The clan systems are matrilineal and average roughly 20,000 females per clan. The clans are determined by vocalizations called "codas" that involve distinct sequences of clicks.
A team of scientists from the SETI Institute, University of California Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation conducted a landmark experiment in which the team had a 20-minute conversation with a humpback whale named Twain in her own language.
A new beaked whale species Berardius minimus, which has been long postulated by local whalers in Hokkaido, Japan, has been confirmed.
Scientists have an imprecise understanding of the obscure phenomenon of mass whale strandings, when large numbers of the marine mammals suddenly beach themselves — often their final acts.
A group of industrial chemicals humans started banning decades ago could cause many of the world’s orca whale populations to collapse over the next century, an alarming new study has found.
Do social pressures cause the evolution of big brains? The debate is ongoing.
In a disturbing repeat of last year, Japanese whalers returned to port Friday with the carcasses of 333 minke whales on board. Since 1986, a global moratorium has banned the hunting of whales, but Japan claims the killings are being done for “scientific research.”
The United States lifts protection for most humpback whales around the globe based on evidence of a strong comeback in numbers.
Recent research shows humpbacks do more than just protect their young: they often go on the offensive, actively seeking out and harassing killer whales – and even preventing them from attacking other species like seals, porpoises and sea lions.
Earlier today, four ships from Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research returned to their home port after a "scientific" expedition to the Antarctic region. The fleet claims to have captured 333 minke whales ,including pregnant females, in blatant disregard of an international ruling.
Writer Douglas Fox and photographer Carolyn Van Houten are spending 15 days aboard the M.V. Ortelius, docked here at the Port of Ushuaia on March 10, 2016, to join scientists conducting studies of humpback and minke whales in the glacial fjords along the Antarctic Peninsula.
With international pressure rising, Iceland whaler Kristjan Loftsson calls off the hunt this season.
