LEAF SHAPED FANGS?! PACIFIC DISCOVERY LINKS UNPRECEDENTED FIND! GINKO BEAKED WHALES

Unprecedented!   OOOOH this is great!

UNION RAYO: GOODBYE TO DECADES OF ASSUMPTIONS : GINKO BEAKED WHALES

Excerpt: For the first time in history, a team of scientists managed to see, record and document the elusive ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens) swimming in open sea, off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. And the best part is that with this encounter they also solved a mystery that had been puzzling experts for more than a decade, a mysterious acoustic signal, the famous BW43, that no one had managed to attribute to a specific species.

.... For the first time, a species known only from stranded remains was alive, recorded, confirmed!!! Now scientists can track this species without seeing it, just by listening to its signals in the ocean.

Battles, wounds and sharks

The ginkgo-toothed beaked whale has a distinctive feature and it is that the males develop two flat leaf-shaped teeth near the tip of the snout. They do not use them to eat, but to fight with other males for the females.

The photos show long scars, cuts, white lines, many battles on their backs. In addition, many had circular bite marks made by sharks called “cookie cutters”.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A WHALE DIES IN THE OCEAN ? : WHALE FALL - NOURISHING AN ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM : UK : WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WHALES DIE 

Excerpt:

Whale carcasses take decades to fully decompose and can provide food for an entire ecosystem on the dark depths of the ocean floor. ...Decay sets in soon after the death of a whale, as the insides begin to decompose. The animal then expands with gas and sometimes floats up to the ocean's surface, where it can be scavenged by sharks and seabirds.

Eventually the ocean giant will begin to sink, falling kilometre after kilometre, until finally coming to rest on the seabed. This is when the carcass becomes known as a whale fall.

Whale falls can nourish an entire ecosystem of deep-sea creatures, from large scavengers to microscopic bacteria. They provide inhabitants of the mostly deserted ocean floor with a sudden and immense source of food...

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Keep reading!

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A WHALE DIES BEACHED? THIS IS KINDA GROSS! THEY CAN EXPLODE!

This is an older article from the Guardian in September 2022

GUARDIAN : ENVIRONMENT : WHALE STRANDINGS : WHAT HAPPENS TO DEAD WHALE BODIES?

Excerpt: Two mass strandings in Tasmanian waters in a week has left about 200 pilot whales and 14 sperm whales dead. ... In warmer climates, the internal decomposition of dead whales can result in spontaneous explosions. Gut bacteria in the whales can multiply quickly, producing large quantities of methane gas. “If the rest of the body is still intact – if the outer layer, the blubber, is still intact and not broken up – then it can lead to an explosion,” Meynecke said.

In 2004, the decomposing carcass of a 60-tonne, 17-metre sperm whale expoded on a busy streetin the Taiwanese city of Tainan, “showering cars and shops with blood and organs and stopping traffic for hours”. ...

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Check out the video of the whale stomach exploding! Ewwwe!

WHO ME?

 

SPERM WHALE COMMUNICATION CODA'S

TECHNOLOGY REVIEW COM : THE WAY SPERM WHALES COMMUNICATE check out the article and the video!

EXCERPT: But there’s also a lot we don’t know about them, including what they may be trying to say to one another when they communicate using a system of short bursts of clicks, known as codas. Now, new research published in Nature Communications today suggests that sperm whales’ communication is actually much more expressive and complicated than was previously thought.

A team of researchers led by Pratyusha Sharma at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) working with Project CETI, a nonprofit focused on using AI to understand whales, used statistical models to analyze whale codas and managed to identify a structure to their language that’s similar to features of the complex vocalizations humans use. Their findings represent a tool future research could use to decipher not just the structure but the actual meaning of whale sounds.

The team analyzed recordings of 8,719 codas from around 60 whales collected by the Dominica Sperm Whale Project between 2005 and 2018, using a mix of algorithms for pattern recognition and classification. They found that the way the whales communicate was not random or simplistic, but structured depending on the context of their conversations. This allowed them to identify distinct vocalizations that hadn’t been previously picked up on.

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Are  you practicing your clicks?

MINKE WHALE DIES : SANDBAR : BOATS : STARVATION? : WHALE STRANDINGS DRAMATIC INCREASE

It appears that a Minke whale may have been starving, come close to shore, got stranded on a sandbar, and in it's struggle to get free, hit into a boat, throwing a boat occupant.. Here's the coverage by Newsweek.

NEWSWEEK : MINKE WHALES DIES AFTER BOAT COLLISION


Excerpt: However, vessel strikes, entanglement, and habitat disturbances remain significant threats to whales along the eastern seaboard.

U.S. maritime law, specifically the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, prohibits the harassment, hunting, capturing, or killing of marine mammals. The law includes specific rules for recreational and commercial vessels, requiring operators to avoid approaching whales within 100 yards and to reduce speed in certain areas to minimize the risk of collisions.


CBS NEWS: MINKE WHALE DEATH EXAMINATION RESULTS


Excerpts: The whale was 26 feet, 4 inches long and confirmed to be an adult female. The MMSC said the whale's body condition was thin. It also had "superficial cuts" externally and "bruising present in the blubber and muscle in the areas of trauma on the dorsal side." Blood was also present in the whale's lungs, according to the MMSC. .... "GI tract was empty with very little digestive material present, and a scant amount of fecal matter," the MMSC wrote. "Lesions were present in the stomach."

SETI PROJECT : HUMPBACK WHALES BLOW RINGS ON THE SURFACE OF THE OCEAN

Excerpt: June 5, 2025, Mountain View, CA -- A team of scientists from the SETI Institute and the University of California at Davis documented, for the first time, humpback whales producing large bubble rings, like a human smoker blowing smoke rings, during friendly interactions with humans. This previously little studied behavior may represent play or communication. Humpback whales are already known for using bubbles to corral prey and creating bubble trails and bursts when competing to escort a female whale. These new observations show humpback whales producing bubble rings during friendly encounters with humans. This finding contributes to the WhaleSETI team’s broader goal of studying non-human intelligence to aid in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

SETI NEWS : WHALES BLOW SMOKE RINGS

WHALE LANGUAGE ! WHALE SETI : SCIENTISTS HAD A CONVERSATION WITH AN ALASKAN WHALE

SETI ORG WHALE SETI : WHALE LANGUAGE


YES! SETI IS MOST COMMONLY THOUGHT OF AS A PROJECT THAT WILL MEAN COMMUNICATION WITH CREATURES NOT OF THIS EARTH. In my opinion communication with the whales is more valuable...

EXCERPT: December 12, 2023, Mountain View, CA -- A team of scientists from the SETI Institute, University of California Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation, had a close encounter with a non-human (aquatic) intelligence. The Whale-SETI team has been studying humpback whale communication systems in an effort to develop intelligence filters for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In response to a recorded humpback ‘contact’ call played into the sea via an underwater speaker, a humpback whale named Twain approached and circled the team’s boat, while responding in a conversational style to the whale ‘greeting signal.’ During the 20-minute exchange, Twain responded to each playback call and matched the interval variations between each signal.

OCEANA : PROTECT ENDANGERED SPECIES WITH LEGAL ACTION : 10% OF GLOBAL FISH CATCH IS DISCARDED

OCEANA CAMPAIGNS : SAVE ENDANGERED SPECIES 

EXCERPT: Did you know that one of the most impactful ways to protect endangered ocean species is to prevent them from being unintentionally caught up in fishing gear?

About 10% of the world’s global fish catch is discarded. And each year, fishing gear kills or injures millions of non-targeted animals as bycatch, including sharks, whales, dolphins, fish, and sea turtles, some of which are vulnerable or endangered ocean species.

In recent years, Oceana has helped to ban the deadly shark fin trade in the United States and Canada. Oceana is continuing to work to reduce bycatch and protect important species like the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from destructive fishing practices and other human caused threats.

Oceana and our allies have won more than 75 victories to protect threatened and endangered ocean species, including sharks, sea turtles, and whales.Did you know that one of the most impactful ways to protect endangered ocean species is to prevent them from being unintentionally caught up in fishing gear?

About 10% of the world’s global fish catch is discarded. And each year, fishing gear kills or injures millions of non-targeted animals as bycatch, including sharks, whales, dolphins, fish, and sea turtles, some of which are vulnerable or endangered ocean species.

In recent years, Oceana has helped to ban the deadly shark fin trade in the United States and Canada. Oceana is continuing to work to reduce bycatch and protect important species like the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale from destructive fishing practices and other human caused threats.

Oceana and our allies have won more than 75 victories to protect threatened and endangered ocean species, including sharks, sea turtles, and whales.

ROBERT E. FULLER COMBINES ACTIVISM WITH ART : HUMPBACK WHALES IN ALASKAN WATERS

A few months ago I started watching Robert. E. Fullers YouTube channel.  What an amazing person! This short video on humpback whales is just one of his very many.  If you follow his channel you'll learn how to help birds survive by building safe nesting spots for them, and so much more.  Robert is also fine artist who sells his work.

DRONES RECORD HUNDREDS OF WHALES : CHANGES IN SIZE OF FEMALES AND CALVES : DROP IN BIRTHRATE : HEATWAVES EFFECT

SEATTLE TIMES : DRONES RECORD HUNDREDS OF WHALES by Brendan Rascius  of McClatchy News 

EXCERPT: ... scientists documented dramatic changes in the size of the mothers and calves and in humpback birthrates.
Changes in size

Between 2018 and 2022, “a total of 2,410 measurements were taken from 1,659 individuals, with 405 repeat measurements from 137 lactating females used to track changes in maternal body volume over migration,” Martin van Aswegen, one of the study authors, said in a news release from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

In six months, they decreased in body volume by 17% on average. Specifically, the mothers off Hawaii — where the whales breed — lost about 214 pounds of blubber each day.

Comparatively, nonpregnant and pregnant females off Alaska — where the whales feed — gained size much faster than new mothers, putting on weight between two and six times the rate of lactating females.

Calves, in contrast, rapidly put on weight. They increased their body volume by about 395%, and their length increased by nearly 60%.

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KEEP READING! 

NARWHALE

 

SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE : ONE IN THREE FISH FOR HUMAN FOOD HAS PLASTIC IN IT AND OTHER STATS!

SAS ORG : PLASTIC STATS  For wildlife such as fish, dolphins, seabirds, and seals it can be fatal..  A whale with thirty plastic bags in its stomach....Immerse yourself in plastic trash and its shocking impact on our blue planet to better understand the big issues at play.

PBS BRINGS US "THE MYSTERIES OF THE EARTH'S LARGEST OCEAN - THE PACIFIC : GATEWAY TO THE FULL SERIES

PBS Passport: https://to.pbs.org/2rxTvJS | #BigPacificPBS

Settle in and watch an episode at a time or the whole series! 

WHALES BODY WAS COVERED WITH THOUSANDS OF BARNACLES - A SCIENCE ADVENTURE

Paws and Hearts YouTube brings us this beautiful video... But is this a Delicious Fiction?

CALIFORNIA FIRES : SMOKE HUNDREDS OF MILES OUT OVER THE PACIFIC : IMPACT ON WHALES AND OTHER SEA CREATURES

Yes the smoke and debris in the air eventually settle down onto the earth and into the ocean waters. Here's am article on the impact from the PACIFIC WHALE FOUNDATION: PACIFIC WHALE FOUNDATION : WILDFIRE IMPACTS ON OCEAN AND SEA CREATURES

Excerpt:  OCEAN - A large influx of ash and debris, including metals and chemicals, enters waterways, especially following precipitation.  This massive sediment load smothers the coastal ecosystem, covering coral reefs, resulting in significant habitat loss and, eventually, fish and invertebrate mortality.  The resulting water cloudiness reduces light penetration necessary for plants to conduct photosynthesis.  The influx of run-off, which includes nutrients, and sedimentation can induce harmful algae blooms that deplete oxygen levels and cause fish and other animal die-offs.  Subsequently, ash and debris loads are spread wide by tides, currents, and winds, magnifying their effects though nearshore environments.

PACIFIC WHALE FOUNDATON WHALE and DOLPHIN TRACKER APP is FREE

Excerpt:  This map displays the previous 7 days of sightings in near-real time and does not rely on tagged whales. The app is free to use and open to all users who would like to add their own whale and dolphin sightings when they are at-sea. You can use the species and date filters to view sightings from the past 12 months.

PACIFIC WHALE : DOPHIN AND WHALE TRACKER APP

THE LAST OCEAN : ANTARTICA'S ROSS SEA PROJECT : SAVING THE MOST PRISTINE ECOSYSTEM ON EARTH

A fantastic book (think of it when gifting!) full of adventure and amazing photography.  Some of the subjects... way more than I could put in labels... Emperor Penguins, Adelie Penguins, Minke Whales, Killer Whales,  The Ross Ice Shelf, McMurdo Research Station, Shakelton's Hut (circa 1908 - a historical monument to survival), underwater Antarctica, Weddell Seals....

HOW SEALS USE THEIR LUNGS TO DIVE DEEPER AND THIER INCREASED CAPACITY TO USE OYGEN.

THE FORMATION OF SEA ICE... BLUE ICEBERGS... 

BY THE EARLY 1970's THE WHALE POPULATION HAD PLUMMETED BY 90%.

HELLO

A rowboat to be used in a lake in the big ocean.  Not for nothing that I tagged this one with the term Delicious Fiction. Generated by AI through Freepik...

BEAUTIFUL WHALE : BRYANT AUSTIN PHOTOGRAPHER GETS UP CLOSE TO WHALES

STUDIO COSMOS : BRYANT AUSTIN PHOTOGRAPHER 

Humpback, Sperm, and Minke Whales up close....

A beautiful book!

All those fish hiking a ride...

Such intelligent eyes!