whales

A team of scientists searching for a rare species of whale instead found a species of whale they say has never been recorded.

One way to investigate the record-setting deaths of the marine mammals is to perform autopsies on them, but researchers are also taking a close look at living whales for clues to what could be killing them.

Knock-on effects of melting sea ice in the Arctic may be to blame for a spate of gray whale deaths along their migration route from Mexico to Alaska.

For the past two years, the charismatic marine mammals have washed up on Pacific shores in record numbers. Scientists investigating the strandings suspect warming waters and melting sea ice are partly to blame.

Rescue teams are working to save the whales that are still alive and develop a strategy to remove the dead in the Australian state’s largest stranding event to date.

Norris, who founded the research firm Bio-Waves, furthered the study of marine mammals using passive acoustic monitoring technology he designed himself.

A love of music and science led the marine biologist to discover that whales sing songs, a discovery that he’s since used to convince the world the animals are worth saving.

The DNA of a whale shows its father was a beluga and its mother was a narwhal.

About 70 gray whales have been found dead this year on the west coast of the US.

These Type D killer whales have blunter heads and a different color pattern than other orcas. A new species designation hinges on the results of genetic testing.

Dolphins and pilot whales can tell which orcas are coming for them by listening to their calls.  

The Atlantic has been free of intense air-gun blasts to probe for oil and gas for 30 years, and researchers fear for endangered North Atlantic right whales and other animals.

A group of around 300 whales produced 184 distinct songs over just a few years, according to a new study.

Ancient bones of the newly described toothless, stout-nosed dolphin Inermorostrum xenops suggest that it slurped its food.

Scientists capture the True’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus) on film for the first time.

Diverse species are said to sing, but music is in the ear of the beholder.

Structured whale songs are shared by group members and evolve over time, but the calls’ functions are still unclear.

Rorqual whales’ mouths can stretch to more than double their length without causing damage, thanks to two layers of neuronal coiling. 

The University of St. Andrews behavioral ecologist studies the social structures and behaviors of whales and dolphins, recording and analyzing their acoustic communications.