News tagged with sperm whale

Giant kraken lair discovered

Long before whales, the oceans of Earth were roamed by a very different kind of air-breathing leviathan. Snaggle-toothed ichthyosaurs larger than school buses swam at the top of the Triassic Period ocean food ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Oct 10, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (40) | comments 66 | with audio podcast

Scientists warn of unseen deepwater oil disaster

(AP) -- Independent scientists and government officials say there's a disaster we can't see in the Gulf of Mexico's mysterious depths, the ruin of a world inhabited by enormous sperm whales and tiny, invisible ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created May 31, 2010 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (17) | comments 19

Molecular Decay of Enamel-Specific Gene in Toothless Mammals Supports Theory of Evolution

(PhysOrg.com) -- Biologists at the University of California, Riverside report new evidence for evolutionary change recorded in both the fossil record and the genomes (or genetic blueprints) of living organisms, ...

Biology / Evolution

created Sep 04, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (17) | comments 42

Giant predatory whale named for 'Moby Dick' author

(AP) -- Scientists have discovered an ancient whale whose bite ripped huge chunks of flesh out of other whales about 12 million years ago - and they've named it after the author of "Moby Dick."

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Jun 30, 2010 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (11) | comments 2

Faecal attraction: Whale poop fights climate change

Southern Ocean sperm whales are an unexpected ally in the fight against global warming, removing the equivalent carbon emissions from 40,000 cars each year thanks to their faeces, a study found on Wednesday.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Jun 15, 2010 | popularity 4 / 5 (12) | comments 5

Experts fear long oil effect on marine life, food chain

Scientists studying the massive BP oil spill fear a decades-long, "cascading" effect on marine life that could lead to a shift in the overall biological network in the Gulf of Mexico.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Jul 18, 2010 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (10) | comments 32

Study finds evidence of sperm whale culture

Differences in the patterned clicks that sperm whales use to communicate with each other seem to be down to culture and not genetics, say researchers.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 05, 2011 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (8) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

Oily whale bones puzzle solved

The puzzle of why some oily whale bones make great habitats for weird and wonderful deep sea creatures has been solved by Natural History Museum scientists this month.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 31, 2010 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (8) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Study Positively Identifies Giant Squid Presence in Gulf of Mexico

(PhysOrg.com) -- During a recent research cruise, a rare giant squid was captured in the Gulf of Mexico.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 21, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 1

Deepwater mystery: Oil loose in the Gulf

(AP) -- Streaming video of oil pouring from the seafloor and images of dead, crude-soaked birds serve as visual bookends to the natural calamity unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.

Space & Earth / Environment

created May 31, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 6

Can Whales and Dolphins Adapt to Oily Gulf?

(PhysOrg.com) -- The dead sperm whale found this week in the Gulf of Mexico puts the spotlight on how the BP oil spill will affect this endangered mammal, along with other cetaceans, such as dolphins, that ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Jun 25, 2010 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (6) | comments 19 | with audio podcast

Sperm whales have individual personalities

(PhysOrg.com) -- In a recent study published in Animal Behaviour by Dalhousie University biologists Hal Whitehead and Shane Gero, the concept that sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are individuals is being lear ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Mar 16, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 4 | with audio podcast weblog

Biologists interpret the language of sperm whales

When they dive together, sperm whales make patterns of clicks to each other known as "codas". Recent findings suggest that, not only do different codas mean different things, but that whales can also tell ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 12, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Thieving whale caught on video gives rare clues about hunting strategy, sound production

For decades scientists have been intrigued by the variety of sounds emitted by sperm whales, partly due to a popular theory that suggests that the sounds might contain information about the animals' size. ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 21, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 2

Triangles Go Underwater and Supersonic

(PhysOrg.com) -- The seemingly effortless way dolphins and porpoises slice through the water and the unique capabilities of the supersonic Concorde airplane have more in common than one might think.

Biology / Other

created Jun 30, 2009 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (7) | comments 1