Marine Mammals
Know Your Ocean Science Chats: Tracking Humpback Whales in Antarctica
Daniel Zitterbart, WHOI Sponsored by: WHOI Discovery Center & Visitor Center
Read MorePublic Talk: Tracking Humpback Whales in Antarctica
Humpbacks migrate thousands of miles to their feeding ground in the Southern Ocean, yet nothing is known about how these whales find the krill that they consume. WHOI scientists joined an expedition aboard cruise ship Polar Latitudes to study the feeding habits of humpback whales on the Antarctic Peninsula. Using Zodiacs to get close enough to the whales to attach digital recording tags, his team logged whales’ diving and feeding behaviors. They also used fish-finding acoustic systems to correlate the location of the whales with their prey. Learn their findings from this research, accompanied by stunning images of Antarctica, humpback whales, and other sea life encountered in the majestic southern continent.
Read MoreCan thermal cameras prevent ship strikes?
Researchers are testing the effectiveness of thermal IR cameras for automated whale detection to help prevent ship strikes in the narrow channels of British Columbia’s Gulf Islands.
Read MoreGlobal Oceans and the Extinction Crisis
WHOI marine biologists Michael Moore and Andrea Bogomolni weigh in on a new United Nations science report suggesting that over one million species are at risk of extinction.
Read MoreNew Sub-species of Pilot Whale Identified in Pacific Ocean
Short-finned pilot whales have long been recognized as a single species, but a recent study found that two unique subspecies actually exist.
Read MoreHigh-tech fishing gear could help save right whales
Saving the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales
Untangling Impacts on Right Whales
Whale scientists look for new ways to mitigate whale entanglements in fishing lines
Read MoreSeal Spy
Drones helps WHOI scientist measure the body mass of mother and pup seals during lactation
Read MoreLooking Back: Studying Historic Whale Populations
Geodynamics Seminar Judith Lund, New Bedford Whaling Museum Sponsored by: Academic Programs Office
Read MoreNew regulations are a matter of life and extinction for right whales
New Initiative Launched to Help Protect New Yorks Great Whales
Quotes (Mark Baumgartner)
New report: Saving the North Atlantic Right Whale
Learn how scientists and concerned organizations are responding to threats facing this critically endangered species.
Read MoreMarine Mammals
Marine mammals are warm-blooded vertebrates (animals with a backbone) that bear live young and nourish them with milk as land…
Read MoreSeal Facts
What are they? Seals are pinnipeds, a group of animals with three separate families—phocidae (eared seals), otaridae (non-eared seals), and…
Read MoreFrom the humpback to the Antarctic blue: why do whales sing?
Groups of Pilot Whales Have Their Own Dialects
In humans, different social groups, cities, or regions often have distinct accents and dialects. Those vocal traits are not unique to us, however. A new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has found that short-finned pilot whales living off the coast of Hawai’i have their own sorts of vocal dialects, a discovery that may help researchers understand the whales’ complex social structure.
Read MoreHearing Tests on Wild Whales
Scientists published the first hearing tests on a wild population of healthy marine mammals. The tests on beluga whales in Bristol Bay, AK, revealed that the whales have sensitive auditory systems and showed less age-related hearing loss than is expected.
Read MoreThe Future of Lobstering May Mean Fishing by Computer
quotes Mark Baumgartner
Scientists study how marine mammals survive at great depths
quotes Michael Moore
Mystery of how deep-diving whales avoid the bends may have been solved
quotes Michael Moore
How Do Marine Mammals Avoid the Bends?
Deep-diving whales and other marine mammals can get the bends – the same painful and potentially life-threatening decompression sickness that strikes scuba divers who surface too quickly. A new study offers a hypothesis of how marine mammals generally avoid getting the bends and how they can succumb under stressful conditions.
Read MoreMission to untangle female right whale highlights species’ precarious plight
quotes Mark Baumgartner
Fate of the Lobster Fishery May Depend on Fate of the Right Whale
quotes Michael Moore and Mark Baumgartner