A groundbreaking study is the first to analyze the relationship between group behaviors, group type, group dynamics, and kinship of beluga whales in 10 locations across the Arctic. Results show that not only do beluga whales regularly interact with close kin, including close maternal kin, they also frequently associate with more distantly related and unrelated […]
When whales die they sink to the seabed, where they become mini-ecosystems sustaining all manner of marine life, taking huge amounts of carbon with them to the sea-bed. >> read more …
Although it is a large-scale human tragedy, the COVID-19 pandemic also presents some researchers with an unprecedented opportunity to see how nature responds when human activity slows. This question is especially important for whales. >> read more …
Dolphins can learn new skills from their fellow dolphins. New findings show that dolphins are not only capable of learning new ways to catch prey, but they are also motivated to learn from peers, not just from their mothers, the researchers say. >> read original study of artikel in het Nederlands …
A report released on Wednesday confirms that vessel strikes most likely caused nearly half of the deaths last year of nine endangered North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. >> read more …
Why do whales beach? It’s one of the more puzzling phenomena in nature that though humans may study, we still do not understand entirely. We do know that whales can become beached if they wade into too shallow water or if they are sick and can no longer swim. >> read more …
Er is meer gericht onderzoek nodig naar de effecten van onderwatergeluid op het gedrag en de fysiologie van vissen. De publicatie van Floor Soudijn in het wetenschappelijke tijdschrift Proceedings of the Royal Society B toont aan dat als geluid leidt tot hogere energetische kosten of een lagere voedselinname van kabeljauw, dit al snel een negatief […]
An autopsy of a harbour porpoise found in the North Sea lays bare the destruction humanity is wreaking on the oceans, according to leading oceanographers. >> read more …
Mammalian vocalizations are produced by the actions of the larynx, a set of tissues located in the throat. The larynx contains folds of tissue called the vocal cords (also called vocal folds), which vibrate as air passes from the lungs into the oral cavity (also called the mouth). >> read more …
Some Northwest residents don’t do social distancing well, which leaves them vulnerable to an outbreak of a highly contagious respiratory virus. These residents are orcas. The virus is called cetacean morbillivirus. >> read more …
When it comes to determining the size of a whale, most of us would be content with the description “very, very big.” But that’s not quite good enough for whale researcher Grace Russell.
Op de Internationale Dag van de Biodiversiteit van vrijdag 22 mei willen we het Ocean Biodiversity Information System – of kortweg OBIS – eens extra in de kijker zetten. Zeker omdat dit globale initiatief dit jaar haar 20ste verjaardag viert. Via www.obis.org is het voor iedereen mogelijk om eender welk gebiedje zee of oceaan op […]