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 an incredible new project idea that will revolutionise saving whales. The fate of whales may well lie, not in the ocean, not in vast halls where policymakers debate laws to protect them, but in the night sky. Beyond the atmosphere. …
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Dolphins catch fish using giant shell tools
In Shark Bay, Australia, two groups of dolphins have figured out how to use tools to help them catch fish. They are known as the spongers and the shellers. I introduced you to the spongers in a previous blog so today, let’s meet the shellers. Shelling is a skillful fishing technique practiced by a culturally…
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Did you know that dolphins have unique personalities?
We all have personalities, and between the work Christmas party and your family get-together, perhaps you notice them even more at this time of year! It’s not so different for dolphins – each dolphin has a different character and role in their pod. Dolphins are intelligent and self-aware, and they clearly enjoy being together. They…
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Meet Holly, she’s an incredible orca leader
Let me tell you the story of an awe-inspiring orca with a fascinating family story … and then maybe you’d like to adopt her for someone you love this Christmas. Holly has a wonderfully seasonal name, but it’s actually just one of three names she is known by. She was one of the first whales…
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A story about whales and humans
As well as working for WDC, I write books for young people. Stories; about the sea, about whales, about conservation. I’ve seen how fiction and non-fiction can inspire and move and I’ve come to believe that these forms are not so different, that when it comes to the next chapter of whale conservation, it is…
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Why do whales and dolphins strand on beaches?
People often ask me ‘why’ whales and dolphins do one thing or another. I’m a whale and dolphin scientist and so it’s my job to know stuff like that. Over recent days, the world has watched the heart-breaking scenes on two remote New Zealand beaches as almost 500 pilot whales have died after becoming stranded.…
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