If you watched David Attenborough’s Extinction: The Facts, you’ll have heard the tragic account of the group of orcas known as the West Coast Community. They face almost certain extinction because of human chemical pollution. >> read more …
Federal scientists say killer whales are increasingly preying on bowhead whales in U.S. Arctic waters, raising questions about the future health of the endangered bowheads that provide a critical subsistence food for Alaska Natives. >> read more …
Did you know that orcas are one of only five species known to experience menopause? And that females can live for many decades after their last calf? The only other mammals who exhibit this are short-finned pilot whales, belugas, narwhals and humans. >> lees verder …
Zeezeilers opgepast! Voor de Portugese en Spaanse kust, van Galicië tot Gibraltar plegen orka’s georganiseerde aanvallen op zeilboten. Wetenschappers staan voor een raadsel. >> lees verder …
In de zomer van 2018 gingen beelden van de rouwende orkamoeder Tahlequah, die meer dan twee weken haar dode jong voor zich uit duwde, de wereld rond. Twee jaar later is er goed nieuws. Tahlequah is opnieuw bevallen, en het kalfje ziet er sterk en gezond uit. Wetenschappers hopen op een succesverhaal dit keer, want […]
The world feels very strange for most of us as we adjust to a new normal with altered routines and a different way of living. So it’s reassuring to hear reports that some traditions continue to the beat of more ancient, natural rhythms. Let’s explore the seasonal patterns of the little known orca groups of […]
The U.S. Navy recently applied for exemption under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for the “incidental take” of marine mammals, in order to carry out training and testing activities in the Pacific Northwest. If approved, such activities would directly impact the endangered Southern Resident killer whales while traveling through or foraging in the Navy’s area […]
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 …
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 …
A group of orcas has been spotted off the North East coast. More commonly known as killer whales, the ‘pod’ was captured on camera by Edward Sinclair – a lobster fisherman. >> read more …
SeaWorld San Diego has so far refused to release Corky, who was caught off the coast of Canada in 1969 aged four and is now the oldest captive killer whale in the world
The Russian federal government has approved the inclusion of mammal-eating orcas into the Russian Red Book of Endangered Species – this is a state document listing endangered species and it is illegal to capture any species that is included in the Red Book. >> read more …