Posts Tagged ‘science’
Belugas may have changed eating habits to survive
According to a study by University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers, beluga whales in Alaska’s Cook Inlet may have changed their diet over five decades from saltwater prey to freshwater fish and crustaceans in a bid to survive. Information gained from the analysis beluga bone and teeth has shown that the belugas formerly fed on prey…
Read MoreRare white orca returns
Colleagues from the Far East Russian Orca Project (FEROP) have encountered one of the rare white orcas off the Commander Islands, about 100 miles off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. The orca, known as Mama Tanya, was last seen in 2010. Research indicates that between 5-8 orcas in this population may be white…
Read MoreNew season looking out for Risso's dolphins
I was on an early morning beach dog walk on Monday, our first day back on the Isle of Lewis this year when I saw a fin slice out of the water in the quiet, still bay in front of our accommodation. I held my breath. Not just any fin, but a Risso’s dolphin! We…
Read MoreBlue whales in New Zealand found to be genetically distinct
Blue whales have long been known to frequent the waters around New Zealand but now scientists have discovered that the whales living between the North and South islands appear to be a genetically distinct population. A survey in 2014 by a team from the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University identified around 50 blue…
Read MoreFossil 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…
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