Whales

Viruses, notably influenza A and Morbillivirus, cause mass die-offs with striking head counts.

Mass Die-Offs of Marine Mammals Are on the Rise

Viral and bacteria outbreaks are increasingly causing fatalities in a variety of species, including seals and dolphins

This beluga whale was spotted off the coast of San Diego, California in late June. The sighting was the farthest south the normally polar species has ever been seen.

In a Rare Sighting, Wayward Beluga Spotted Off San Diego

The whale was seen thousands of miles south of its usual habitat, the farthest south the species has ever been seen

A North Atlantic right whale off the coast of Cape Cod in 2015

North Atlantic Right Whales Now Listed as 'Critically Endangered'

Just about 400 of the whales survive in the wild, and they continue to die at an alarming rate

An illustration approximates a pod of Ankylorhiza tiedemani hunting diving birds.

Giant Extinct Dolphin May Have Hunted Other Whales

The nearly 16-foot species may have been an apex predator like modern killer whales, researchers say

A whale shark off the coast of Australia.

Whale Sharks Have Tiny Teeth on Their Eyeballs

The 'dermal denticles' probably help protect the eyes of these gentle giants, scientists say

Eba the poop-sniffing dog

The COVID-19 Slowdown Will Show Whether Quieter Seas Help Killer Whales

With the help of a poop-sniffing dog, scientists are on the scent of a troubled species.

Bones that archaeologists say belonged to a large male sperm whale, alongside a 17th century cannonball. These items were discovered by archaeologists in Edinburgh, Scotland during excavations ahead of a new tram line.

A Construction Project Reveals Whale Bones Beneath a Road in Scotland

Thought to have come from a large male sperm whale, they may be remnants of the whaling industry that once operated out of Edinburgh’s port

An example of the blue bioluminescence produced by microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates, which can chemically synthesize their own light

Dolphins, Surfers and Waves Sparkle in Bright Blue Bioluminescent Glow Off California Coast

A rare bloom of microscopic organisms capable of making their own blue light has transformed several of the state’s beaches

Whalers and their families spent winters on Herschel Island, located north of the Yukon in Canada.

Explore 3-D Models of Historic Yukon Structures Threatened by Erosion

"We thought it was a good idea to get a comprehensive record of the site while we could in case the water levels rise," says one official

A gray whale "spyhopping" off the coast of Alaska. Gray whales migrate over 12,000 miles along North America's west coast.

How Storms on the Sun Interfere With Whale Migration

The new research gives weight to the hypothesis that gray whales use Earth’s magnetic field to navigate

To escape loud noises, sperm whales have been known to swim to the surface too quickly and give themselves the bends.

Whales Struggled to Find Food After New Zealand’s 2016 Earthquake

Sperm whales are at the top of the food chain, and the effects of undersea landslides rippled up

After seeing their numbers slashed due to overhunting in the 20th century, North Atlantic right whales still face plenty of threats, including ship strikes, habitat degradation and pollution. A mother and her calf are seen in this aerial image from 2005.

Can Scientists Protect North Atlantic Right Whales by Counting Them From Space?

A new collaboration between the New England Aquarium and the engineering firm Draper seeks to use satellite sonar and radar data to create a global watch

Humpback whales being tagged by researchers off the coast of Antarctica in 2018. The data gathered revealed that diet largely dictates a whales' maximum size.

Whales Are the Biggest Animals to Ever Exist—Why Aren't They Bigger?

New research highlights the role diet plays in dictating a cetacean’s size

Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus, underwater off Isla San Marcos, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Ancient Whale Fossil Helps Detail How the Mammals Took From Land to Sea

A 39-million-year-old whale with floppy feet, which may not have been very good for walking, helps illuminate the massive animals' transition to the oceans

Researchers Measure a Wild Blue Whale's Heart Rate for the First Time

The team found the world's largest mammal pushes its heart to its limits

A humpback whale basks in sunlight at the ocean's surface in Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

South Atlantic Humpback Whales Have Rebounded From the Brink of Extinction

A new study estimates that the group’s population has grown from 440 individuals in 1958 to nearly 25,000 today

Illegally caught belugas in a pool in Srednyaya Bay near the city of Nakhodka in Russia's Far East.

Russia Frees Last Belugas From Notorious ‘Whale Jail’

Dozens of orcas and belugas had been kept in small sea pens, reportedly awaiting sale to China

Researchers debate whether Iron Age Scots hunted the massive fin whales or simply made the most of animals swept ashore.

Archaeologists Unearth Hollowed-Out Whale Vertebra Containing Human Jawbone, Remains of Newborn Lambs

Iron Age Scots made the unusual vessel with the bone of a fin whale, Earth's second largest whale species

The excavation of the whale specimen from the “slime pit” in Florida.

Saving This Rare Whale Skeleton Was a Dirty Job

The Smithsonian welcomes a rare whale skeleton that was found dead on an island in the Florida Everglades

The team discovered a whale fall while exploring Davidson Seamount off central California’s coast.

Watch Marine Life Feast on a Complete Whale Skeleton on the Ocean Floor

It’s spooky season on the seafloor, too

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