whale news stories on Newser

Dead Whale Yields Golf Ball, Other Junk

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:26:55 CDT

A gray whale found dead in Washington state's Puget Sound had been scarfing down shrimp—and also a golf ball, woody debris, algae, pieces of rope and plastic, and some sort of flat spongy material. The garbage was minimal and not the cause of death, which remains under investigation, a...

Whale Graveyard Puzzles Experts

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:50:35 CST

A newly discovered graveyard of ancient whales in Peru has scientists wondering how on Earth the bus-sized mammals all ended up dying in the same place. "That's the top question," says the director of a nearby museum. Their current location—the middle of a highway under construction on a desert...

Whale Does 'Thank-You Dance' After Rescue

John Johnson — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:20:08 CDT

This will bring a smile to whale fans: A humpback freed from fishing nets performed what one rescuer could only describe as a "thank-you dance." Again and again and again. A group from the Great Whale Conservancy freed the whale off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. Afterward, it leaped...

Whale Won't Leave Calif. River

Rob Quinn — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 04:15:30 CDT

A gray whale wandered up the Klamath River in northern California almost a month ago and isn't being swayed by increasingly strong hints that it's time to go. The 40-ton whale arrived with its calf in late June. Though the calf weaned itself from the mother and returned to the...

Rare Right Whales Flock to Cape Cod

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 14:21:42 CDT

There are only 473 North Atlantic right whales on the planet, but almost half of them have been spotted gorging themselves on an unusual feast off the coast of Cape Cod this year. "The current must be piling the plankton up," a scientist with the Center for Coastal Studies tells...

New Zealand Euthanizes 48 Beached Whales

Polly Davis Doig — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:39:49 CST

Faced with a pod of 107 beached pilot whales, half of them dead, and no help in sight, New Zealand conservation authorities were forced to euthanize 48 of the creatures, reports the New Zealand Herald. The whales had beached themselves high up on the beach yesterday with the tide on...

New Zealand Battles to Save 80 Beached Whales

Matt Cantor — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 04:30:00 CST

More than a hundred rescuers in New Zealand are struggling to save some 80 beached pilot whales. They beached themselves today on the country’s South Island, and while rescuers managed to turn four back to sea, 10, including one baby, have died, reports the New Zealand Herald . With tides and...

Whales Face 'Serious' Sunburn Threat

Matt Cantor — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:31:36 CST

Whales off the coast of Mexico seem to be getting bad sunburns, and scientists say ozone damage may be why. To survive, whales have to spend long periods on the ocean’s surface, and without clothes, fur, or feathers, they’re basically “sunbathing naked,” the AP notes. The result: skin lesions and...

Men Mutilate Beached Whale —for a Tasty Snack

Nick McMaster — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:20:50 CDT

Two Florida men are in trouble after they spotted a dead whale on the beach and approached it with one thought in mind: Hey, free lunch. "The thing was deader than a doornail," said one of the men picked up for questioning by state conservation officers. He told the South...