WHALES AHOY - NANO DAILY

Gulf of California's vaquita porpoise nears extinction

Aug 13, 2013 (UPI)

There are apparently only 97 vaquita porpoises left in the world. That's less than half what scientist put the porpoise's population at in 2012. The marine mamm...

US probes spike in dolphin deaths off East Coast

Aug 09, 2013 (AFP)

At least 124 bottlenose dolphins have washed up along the Atlantic coast since July, a startling number of deaths that has prompted US officials to launch an in...

Dolphins' memories of each other last through 20 years of separation

Aug 06, 2013 (UPI)

Dolphins' social memories can last a lifetime and are the longest in any non-human species, a researcher at the University of Chicago says. Dolphins in captivit...

Dead southern right whale excites scientists

Aug 01, 2013 (AFP)

A rare southern right whale covered in what appear to be shark bites has washed up on an Australian beach, exciting scientists who Thursday said it will help bo...

Whale meat ship returns to Iceland

Jul 21, 2013 (AFP)

A shipment of 130 tonnes of fin whale meat has been sent back to Iceland, as jubilant animal rights activists on Sunday highlighted the "pointlessness" of the t...

Killer whale genetics: Redefining stock structure in a marine top predator

Jul 15, 2013 (SPX)

Found in every ocean around the world, killer whales are a force to be reckoned with globally. Their remarkable social bonds and sophisticated hunting technique...

Controversial whale meat sent back to Iceland

Jul 12, 2013 (AFP)

Six containers of whale meat are on their way back to Iceland after German authorities removed the controversial cargo from a ship bound for Japan, Icelandic me...

Study shows military sonar changes feeding behavior in whales

Jul 03, 2013 (UPI)

Military sonar can change the behavior of whales, causing the ocean giants to avoid their usual feeding spots, a U.S. study found. Writing in the Proceedings of...

Gulls feasting on whales? In Argentina, yes

Jul 01, 2013 (AFP)

It's a weird, lopsided fight if ever there was one: seagulls divebombing to attack and feed on the fat of 50-ton whales and their babies. And the birds are winn...

Japan welcomes new Australian PM despite whale row

Jun 27, 2013 (AFP)

Japan on Thursday said it looked forward to working with the new Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, but vowed to keep fighting Canberra over a high-profile w...

Australia harpoons Japan's whaling at top UN court

Jun 26, 2013 (AFP)

Japan's annual hunt for hundreds of whales in the Antarctic is nothing more than business disguised as science, Australia told the UN's highest court on Wednesd...

Japan to robustly defend whaling at ICJ: minister

Jun 25, 2013 (AFP)

Japan will robustly defend its whaling programme at the UN's top court this week, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday, as Canberra and Tokyo ready to do...

Australia in push to outlaw Japan whale hunt

Jun 23, 2013 (AFP)

Australia's Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Sunday he was hopeful the government would win its case against Japan's "scientific" whaling which begins this we...

Rare white humpback whale spotted off Australian coast

Jun 19, 2013 (UPI)

White humpback whales look like massive ghosts floating through the ocean, and like ghosts, are rarely seen. That's what makes the recent sighting of "Migaloo,"...

Iceland kills first fin whales in controversial hunt

Jun 19, 2013 (AFP)

Icelandic whalers have killed the first two fin whales of the season after resuming their controversial commercial hunt earlier this week, whaling officials sai...

Iceland resumes controversial fin whale hunt

Jun 17, 2013 (AFP)

Iceland has resumed its disputed commercial fin whale hunt, with two vessels en route to catch this season's quota of at least 154 whales, Icelandic media repor...

Japan kills 30 minke whales in the name of 'science'

Jun 16, 2013 (UPI)

Japan continues to hunt and kill whales, despite a ruling earlier this year by the International Court of Justice that said Japan's whaling activities in the So...

Harbor porpoises can thank their worst enemy for their success

Jun 14, 2013 (SPX)

The harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is a whale species that is doing quite well in coastal and busy waters. They are found in large numbers throughout the N...

Stranded orcas hold critical clues for scientists

Jun 12, 2013 (SPX)

The development of a standardized killer-whale necropsy system has boosted the complete data from killer-whale strandings from 2 percent to about 33 percent, ac...

Pressure on New Zealand to save world's rarest dolphin

Jun 10, 2013 (AFP)

New Zealand is facing pressure to save the world's rarest dolphin at an international scientific meeting underway this week in what conservationists say is a te...