Latest Marine mammals Stories
A new report warns that levels of noise in the world's oceans are causing serious problems for whales, dolphins and other marine mammals.Undersea noise blocks animals' communication and disrupts feeding, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw).Some say naval sonar has been linked to the mass deaths of some cetaceans.The level of ocean noise in some regions is doubling each decade and Ifaw says protective measures are failing."Humanity is literally drowning out...
By Anna Ferguson, The Brunswick News, Ga. Aug. 2--The southern Georgia and northern Florida coastline could see fewer live bombs if an environmental safety document wins the approval of the U.S. Navy. If the Jacksonville Range Complex Environmental Impact Statement gets the go-ahead from the Navy, live explosions would be replaced with non-explosive bombs. That would be good news for boaters and marine life. It would equate to fewer disturbances on the water and less risk for...
A U.S. team of researchers found that female bottlenose dolphins whistle 10 times more often than usual after giving birth in order to help newborns recognize their own mothers.These "signature whistles" are unique to each animal, allowing them to be used for identification.The highly social bottlenose dolphins use the signature calls to help baby calves in their first weeks of life. The calves encounter many adult females that they could potentially mistake for their...
Four weeks on from the shocking incident that led to the death of 26 dolphins near Falmouth, research released Monday sheds new light on the extent of the problems facing Cornwall's marine mammals.A study by the University of Exeter and Cornwall Wildlife Trust, published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, has revealed a disturbing rise in the number of whales, dolphins and porpoises found dead on Cornish beaches. The frequency of these mammals, collectively known as cetaceans,...
By David Sneed, The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, Calif. Jul. 1--A new federal report confirms that California's sea otter population is growing, albeit at a slower rate in recent years. Averaged over three years, the population grew by a tiny 0.3 percent over the past year, according to the results of the most recent annual population survey of the southern sea otter. The iconic coastal species is listed as threatened on the endangered species list. This year's individual survey counted...
Chemicals produced by humans have been found in deep-sea squid and other creatures, further evidence that contaminants make their way deep into the marine food web, scientists said Monday. Researchers found a variety of chemical contaminants in nine species of cephalopods, which include octopods, squids, cuttlefishes and nautiluses. These species are food for dolphins, narwhals, killer whales and other toothed whales. The researchers collected nine species of cephalopods up to a...
Under the sea, predatory pilot whales take part in high-speed chases as they track down their prey.The cetaceans have been observed reaching such high speeds that scientists have likened their hunting technique to that of the cheetah, according to researchers in the Journal of Animal Ecology.Their findings may dispel the common notion of whales as large slow creatures.The research is the first to document the remarkable "burst-speed" of the pilot whale."As far as we know, no other whale...
Britain's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) believes a device it developed to guide warships through mine fields may also have applications in reducing the estimated 300,000 small whales and dolphins caught in fishing nets each year.Although originally designed to mark underwater locations such as channels that have been cleared of explosives, developers of the new believe a smaller version could be fitted to fishing nets to reduce numbers of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and...
A white killer whale was spotted last month for the first time in Alaska since 2001. The whale, sighted by scientists aboard the Oscar Dyson, was in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. Holly Fearnbach, a research biologist with the National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle, photographed the almost mythic whale. She claimed that although she had heard of the whale, she had never seen one. "It was quite neat to find it."When the whale appeared, the Oscar Dyson's crew was conducting an acoustic survey...
Hunted to near extinction, sea otters are making a steady comeback along the Pacific coast. Their reintroduction, however, is expected to reduce the numbers of several key species of commercially valuable shellfish dramatically, such as sea urchins and geoducks. Despite of this potential conflict, Kai Chan, an NSERC-funded researcher at the University of British Columbia, believes there is a way to ensure Canadian First Nations fishers can benefit from the otters' presence."Efforts to restore...
Latest Marine mammals Reference Libraries
The marine otter (Lontra feline) is a member of the weasel family, and can be found in South America. It prefers a habitat in rocky coastal areas, with a range that includes the entire coastline of Chile and extends to southern Peru and Argentina. It has been found on the Falkland Islands, but individuals here do not represent a constant population. Unlike other species of otter, the marine otter chooses to live near waters with high winds and swells. It may use caves and crevices as dens,...
The crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophagus) is a true seal that can be found around the whole of Antarctica. Its range also includes small areas in South America, New Zealand, Africa, and Australia. It resides on the pack ice zone for the entire year, even as it shifts seasonally, and prefers to stay in the continental shelf area in water with a depth of less than 1,968 feet. Because the populations are so wide spread and are sufficiently mixed, there have been no subspecies found. Because...
The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is a rare pinniped, or “fin-footed mammal” that can be found in areas of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as in the Atlantic waters of the Tropic of Cancer. Not much is known about the chosen land habitats of this seal, but until the 20th century, it could be seen relaxing or pup rearing on open beaches. It now dwells in underwater caves and caverns in order to escape human actions including tourism and expansion. The Mediterranean monk...
Profilicollis is a genus of acanthocephalan parasites that are found in crustaceans and shorebirds. Profilicollis parasites use decapod crustaceans as intermediate hosts and species of shorebirds as definitive hosts. The parasite first develops in mole crabs of North and South America. After it infects a mole crab, it becomes dormant until the crab is eaten by a suitable bird, such as a Surf scoter or Herring Gull. Once the parasite has passed through the stomach of the bird, it develops...
The Chinese white dolphin, otherwise known as the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, is a species of humpback dolphin that can be found in the waters of Southeast Asia. When breeding, they will travel to the waters around South Africa to Australia. There are currently two recognized subspecies of the Chinese white dolphin. The coloring of the Chinese white dolphin can vary due to age and location. When born, calves are actually black, but will change to grey, then pink with white spotting,...
