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New government marine wildlife code to help reduce dolphin disturbance

The launch today by UK Government of new guidance on how to act responsibly around...

UK government to extend ivory ban to stop the sale of orca teeth

Following the UK ban on the import, export and dealing of elephant ivory in 2022,...

Dead whale beauty products to be sold in Japanese vending machine stores

Antarctic minke whale alongside Japanese whaling ship. Photo © Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert Japanese whale hunting company,...

Arrests made following illegal whale meat smuggling from Japan to South Korea

Customs authorities in Busan, South Korea, have arrested six people for allegedly smuggling at least...

Whales 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 southern California have revealed that the whales will swap sides when feeding.

Blue whales lunge feed, swimming upwards to the surface gulping huge volumes of tiny krill before performing rolling turns. Hours of film taken by the scientific team show that these rolls are almost always to the left, the complete opposite to the way they feed at greater depths where they execute 90-degree right-handed side rolls.

According to lead researcher, Ari Friedlaender from Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, rolling to the left while lunge feeding allows the blue whale’s dominant right eye to target smaller patches of krill more effectively.