Revealing Blue Whale Mysteries! (Written February 28, 2013) “Sulphur-bottom” whales, so-named for the lemon-yellow colouring on their under-bellies (actually diatoms that grow on them in rich Antarctic waters), are also known as blue whales, despite actually being grey in colour. When they dive below the surface the blue of the water is reflected into our eyes off […]
Curt Jenner, Managing Director of CWR, recently responded to a reader who asked – What does studying blue whales and collecting this new information allow us to do for our planet? Well, we believe this is as “big picture” as it gets. Our study examines the core ecosystem issues that drive the southern ocean […]
“Fly-bridge – this is the wheelhouse, hey we have “carpenter-fish” – sperm whales, the bearing is to the south, see if you can see the blows, the signals are strong, the animals must be close!” From the flying bridge of Whale Song, the cetacean observation team are looking for marine mammals in the […]
The power and spectacle of a 40 ton humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching clear out of the water is truly unforgettable. Humpback whales are the acrobats of the ocean and the minstrels of the sea! Breaching can be used in many ways by a whale depending on the situation. Male whales competing for available females […]
Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are a cosmopolitan rorqual whale, one of the eight or nine extant species of whale (there are 5 extinct species) recognised for their unique filter feeding mouth parts, their baleen plates. Most of these species are migratory, travelling huge distances between summer polar feeding regions and winter tropical breeding grounds. Fin […]
Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) raise their huge strong flukes in a deep sounding dive reaching depths of 3 km for up to 2 hours. At depth, they feed on squid which they stun with powerful blasts of focused echolocation clicks, before crushing them with their peg-like teeth. Sometimes white, ring-shaped, scars from the suckers on […]
Linking physical oceanographic variables with whale distribution is the latest technique the Centre is using to guide industry and government in regards to developing deep water areas never previously examined for cetaceans. Industry leaders INPEX, Woodside Energy and Shell have help fund the Centre’s ambitious plans to begin mapping the deep off-shore waters of Western […]
