Whale
hideWhales are marine mammals of order Cetacea which are neither dolphins—members, in other words, of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae—nor porpoises. They include the blue whale, the largest living animal. Orcas, colloquially referred to as "killer whales", and pilot whales have whale in their name but for the purpose of biological classification they are actually dolphins. For centuries whales have been hunted for meat and as a source of valuable raw materials. By the middle of the 20th century, large-scale industrial whaling had left many species seriously endangered.
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News tagged with whales
Molecular Decay of Enamel-Specific Gene in Toothless Mammals Supports Theory of Evolution
Sep 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Biologists at the University of California, Riverside report new evidence for evolutionary change recorded in both the fossil record and the genomes (or genetic blueprints) of living organisms, ...
Whale songs are heard for the first time around New York City waters
Biology /
Sep 16, 2008 |
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For the first time in waters surrounding New York City, the beckoning calls of endangered fin, humpback and North Atlantic right whales have been recorded, according to experts from the Bioacoustics Research Program at the ...
All in the Hips: Fossilized Discovery Leads Paleontologist to Find Early Whales Used Back Legs for Swimming
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 12, 2008 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The crashing of the enormous fluked tail on the surface of the ocean is a “calling card” of modern whales. Living whales have no back legs, and their front legs take the form of flippers that ...
Study Finds Beaked Whales' Tusks Evolved Through Sexual Selection Process
Biology /
Dec 12, 2008 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For years, scientists have wondered why only males of the rarely seen family of beaked whales have “tusks,” since they are squid-eaters and in many of the species, these elaborately modified ...
Early whales gave birth on land, fossil find reveals (Video)
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Feb 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Two newly described fossil whales---a pregnant female and a male of the same species--reveal how primitive whales gave birth and provide new insights into how whales made the transition from ...
Hippo ancestry disputed: Researchers rebut family tree involving hippos, whales and pigs
Mar 18, 2009 |
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Hippos spend lots of time in the water and now it turns out (or researchers argue), they are the closest living relative to whales. It also turns out, the two are swimming in a bit of controversy.
Krill 'superswarm' formation investigated
Oct 13, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have been studying how krill form into superswarms, which are among the largest gatherings of living creatures on Earth.
In tiny 'Tuk,' they man climate's front line
Sep 07, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Caught between rising seas and land melting beneath their mukluk-shod feet, the villagers of Tuktoyaktuk are doing what anyone would do on this windy Arctic coastline. They're building windmills.
Researcher reveals humpback whales' dining habits -- and costs
Biology /
Nov 27, 2008 |
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As most American families sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, a University of British Columbia researcher is revealing how one of the largest animals on earth feasts on the smallest of prey – and at what cost.
Researcher: Culling whales will not boost tropical fisheries
Feb 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For decades there has been a controversy about whales eating fish in the tropics. The “whales eat fish” debate has been at the heart of policy decisions about the culling of whales and is ...
High numbers of right whales seen in Gulf of Maine
Biology /
Jan 02, 2009 |
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A large number of North Atlantic right whales have been seen in the Gulf of Maine in recent days, leading right whale researchers at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) to believe they have identified ...
Elephant seals take naps while diving
Nov 13, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study may have solved the long-standing question of how elephants sleep during their long migrations at sea, when they can be away from land for up to eight months.
Baby whale's first breath caught on camera off Australia
Jul 23, 2009 |
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Australian scientists have photographed a humpback whale helping a newborn calf take what appears to be its first breath, a rare event described as the "Holy Grail" for whale-watchers.
Nice going, mom! Right whales break birth record
May 09, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Right whales have plenty to celebrate this Mother's Day - the sea moms gave birth to a record 39 calves this spring.
Unknowlingly consuming endangered tuna
Nov 19, 2009 |
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While most of us would never willingly consume a highly endangered species, doing so might be as easy as plucking sushi from a bento box. New genetic detective work from the Sackler Institute for Comparative ...
