Latest Sperm whales Stories

Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Despite their size, sperm whales have proven themselves to be nothing to fear, as reports come in about a group adopting a handicapped dolphin into their community. Scientists found a group of sperm whales near the Azores Islands, about 900 miles off the coast of Portugal, and an unlikely companion by their side: a dolphin with a spinal deformation. Science Magazine reported two behavioral ecologists from the Leibniz Institute of...

John Neumann for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A young British boy has quite a bit of extra coin in his pocket after a rare find on the beach near his home in the southern English coastal town of Christchurch, New Zealand. Eight-year old Charles Naysmith picked up an odd, lump of what he thought was an odd rock from the beach and brought it home, only to discover it was a piece of ambergris worth a pretty chuck of change, writes Jane Reader for the local paper Daily Echo....

Researchers from the University of British Columbia have identified a gene in balsam fir trees similar to another substance called Ambergris. which could potentially pave the way for cheaper and more sustainable ways to produce plant-based fixatives and scents used in perfumes. As it stands, the collection and refining process of ambergris is quite costly and controversial, as ambergris is collected from washed up pieces of sperm whale vomit. The process goes like this: Sperm whales often...

According to American scientists, sperm whales feeding even in the most remote reaches of Earth's oceans have built up stunningly high levels of toxic and heavy metals. The scientists said that high levels of cadmium, aluminum, chromium, lead, silver, mercury and titanium in tissue samples taken by dart gun from close to 1,000 whales over five years.  The report released this week noted that from polar areas to equatorial waters, the whales ingested pollutants that may have been produced...

A new study suggests that sperm whales may team up and work cooperatively to hunt down and corral their food. Scientists from the U.S. used high-tech GPS tags to study the marine mammals' astonishing hunting behaviors. The tracking equipment showed how the animals traveled together in groups, but when it came time to hunt for food, each whale took on various roles within the group. The study, led by Professor Bruce Mate from the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Oregon, used new equipment to...

WASHINGTON, May 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A Massachusetts man has been charged in U.S. District Court in Boston with crimes related to the illegal importation and illegal trafficking of sperm whale teeth, the Justice Department announced today. On May 13, 2009, a federal grand jury sitting in Boston, returned an indictment that was unsealed today against David L. Place of Nantucket, Mass. The indictment charges Place with multiple counts of conspiracy and Lacey Act violations for...

Marine mammal videotaped stealing fish provides information about animal's physical featuresFor decades scientists have been intrigued by the variety of sounds emitted by sperm whales, partly due to a popular theory that suggests that the sounds might contain information about the animals' size. But historically it has been extremely difficult to demonstrate that these curious clicking noises can reveal information about the physical characteristics of the massive marine mammals. Now,...

Marine conservationists say they were unable to save a baby pygmy sperm whale found entangled in mangroves in Florida's middle Keys. The female calf was euthanized Monday after being transported to the Marine Mammal Conservancy in Key Largo, said conservancy President Robert Lingenfelser. The calf, about 13 feet long and less than 1 week old, was found dehydrated and starving with lungs full of water, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday, noting the calf was susceptible to infection....

Endangered sperm whales living in the Gulf of Mexico have not been affected by powerful acoustic devices used by oil companies looking for new sources of hydrocarbons, according to a federally funded study released Thursday.The $9.3 million study examined the impact of offshore seismic activity for six years. Seismic work involves firing air guns into the water, on the Gulf's sperm whale population, estimated to be around 1,600.The project included researchers from eight universities, but it...

By Mladen Rudman, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach Dec. 12--EGLN AFB -- The federal government could soon find out if testing sophisticated weapons in the Gulf of Mexico can coexist with protecting marine mammals. The National Marine Fisheries Service is on the verge of clearing the way for the Air Armament Center to continue evaluating the Air Force's two newest munitions in the gulf. The armament center has requested authorization to fire Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff...