…

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New fossil gives insight into feeding habits of ancient orcas

Orcas in far east Russia.

New research by scientists suggests that orcas and false killer whales only evolved to feed on marine mammals within the last one million years. The two species are the only members of the 90 or so species of cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) that are known to do this. Recent analysis of a 1.4 million…

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Humpback whale freed from rope entanglement by passing orcas

A strange incident involving a pod of orcas and an entangled humpback whale off the coast of western Australia has left experts scratching their heads. Observers from Whale Watch Western Australia captured drone footage of what appeared to be a number of orcas freeing a humpback whale from a discarded rope that had become wrapped…

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