This article is a guest post by ODU undergradaute Ben Maxie. Ben works in the Barshis Lab and studies the evolution of stress tolerance in corals and other organisms. Despite an adverse but nonbinding vote by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Japan has sent a whaling fleet south to Antarctica. The fleet left on December … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Whales
Can Whales Give us the Secret to Long Life?
Let me lay some knowledge down on you people–in ancient Rome, the average citizen lived to the ripe age of 24. If I lived back then I’d probably be in the midst of putting my affairs in order and imparting wisdom to my many children, which is frightening because I feel like a functioning adult about … Continue reading
Photography Friday: Beluga Whale
Written by UNC Graduate Student JP Balmonte. This is Juno, an 11-year-old male Beluga whale at the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut! I got to meet him as part of my training as a Science Communications Fellow through the Ocean Exploration Trust at the University of Rhode Island. Tune in next week for more details … Continue reading
Cetaceans react to sonic exploration
This article is in follow-up to Serena’s earlier post about NOAA’s emerging guidelines in marine mammal acoustic protection. As Serena noted, marine mammals, including cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), are constantly communicating underwater using sound waves. Humans have also begun to use sound waves underwater to make processes of mapping the ocean floor easier and … Continue reading
Megafauna madness: killing dolphins, mistreating orcas, critically endangered sharks.
Twitter and world media have been abuzz this week about the Taiji Cove dolphin drive. A practice in a small Japanese town that leads to the death or capture of hundreds of dolphins each year. You may have heard of this before if you are a fan of documentaries. “The Cove” is a documentary by … Continue reading