The Cancer Paradox in Whales Whales are among the largest animals on Earth, yet they rarely get cancer. This seems counterintuitive given their massive size and long lifespan. More cells should mean more chances for mutations leading to cancer. However, studies show whales have evolved powerful anti-cancer mechanisms. Scientists call this mystery Peto’s Paradox. Understanding...
About 100 whales gathered together off the coast of West Australia to form a beautiful picture. The exact location was some distance from Cheynes Beach in southern WA. The incident took place on July 25th. WA’s Parks and Wildlife Services posted the pod of whales’ images on Facebook, alongside an explanation of the phenomenon. The...
Many people assume great white sharks dominate the aquatic food chain. It’s the largest and deadliest predatory shark in the world with hundreds of dagger-sharp teeth. So many people were shocked to witness a pod of killer whales attacking and killing at least two great white sharks off Mossel Bay in South Africa. Although researchers...
In 2016, SeaWorld officially ended its killer whale breeding program, making the ones already in their parks the last. Many people celebrated this announcement. Research has found that orcas do not thrive in captivity. For one, they are massive creatures who swim 40 miles a day on average in the wild, diving 100 to 500...
Humans, dogs, cats, and many other mammals sleep in similar ways. We lay down, close our eyes, and drift off into dreamland. Aquatic animals, however, can’t just lay down on the ocean floor, so how do they rest? In a rare photo of sleeping whales, a photographer revealed how these massive cetaceans get some shut-eye,...
A pod of Southern fin whales appeared by ancestral feeding grounds in Antarctica, where they haven’t been seen since the 1970s. The report published in Scientific Reports includes a video of about 150 fin whales feeding near Elephant Island, Antarctica. [1] The researchers say this could indicate the repopulation of fin whale populations that had...
A heart-wrenching video reveals the painful reality for a killer whale named Kshamenk, who has been confined to a small concrete pool at Mundo Marino, Argentina’s largest aquarium, since 1992. Dubbed the ‘world’s loneliest orca,’ Kshamenk can be seen in a timelapse video, staring blankly at a gate in the water for hours on end....
Fisherman Cy Williams managed to film a humpback whale emerging next to a dock, its huge mouth open. Onlookers are shocked to see the creature hunt so close to shore. It had swum beneath docks and tied boats at the Knudson Cove Marina in Ketchikan, Alaska. The whale was so close the video captured the...
For nature and animal lovers, it’s no great revelation that people don’t always treat other animals with the kindness and respect they deserve. However, as more information becomes readily available, we’ve all learned more about how animals have been treated. Furthermore, we’re learning how that treatment has impacted the way they interact with humans, including...
SeaWorld is an American theme park well-known for its marine animal shows. However, it’s also well-known for orca attacks and controversies. A documentary called Blackfish created negative press around the park and its animal treatment, leading to 2016, when SeaWorld announced the end of their in-park orca breeding program. Hopefully, this will mean the end...
Imagine going for a walk along the beach, something you do on a regular basis. But, on this occasion, you stumble across something smelly that promises to change you life. This is what happened to a couple in Lancashire, UK. They found a valuable piece of ambergris, which is commonly known as whale vomit. Couple...
Believe it or not, cows are not all meaningless mooing and slow blinks. A study suggests that these animals communicate with each other about how they feel through their vocal expressions. Cows may not be the most intelligent creatures out there, but they are some of the compassionate, and humans must learn to respect this. ...
