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Cutting it with citizen science – following a whale from the Caribbean to the Arctic via Scotland

Scientists discover new humpback whale feeding technique

Humpback whales are renowned for the many different ways they catch their prey, such as lunge-feeding, kick-feeding, bubble-netting and many more. However, up-to-now scientists have been unable to work out how the whales might use their five-metre long pectoral flippers to help catch their food. Finally, using aerial observations and photographs, they have been able…

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Two white whales sighted off Australia and New Zealand

White whales are very rare, but in the last couple of days there have been sightings off both New Zealand and Australia. An adult white humpback whale, possibly the famous whale known as Migaloo, has been seen off the coast of Gisborne on New Zealand’s North Island. Meanwhile, off Lennox Head in New South Wales,…

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A lovely end to my sabbatical with more humpback whales

My time at the WDC North American office has come to an end; it has flown by and has been a wonderful experience. In my previous blog I wrote about the humpback studies that I have been assisting on whilst I have been here. Since then the weather has continued to be unseasonably good and…

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A Whale of a welcome

It’s been two weeks since I arrived at the WDC North America office here in Plymouth, Massachusetts. I’m normally based at the UK office, but I’m lucky to be here on sabbatical assisting on the studies of the whales in Cape Cod, particularly humpback whales. After being taught the data collection techniques, which is very…

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Whales whisper to avoid attack

Most whales are known for their loud underwater calls that can reach across many miles of ocean, but scientists have revealed that newborn humpback whales and their mothers frequently whisper to each other as part of a defence mechanism against attack. The study, by researchers from Denmark and Australia revealed unique, intimate forms of communication…

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Norwegian whalers turn their sights on humpback and fin whales

Members of the Vestvågøy Fisheries Association, in the Lofoten district of Norway, are demanding a review of whether fin and humpback whales should be hunted in local waters, citing increased numbers of these species in the waters around Bjørnøya and Bjørnøya-Hopen. They speculate that declining seabird numbers could be due to whales competing with seabirds for fish,…

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Are humpback whales saving seals from orca attacks?

It appears that we humans may not be the only ones that care about the welfare of others creatures. Global data being analysed by scientists seems to suggest that humpback whales are making a conscious effort to rescue other species, like seals, from attacks by orcas. Although more scientific study needs to be done, there are…

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