Dolphins and Whales News -- ScienceDaily

Discovery: The great whale pee funnel moves vital nutrients (Mon, 10 Mar 2025)
Scientists have discovered that whales move nutrients thousands of miles -- in their urine -- from as far as Alaska to Hawaii. These tons of nitrogen support the health of tropical ecosystems and fish, where nitrogen can be limited. They call this movement of nutrients a 'conveyor belt' or 'the great whale pee funnel.' In some places, like Hawaii, the input of nutrients from whales is bigger than from local sources. It's critical to tropical ocean health, therefore, to protect and restore whales.
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Genetic mixing: The secret to killer whale resilience and adaptability (Wed, 05 Mar 2025)
Killer whale populations in low latitudes have high genetic diversity despite having low population densities, as a result of genetic mixing, which plays a crucial role in their survival and resilience.
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Drone captures narwhals using their tusks to explore, forage and play (Fri, 28 Feb 2025)
Using drones, 17 distinct behaviors of narwhals were captured in the wild. Findings reveal complex behaviors of the Arctic's iconic whale never seen before. This highly gregarious whale uses its tusk to investigate, manipulate and influence the behavior of a fish, the Arctic char. The study also provides the first evidence of play, specifically exploratory-object play, and the first reports of kleptoparasitism, a 'food thief' situation, among narwhals and glaucous gulls.
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Eavesdropping on whale songs sparks new discoveries in whale ecology (Wed, 26 Feb 2025)
Eavesdropping on baleen whale songs in the Pacific Ocean reveals year-to-year variations that track changes in the availability of the species they forage on, according to a new study.
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Underwater mics and machine learning aid right whale conservation (Fri, 21 Feb 2025)
Using underwater microphones and machine learning (ML), researchers have developed a new method to estimate North Atlantic right whale numbers -- offering a potentially safer and more cost-effective way to monitor this critically endangered species.
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