Wild Cetacean News

Sato's beaked whale or the first time seen alive :

Scientists Had Never Seen This Elusive Whale Alive—Until Now | Hakai Magazine

 

'Glimpse of hope': up to 150 fin whales spotted feeding off Antarctica

• New research has shown the success of the 1982 ban of the practice of commercial whaling, as fin whales have been documented feeding en masse off Antarctica’s Elephant Island.
• Whilst reduced down to 1 or 2% of their original population size in the 20th century, researchers observed more than 100 different groupings of fin whales in 2018 and 2019 .
• This comeback is good news for the species, their ecosystem and the climate.

In 1982, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) voted to ban the practice of commercial whaling that had driven several species to the brink of extinction, as The New York Times reported at the time.

Now, a new study published in Scientific Reports Thursday shows how that decision has borne fruit. The study reported the first scientifically documented observation of fin whales feeding en masse off Antarctica’s Elephant Island.

Comeback moment: up to 150 fin whales spotted feeding off Antarctica

 

Wild Beluga whale stranded in the Seine / France :

https://www.modernghana.com/news/11...GDIS86zly-4BYj-6T_Yq4-5TOzqWVltI-Eo8gYv06RN2c

 

As chinook salmon get thinner and fewer, southern resident killer whales struggle to find enough food

As marine species continue to decline worldwide, the southern resident killer whale population — which now stands at 75 individuals — along the west coast of North America, has baffled scientists who are trying to understand why this population is struggling.

Studied extensively since the mid-1970s, these whales are considered endangered today. Food shortage, vessel traffic and water pollutants have affected their fertility, body condition and social behaviour. In fact, food shortage is said to be one of the primary causes of the declining whale population, which feed primarily on chinook salmon. This salmon species can constitute up to 90 per cent of the southern resident killer whale’s diet during summer.

In the late 1980s, the Canadian government applied restrictive fishing regulations for chinook salmon to protect the population, leading to a drastic decline in commercial fisheries. However, the chinook salmon stocks of the Salish Sea continued to decline. Today, most chinook salmon stocks that the southern resident killer whales feed upon are at very low levels.

As a researcher in ecosystem modelling, I have studied the predator and prey interactions between the southern resident killer whales and their favourite salmon preys since 2019. The declining salmon and whale numbers raised a critical question: Is the southern resident killer whale population solely reliant on the abundance of salmon? And, if so, since when?

As chinook salmon get thinner and fewer, southern resident killer whales struggle to find enough food

 

Narwhal guide: what do they eat, how deep can they dive, how many blow holes they have

Discover how narwhals got their name, what is unique about their tusks, where they live and more in our expert guide

Narwhals – also known as the unicorns of the sea for the long tusk that protrudes from the heads of males – are medium-sized toothed whales. Learn about this sociable species in our expert narwhal guide from Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Narwhals feature in BBC One's Frozen Planet II.

Narwhals: all you need to know about Narwhal whales including diet, size and threats | Discover Wildlife

 

The Purpose of Dolphins’ Mysterious Brain Net May Finally Be Understood

Dolphins and whales experience a lot of pressure while swimming, and a “wonderful net” of blood vessels may protect their brain, new research shows.

When dolphins swim through the ocean, it looks effortless. By whipping their tail up and down, the sleek marine mammals propel themselves forward in a seamless glide that could make any human swimmer jealous. But this up-down tail motion puts a lot of stress on a dolphin’s body, compressing its organs and sending pulses of blood pressure to its brain.

The Purpose of Dolphins' Mysterious Brain Net May Finally Be Understood - Scientific American

 

About 200 Stranded Whales Die on Australian Beach

Rescue operations saved around 30 of the animal

About 230 pilot whales stranded themselves on a beach in Australia earlier this week, prompting a race to save the surviving animals before they perished.

When officials arrived at the scene, on the remote western coast of Tasmania, about half of the whales were already dead. But rescue teams worked quickly to tend to the survivors, keeping them wet with sheets and buckets to prevent them from overheating, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

About 200 Stranded Whales Die on Australian Beach | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine

 

Drone footage shows orcas chasing and killing great white shark

Scientists say behaviour, filmed in South Africa, has never been seen in detail before – and never from the air.

Scientists have published findings confirming that orcas hunt great white sharks, after the marine mammal was captured on camera killing one of the world’s largest sea predators.

A pod of killer whales is seen chasing sharks during an hour-long pursuit off Mossel Bay, a port town in the southern Western Cape province, in helicopter and drone footage that informed a scientific study released this week.



https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...ootage-orcas-killing-white-shark-south-africa

 

Dolphin and porpoise infected with bird flu in first documented cases

The infections – detected two continents apart – are the latest in an ‘unprecedented’ season of the deadly H5N1 avian flu.

A bottlenose dolphin in Florida and a porpoise in Sweden have tested positive for a highly virulent strain of bird flu, marking the first documented cases of avian influenza in cetaceans.

Dolphin and porpoise infected with bird flu in first documented cases

 

How You Can Help Whales

Ship strikes are a leading cause of death and injuries for whales migrating along the West Coast. The only oceangoing entities that rival them in size, commercial ships can kill these majestic animals in an instant as they hurtle through whale habitat.

How You Can Help Endangered Whales

 

A Hungry Jaguar Eats a Dolphin!

The title says it all — a jaguar was caught on camera trap eating a marine dolphin! Not a tapir, not a deer, but a dolphin (Castañeda et al., 2013)! How does a jaguar get its paws on a large marine mammal? Like jaguars in the Pantanal jumping into the depths of the river, can they swim into the ocean? What an unusual sight!

The truth is that the jaguar pictured is a scavenger. On the northern coast of Honduras in the country’s Jeannette Kawas National Park in 2011, a local fisherman noticed that a dolphin carcass he had seen on the beach one day prior had been dragged into the forest the next day. What could be the cause of this? A jaguar, of course.

A Hungry Jaguar Eats a Dolphin! | Panthera

 

A killer whale had stranded on the beach of Cadzand in the Netherlands. It is a 5.5 meter subadult female. The animal was seen earlier today, stranded once already and was pushed back into the see, but soon end up in shallow water near the beach again.

It seems things are not looking good for this animal.

Zorgen om aangespoelde orka bij Cadzand: ‘Dit is heel zeldzaam’
Orka opnieuw aangespoeld bij Cadzand: “We vrezen het ergste”

 

Sadly as expected the killer whale died shortly after midnight

A veterinarian determined the animal was ill and could not be saved, and administered sedatives to control pain for the dying animal.

The cadaver has been taken off the beach and will be transported to the veterinary faculty of the University of Utrecht for necropsy and research.

Orka opnieuw gestrand bij Cadzand, dit keer was het dier niet meer te redden
Aangespoelde orka overleden op strand van Cadzand
Aangespoelde orka bij Cadzand overleeft het niet

 

477 stranded whales die on remote New Zealand islands

Some 477 pilot whales have died after stranding themselves on two remote New Zealand beaches over recent days, officials say.

None of the stranded whales could be refloated and all either died naturally or were euthanized in a "heartbreaking" loss, said Daren Grover, the general manager of Project Jonah, a nonprofit group which helps rescue whales.

The whales beached themselves on the Chatham Islands, which are home to about 600 people and located about 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of New Zealand's main islands.

477 stranded whales die on remote New Zealand islands

 

What It’s Like to Study Endangered Killer Whales

Researcher Deborah Giles is on the frontlines of efforts to understand — and help protect — critically endangered Southern Residents.

You can learn a lot from poop.

Deborah Giles would know. As the research director of the nonprofit Wild Orca and a research scientist at the University of Washington, Giles has worked for years on a project collecting scat from endangered Southern Resident killer whales to better understand their health.

What It’s Like to Study Endangered Killer Whales • The Revelator

 

The killer whale that stranded and died in Cadzand was identified by Proyecto O.R.CA - Cádiz as IB6 or Gala, who was mostly seen in Portugal but also in Spain and France, although the last record of her dated to 2019.

Gestorven orka kwam uit Portugal en had een naam: Gala

The necropsy at Utrecht University revealed she had severe gingivitis/periodontal disease with all her teeth rotten and loose and internal infections on a heart valve, in the brain meninges and in the genital tract. Her gastrointestinal tract was entirely empty, indicating she hadn't fed for some time. Research into the cause of her illness will continue.

In Cadzand gestrande orka Gala was ziek en had ernstige tandvleesontsteking, blijkt uit onderzoek

 

Ship Noise Sends Beluga Whales Scrambling out of the Way

A new tracking study shows just how far belugas will go to avoid noise pollution.

Beluga whales are incredibly sensitive to noise. Social animals that live in the Arctic, belugas use their keen sense of hearing to communicate over long distances, find prey, and elude crafty predators like killer whales. But all is not quiet on the Arctic front. As the Arctic warms and the ice melts, ship traffic is on the rise, suffusing these once-tranquil waters with the throbbing thrum of propellers and engines.

Ship Noise Sends Beluga Whales Scrambling out of the Way | Hakai Magazine

 

Noise pollution messes with beluga whales’ travel plans

A new tracking study shows just how far belugas will go to avoid loud ship traffic.

Beluga whales are incredibly sensitive to noise. Social animals that live in the Arctic, belugas use their keen sense of hearing to communicate over long distances, find prey, and elude crafty predators like killer whales. But all is not quiet on the Arctic front. As the Arctic warms and the ice melts, ship traffic is on the rise, suffusing these once-tranquil waters with the throbbing thrum of propellers and engines.

https://www-popsci-com.cdn.ampproje...iGsgpnIaQvwB6bMl8f2K9SG4Q-ejPBhfE5PNRpOHo&amp

 

Several humpback whales found dead on British Columbia's coast in a matter of weeks

Researchers say finding one dead humpback is unusual — but at least 4 have been found since Oct. 12

Several humpback whales have been found dead in B.C. in the span of just a few weeks, and it appears humans may be the cause in at least two of the cases.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has identified at least four and possibly five humpbacks found dead on B.C. beaches or coastal areas between Oct. 12 and Nov. 21.

Paul Cottrell, the marine mammal co-ordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, says at least two of them had signs of "blunt-force trauma," indicating they may have been hit by a large object, such as a boat.

Several humpback whales found dead on B.C.'s coast in a matter of weeks

 

Learn to Grunt and Growl like an Antarctic Minke Whale

For the first time, scientists have identified the calls of this elusive Southern Ocean resident.

Scientists didn’t know Antarctic minke whales existed until the 1990s. Before then, these elusive whales, which lurk beneath the cold sea ice and gulp down krill in the Southern Ocean, were often confused with their far more familiar cousin, the common minke whale. Although scientists know very little about the species, a new study led by Ari Friedlaender, a marine mammal ecologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has offered an unprecedented look at one of the whale’s most fundamental features: its calls.

By strapping tags with video cameras and hydrophones to 16 Antarctic minke whales for about two days, Friedlaender and his colleagues identified four calls that these whales produce—and the context in which they make them. The findings offer a peek at what it’s like to be an Antarctic minke whale.

In their recordings, the scientists identified four key Antarctic minke whale calls. Three of these, which they’ve called the rumble, growl, and boom, have never been recorded before. Researchers first reported the fourth, called the downsweep, in the 1970s but mistakenly attributed it to the common minke whale.

Of the four minke whale sounds among the scientists’ recordings, the most common was the rumble—a very short call that lasts just over one-tenth of a second. It sounds like pulling up a zipper, or like a sharp grunt. The video footage shows the whales rumble mostly at night while searching for food.

Learn to Grunt and Growl like an Antarctic Minke Whale | Hakai Magazine