Marine Mammals
Whale populations in New York Harbor are booming—here’s why
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the New York Aquarium teamed up to deploy a high-tech acoustic buoy named Melville, 22 miles south of Fire Island. Whales communicate mostly via sound, and each species has distinct calls (and even dialects).
Camp Harbor View Whale Watch
In August, WHOI participated in a whale watching trip for 85 Leaders-in-Training, ages 15 to 17, from Camp Harbor View,…
Read MoreLocal fishermen assist leatherback research
After several years, Kara Dodge began to do other work with turtles, in particular a “TurtleCam” project with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution engineer Amy Kukulya. The project involved tagging and tailing turtles with autonomous underwater vehicles to study diving behavior, eating habits, and assess ways to reduce entanglements.
New Technology Will Listen For Underwater Whale Traffic In An Effort To Reduce Ship Strikes
Scientists from the Benioff Ocean Initiative and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have deployed a a hydrophone, or underwater microphone, to listen for whale traffic in the Santa Barbara Channel. They hope to use the microphone to help prevent collisions between whales and boats – which are often deadly to whales.
Lobstermen seek help in protecting right whales
Michael Moore, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, raised the concern that the “torturous” process the fisheries service was undertaking to write and enact the new regulations would “still come up short.”
Scientists Team With Fishermen on Tracking Technology
Scientists from the Center for Coastal Studies and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are working with local commercial fishermen to install video monitoring equipment on gillnets.
Infrared Cameras Could Help Ships Avoid Whales
An interview with Dan Zitterbart, a WHOI scientist who is testing a new thermal infrared imaging system to detection whales in busy waterways to prevent ship strikes.
Why do pilot whales strand? We ask experts
To find out what causes these mass strandings of whales, WMNF interviewed Darlene Ketten, a senior research scientist at Boston University and at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Part of her research involves pathologies associated with whale strandings.
Know Your Ocean Science Chats: Tracking Humpback Whales in Antarctica
Daniel Zitterbart, WHOI Sponsored by: WHOI Discovery Center & Visitor Center
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)
Marine 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.
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