Skip to content
All articles
  • All articles
  • About whales & dolphins
  • Create healthy seas
  • End captivity
  • Fundraising
  • Green Whale
  • Kids blogs
  • Prevent deaths in nets
  • Scottish Dolphin Centre
  • Stop whaling
Dolphins captured for captivity in Taiji. Image: Hans Peter Roth

Loved and killed – whales and dolphins in Japan

Protests and criticism from outside Japan in response to the slaughter of whales and dolphins...
Narwhal with beluga whales

Unusual Whale Adoptions

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Irrawaddy dolphin

Helping fishers protect dolphins in Sarawak, Borneo

Fishing nets are bad news for dolphins and porpoises, so we're working with local fishers...
Dolphin watching from Chanonry Point, Scotland. Image: WDC/Charlie Phillips

Discovering inner peace – whale and dolphin watching and mental wellbeing

Guest blog If you've ever seen whales or dolphins in the wild, you'll know that...
Whale tail

An ocean of hope

In a monumental, jaw-dropping demonstration of global community, the nations of the world made history...
North Atlantic right whale Porcia and her calf.

Critically Endangered Right Whale Babies Spotted

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
The infamous killing cove at Taiji, Japan

Why the Taiji dolphin hunt can never be justified

Supporters of the dolphin slaughter in Japan argue that killing a few hundred dolphins every...
Image: Peter Linforth

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...

Gray’s Anatomy

Scientists in Mexico’s Scammon’s Lagoon have discovered possibly the first ever case of Siamese twin gray whales. Although known to occur in other species, notably fin, sei and minke whales, never before have conjoined twins been documented for gray whales. Apparently the calves were severely underdeveloped  – only approximately 7ft long as opposed to the the normal 12 – 16ft for the average newborn gray whale calf – and they were most likely miscarried. Unfortunately the mother was nowhere to be seen and there is concern that the birth may have had adverse effects on her health. (Once you see the photos I’m sure you’ll agree – there is no chance for a cesarean section in the ocean so it would have been a painful ordeal for the mother!)

At this time of year, gray whales are arriving in Scammon’s Lagoon and other lagoons along the Baja California peninsula, after undertaking a mammoth 6,000-mile journey from the cold Arctic waters in the north. Typically, they give birth during the southbound journey, or once they’ve arrived in the lagoons. They’ll then stay in the warm, quiet waters for several weeks, nursing their calves and resting before embarking on the return journey, back to their feeding grounds in the Arctic.

One little calf who was luckier than the conjoined twins and is currently en route to one of Mexico’s lagoons is baby Floppy, a gray whale calf photographed off of Redondo Beach in California within one hour of being born. Researchers noted the floppy fins (hence the name), the pits in its face and foetal folds in its head and estimated that it was a very new newborn!! 

About Nicola Hodgins

Policy Manager at WDC