Cetacea

Researchers studying orcas off the coast of South Africa recently observed one of the whales consuming a great white shark alone, in just two minutes.Forget Collars—There's a Kinder Way to Track Polar Bears in the ArcticSince 2017, two orcas in particular have been wreaking havoc on the great whites off South Africa’s Mossel Bay. Dubbed Port and Starboard (cute!), the apex predators have developed a taste for the massive sharks’ nutrient-rich livers (less cute). Haunting video of the whales actively feeding on a great…

Mikolas getting a lift from his mother Malaya.Photo: Petr David Josek (AP)Pygmy hippos (Choeropsis liberiensis) are one of two living hippo species to still exist in the world, the other being the common hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius). As their name suggests, pygmy hippos are relatively much smaller than their well-known cousins. An adult common hippo usually weighs at least 3,000 pounds, with males reaching up to 9,000 pounds; they’re also 10 to 16 feet long, and about 5 feet tall at the shoulders. Adult pygmy hippos are…

It looks like bottlenose dolphins may have more tricks up their fins than we knew. New research involving trained zoo dolphins seems to confirm that these mammals can sense electricity, much like other aquatic life. The talent may allow them to better hone in on hidden fish prey and navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field, the authors say.“Even AI Rappers are Harassed by Police” | AI UnlockedThe biological ability to sense electric fields is known as electroreception. All animals produce a weak electric field, but…

Like the orcas before them, the bottlenose dolphins have had enough. This past weekend, local reports from Japan noted several incidents of dolphins attacking and injuring swimmers, even in shallow waters.Threads Needs These Five Missing Features to Be a Twitter KillerJapanese outlet The Asahi Shimbun reported this weekend that one swimmer in his 60s was rammed by a dolphin swimming in the shallows on a beach in Fukui Prefecture. The incident happened in the early morning on Sunday, and the man received bites to his hands…

New strategies to save boats from the orca uprising are in the works. Portuguese officials plan to test devices that could deter so-called killer whales from taking down ships with sound, according to a report from Lusa News Agency, Portugal’s largest news outlet. Trial runs of the tech could begin over the next few months or even sooner.Forget Collars—There's a Kinder Way to Track Polar Bears in the Arctic“Some lines of development of acoustic deterrents are being developed that will be tested this summer, in order to…

It’s been a big week (f)in orca news. The black and white cetaceans, often referred to as killer whales seem to be making some unexpected moves—popping up in numbers and places where they usually do not.Reddit Knowingly Downvoting Self | Future TechOn Sunday, a group of researchers—surveying the seas from a plane—spotted four whales just south of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, in an area where orca sightings are exceedingly rare, according to a New York Times report. Elsewhere in New England, a fishing crew noted…

A beluga whale first spotted off the coast of Norway in 2019 and believed to be used for Russian surveillance, confused scientists when it resurfaced in Sweden this week. Marine biologists say the whale traveled to the area much faster as it continued to distance itself from the species’ typical living area.Rare Polar Bear Attack in Canada | Extreme EarthThe scientists are baffled why the beluga whale journeyed to Sweden, saying the closest beluga population is located in Svalbard archipelago, a spot halfway between…

PRYMORSKE, UKRAINE—This stretch of Black Sea coastline is almost deserted, save for a small hut, running entirely on solar power. About 50 kilometers across the blue water is Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, which two Russian warships attacked at the beginning of the invasion last year. It was during this attack that the now-ubiquitous phrase “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” was first-uttered by border guard Roman Hrybov. Ukraine reclaimed the island in June.Rare Polar Bear Attack in Canada | Extreme EarthThe clean, cold air…

There may be a totally non-violent reason that an orca near Iceland was spotted caring for a pilot whale calf. But given what we know of orcas—a species infamous for breaking the spines of dolphins and eating the livers of unlucky great white sharks—you’ll forgive us for being a little suspicious.Researchers studying orcas off the western coast of Iceland spotted one apparently raising a pilot whale calf as its own offspring. That’s a little weird. Pilot whales are ordinarily prey for the larger cetaceans, which are…

Image: Pegasus BooksAuthor Laline Paull scored a hit with her 2015 debut The Bees, dubbed “The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games,” but with bees as its characters. Her latest, Pod, dives into a different aspect of the natural world—the ocean—by introducing an adventurous dolphin who follows an unconventional path. io9 has an excerpt to share today from this intriguing new novel.Here’s a description of Pod’s story, followed by its cover, prologue, and first three chapters.Ea has always felt like an outsider. As a…