Posts Tagged ‘science’
Fossil of new extinct baleen whale discovered in New Zealand
Scientists have discovered a new species of extinct baleen whale after examining a skull and other bones that were discovered on New Zealand’s South Island 30 years ago. Toipahautea waitaki, is estimated to have been around five metres in length and lived around 27.5 million years ago, making it one of the earliest known baleen…
Read MoreBowhead whales sing jazz songs
New research has revealed that not only do bowhead whales have the most diverse song range amongst whales, but that they may be singing their own vast and unique selection of ‘jazz’. Kate Stafford, an oceanographer at the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Seattle, studied a large group of the whales, listening in…
Read MoreDolphins in WDC’s adopt a dolphin programme doing well
According to a report published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), with research undertaken by Aberdeen University, around 200 bottlenose dolphins make the Moray Firth and Scottish north east coast their home, and the population is ‘stable’. WDC warmly welcomes this news. The population was at one time estimated to be around 130 dolphins, so this…
Read MoreScientists record first case of infanticide in orcas
For the first time, scientists have recorded an incident in which a male orca deliberately drowned an orca calf from another pod, assisted by his own mother. The mother of the calf tried unsuccessfully to defend her offspring. While this behaviour has been recorded in other animals and three species of dolphin, it had never…
Read MoreEndangered dolphins disappearing from river in Bangladesh
A population of one of the world’s most endangered dolphins is under serious threat in the Halda River, Bangladesh. In the four month period up to February, 17 South Asian river dolphins (also known as the Ganges River dolphin) died in the river and experts are now calling for their home to be declared a sanctuary…
Read MoreRare sighting of sperm whale off Vancouver Island
After an absence of more than three decades, a sperm whale has been heard and seen in Johnstone Strait, a passage of water separating northern Vancouver Island from mainland Canada. This area is renowned as being home to the famous Northern resident population of orcas and while other species are also recorded, the reappearance of…
Read MoreWhat prospects for whales, dolphins and porpoises in 2018?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s main authority on the conservation status of species. Its ‘Red List of Threatened Species’ – known as ‘The Red List’ – is the most comprehensive inventory we have of species at risk. The Red List divides these species into various classes from ‘Data Deficient’…
Read MoreMore bad news as two humpback dolphin species are elevated to Endangered and Critically Endangered status!
Just the other day i blogged about how, as a direct result of bycatch, the IUCN had uplisted both the Irrawaddy dolphin and the finless porpoise to Endangered status. I thought that was depressing enough but more bad news was to follow with the elevation of Atlantic humpback dolphins to Critically Endangered status and Indian…
Read MoreBycatch responsible for two more species being placed on the Endangered List!
Unfortunately, 2017 is not turning out to be a great year for whales, dolphins and porpoises with the numbers of some species dropping to worrying levels. Added to the list of “endangered” species by the IUCN are the Irrawaddy dolphin and the finless porpoise both having had their numbers more than halved over the last…
Read MoreWhales go from 'right-handed' to left
Scientist studying blue whale feeding habits have documented a switch from ‘right-hand’ to left when these huge creatures feed. Blue whales are similar to many other creatures when it comes to ‘handeness’ or laterality. They tend to always favour the right. However, results from a six year study of their behaviour off the coast of…
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