#superpod-clustering

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London politics
fromMail Online
18 hours ago

Steve Backshall comes face-to-face with killer whales in Cornwall

Steve Backshall encountered two of the UK's last resident killer whales off Cornwall, marking a significant wildlife moment.
OMG science
fromArs Technica
2 days ago

Male octopuses guided through mating by female hormones

Octopuses have a unique reproductive process that involves a specialized appendage for mating, studied by scientists for the first time.
#sperm-whales
OMG science
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
1 week ago

Scientists saw a sperm whale giving birth. And then things got weird

Sperm whales exhibited unprecedented cooperative behavior during a calf's birth, revealing new insights into their social dynamics and communication.
OMG science
fromMail Online
1 week ago

Moby Dick was right! Sperm whales do HEADBUTT each other, study finds

Sperm whales have been observed headbutting each other, confirming long-held maritime accounts and literature references.
fromSFGATE
1 week ago

Woman finds over a dozen dead baby leopard sharks on La Jolla trail

"Not only are acts like that illegal, but it's really harming a very important, like, a biodiversity hotspot that we have right out here," Brent Fish, an aquarist with Birch Aquarium, stated.
San Jose Sharks
Pets
fromLos Angeles Times
1 week ago

Ghost, SoCal's beloved giant Pacific octopus at the Long Beach Aquarium, has died

Ghost, the giant Pacific octopus at the Long Beach Aquarium, has died after entering senescence following egg-laying.
OMG science
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 days ago

Sex at arm's length? Male octopuses use specialised arm to mate, scientists find

Male octopuses use a sensory arm to detect female hormones and deliver sperm, enabling mating even without visual contact.
Psychology
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
2 weeks ago

These fish can tell when you're staring

Fish can perceive when they or their offspring are being watched and respond with increased aggression, demonstrating attention attribution abilities previously documented mainly in primates, birds, and domestic animals.
Environment
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
2 weeks ago

Crabs are cannibalizing one another with surprising rapacity in parts of the Chesapeake Bay

Blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay cannibalize each other at such high rates that they are their own primary predatory force, accounting for 97 percent of crab deaths and injuries over a 36-year study.
OMG science
fromFuturism
6 days ago

Sharks Showing Unusually High Levels of Cocaine

Sharks in the Bahamas are testing positive for various drugs, highlighting urgent marine pollution issues.
Science
fromNature
3 weeks ago

No such thing as a shark? Genomes shake up ocean predator's family tree

Sharks may not form a natural biological group; hexanchiformes might be more closely related to rays and skates than to other sharks, making sharks a paraphyletic group.
#sperm-whale
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago
OMG science

Scientists film whale giving birth while other whales work together to help her

Scientists filmed a sperm whale giving birth, showcasing intergenerational and unrelated female support during the rare event.
fromwww.npr.org
1 week ago
OMG science

Scientists watch sperm whales work as a team to assist a birth

Researchers documented a rare sperm whale birth, showcasing cooperative behavior among whales to assist the mother and calf.
OMG science
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Scientists film whale giving birth while other whales work together to help her

Scientists filmed a sperm whale giving birth, showcasing intergenerational and unrelated female support during the rare event.
OMG science
fromwww.npr.org
1 week ago

Scientists watch sperm whales work as a team to assist a birth

Researchers documented a rare sperm whale birth, showcasing cooperative behavior among whales to assist the mother and calf.
Science
fromThe Washington Post
1 month ago

Why older whale dads are now winning the mating game

Older male humpback whales became more likely to father offspring as populations recovered from whaling, revealing long-term demographic consequences of hunting that persist decades after population rebound.
#whale-stranding
fromwww.independent.co.uk
4 weeks ago
UK news

Mass stranding of 55 whales in Scotland caused by loyalty towards pod

Over 50 pilot whales stranded on a Scottish beach in July 2023 likely died after following a female in distress during childbirth, with only one successfully refloated.
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 weeks ago
London politics

Mass stranding of whales on Scottish beach caused by loyalty to their pod, report finds

Fifty-five long-finned pilot whales stranded on Isle of Lewis in 2023 died because the pod followed a female experiencing difficult birth, driven by their strong social cohesion and protective behavior.
UK news
fromwww.independent.co.uk
4 weeks ago

Mass stranding of 55 whales in Scotland caused by loyalty towards pod

Over 50 pilot whales stranded on a Scottish beach in July 2023 likely died after following a female in distress during childbirth, with only one successfully refloated.
US news
fromBoston.com
1 month ago

In rare sightings, scientists spot blue whales in waters off Martha's Vineyard

New England Aquarium scientists documented blue whales in southern New England waters for the first time, spotting multiple whales in different locations within 24 hours.
Environment
fromFuturism
3 weeks ago

Efforts Grow to Ban Octopus Farming

Mexico's Ecologist Green Party proposed legislation to ban octopus factory farming, citing the animals' tool-use capabilities, potential consciousness, and high mortality rates in captivity.
#octopus-farming
Miami Marlins
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

Peer pressure can make this clownfish change its stripes

Tomato clownfish flexibly adjust stripe loss based on environmental cues and social hierarchy, with adult presence accelerating the fading process.
fromMail Online
1 week ago

Sharks high on COCAINE are marauding the seas around the Bahamas

'They bite things to investigate and end up exposed to substances', lead author Natascha Wosnick told Science News.
OMG science
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Animal Consciousness: Behavioral Flexibility is Ubiquitous

Consciousness exists across diverse species including insects, demonstrating that humans are not uniquely conscious and behavioral flexibility indicates sentience in nonhuman animals.
Science
fromNature
1 month ago

Daily briefing: The return of the snail - the month's best science images

Cancer blood tests show promise but lack regulatory approval and randomized trials, with concerns about false positives outweighing benefits for widespread adoption.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Bird flu kills dozens of elephant seal pups at California state park

Our team has been so dedicated working around the clock, over time, whatever it takes to continue monitoring this outbreak. It's a really hard, emotional thing to go through as undergraduate, graduate students and young scientists to watch the seals that you've gotten to know over the years get sick.
Public health
fromThe Mercury News
1 month ago

5 fantastic Whale Festivals in Northern California for spring 2026

Mendocino County is throwing four different whale fests, on the four weekends of March, each in a separate coastal community. After that comes Monterey, in April, with its big annual celebration full of science and wharf fun.
California
UK news
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 month ago

Seals have begun killing and eating dolphins and no-one knows why

Marine experts are investigating unprecedented grey seal attacks on common dolphins along the British coast, with specialists suspecting a single killer family or population may be responsible for the unusual behavior.
California
fromwww.mercurynews.com
1 month ago

5 fantastic Whale Festivals in Northern California for spring 2026

Northern California hosts multiple whale festivals in spring celebrating gray whale migration, featuring whale watching, food, music, and outdoor activities across Mendocino County and Monterey.
OMG science
fromNature
3 weeks ago

Daily briefing: Genomes shake up the shark family tree

Doom's cultural impact extends beyond gaming into scientific research, with neurons playing the game and developers porting it to unexpected devices, while shark taxonomy may require reclassification based on genomic analysis revealing Hexanchiformes as a distinct evolutionary lineage.
Environment
fromABC7 San Francisco
1 month ago

Tracking fisherman to track fish: The new technological approach to better understand ocean life

Global Fishing Watch uses AIS transponder data and artificial intelligence to track fishing vessels worldwide, providing unprecedented visibility into global fishing fleet movements and activities.
fromAeon
1 month ago

Orcas haven't changed, but our view of the killer whale has | Aeon Essays

'Orcas are psychos,' quipped a close friend recently. He wasn't joking, nor was he ill-informed. In fact, he is probably the world's leading historian of whales and people. He had just watched a BBC Earth clip, narrated by David Attenborough, in which three killer whales separate a male humpback calf from his mother in the waters of Western Australia. The video's closing footage, with two of the orcas escorting the naive youngster to his imminent death, resembles nothing so much as a kidnapping:
Philosophy
Environment
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Chronic ocean heating fuels staggering' loss of marine life, study finds

Chronic ocean warming reduces fish biomass by 7.2% per 0.1°C of seabed warming per decade, with marine heatwaves masking long-term decline through temporary population booms in cold-water regions.
Television
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Meet the merpeople: Once I put the tail on, my life was changed forever'

Mermaiding has become a global industry requiring trained free-diving performance, bespoke costume-making, formal instruction, international retreats, and career opportunities for professionals and hobbyists.
fromSFGATE
1 month ago

Rare footage captures a 'glass' animal deep in Monterey Bay

We've documented sightings of glass squids to better understand the remarkable transformations they undergo from hatchlings to adults. This new observation, captured in ultra high-resolution 4K, allowed us to zoom in on a juvenile likely no bigger than a baby carrot and reveal more details than we have been able to see before.
OMG science
Environment
fromThe Mercury News
1 month ago

Finding Sanctuary: Ranking the most wanted kelp forests

Prioritize restoration and high-resolution monitoring of kelp forests that provide critical ecological, economic, and cultural benefits, as satellite data underestimates declines.
fromenglish.elpais.com
2 months ago

Sharks become easy prey for criminal groups

In February 2023, an article in the Mexican press announced the capture of a vessel some 195 nautical miles from the port of Lazaro Cardenas in the state of Michoacan. It had been carrying nearly 700 pounds of cocaine packaged in plastic-wrapped bricks, in addition to 1,650 liters of hydrocarbons in 33 plastic containers. Two Ecuadorian fishermen were among the five detainees, and their immigration records showed unusual activity.
Law
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Canada aquarium that threatened to kill its whales wants to sell them to US

Marineland, the Canadian amusement park and aquarium which has threatened to kill its captive whales, wants government approval to sell the belugas to the United States after its China export proposal was rejected, according to an official and a former trainer. The former tourist attraction near the famed Niagara Falls has been mired in controversy for years. Twenty animals, including 19 belugas, have died at the park since 2019, according to a tally by the Canadian Press.
Canada news
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

My rookie era: I'm learning to swim in the ocean, braving the waves and marine life

I've wanted to be an ocean swimmer ever since I moved to Sydney. The idea of getting out past the waves and braving the elements excited me. I would tell anyone who would listen: Once I live closer to the beach, I'm going to be out there. Just you wait. I've lived walking distance to the beach for more than a year now. During this time, I've read a lot about ocean swimming: how swimmers overcame challenges or life-altering moments.
Mindfulness
US news
fromBoston.com
2 months ago

Whale that delighted Cape Cod watchers is found dead on Delaware shore

A young male humpback nicknamed 'Oil Change' was fatally injured by a suspected ship strike and found dead on a Delaware beach.
Science
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
2 months ago

Dolphins age more slowly with a little help from their friends

Strong, lifelong social bonds among male Shark Bay bottlenose dolphins are associated with slower biological aging measured via DNA methylation.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

Monkey Matchmaking and Why It Matters

Personality similarity in pair-bonded animals improves compatibility and well-being, suggesting matching personalities could enhance welfare of captive pair-bonded primates.
Science
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

What monogamy in the animal world tells us about ourselves

Monogamy varies widely among mammals; humans rank relatively high, while species such as beavers and Ethiopian wolves exhibit stronger pair-bonding.
Science
fromSilicon Canals
1 month ago

5 unlikely animal friendships that prove connection has no species barrier - Silicon Canals

Animals form deep, unexpected interspecies bonds that transcend instinct, demonstrating that genuine connection can override species boundaries and learned categories.
Environment
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Scientists warn of regime shift' as seaweed blooms expand worldwide

Rapidly expanding seaweed blooms, driven by warming and nutrient pollution, are transforming oceans toward a macroalgae-rich state, altering ecology, geochemistry, and climate feedbacks.
Science
fromTheregister
2 months ago

Ultimate camouflage tech mimics octopus in scientific first

Synthetic thin-film skin mimics natural camouflage by independently controlling texture and color via electron-beam patterning, water-induced swelling, and optical gold layers.
#gray-whales
Science
fromInsideHook
2 months ago

Environmental Changes May Make Sharks Less Dangerous

Ocean acidification can corrode and degrade shark teeth, reducing serrations and root structures and threatening foraging efficiency, energy uptake, and elasmobranch fitness.
Environment
fromArs Technica
2 months ago

Narwhals become quieter as the Arctic Ocean grows louder

Underwater noise from Arctic shipping causes narwhals to go silent, stop feeding, and move away, threatening marine ecosystems and Indigenous food security.
Science
fromKqed
7 months ago

Beach Day? These 5 Surprising Creatures Are Hanging Out Too | KQED

Sand dollars are flat, spine-covered sea urchins that sift sand for food, breathe through a five-petaled petaloid, and use swallowed magnetite to stay grounded.
Environment
fromThe Walrus
2 months ago

What's a Walrus? A Beast, Actually | The Walrus

Independent journalism confronts threats—climate of misinformation, economic fragility, and algorithm-driven conflict—and commits resources to rigorous fact-checking to preserve factual reporting.
fromThe Washington Post
1 month ago

Scientists have discovered one of elephants' most sensitive secrets

The list of feats Andrew Schulz has witnessed an elephant perform with its trunk is as long as, well, an elephant's trunk. These powerful proboscises are strong enough to push over 900 pound trees and gentle enough to pick up a tortilla chip without breaking it. They can snuffle along the ground to sense vibrations from far-off herd movements. They can be used to solve puzzles, peel bananas, craft tools, console a fellow pachyderm or a human friend.
Science
Environment
fromEarth911
1 month ago

Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean Conservancy's Dr. Erin Murphy Documents the Lethality of Ocean Plastics

Lethal plastic thresholds were identified across marine species, showing even small amounts of plastic can be deadly and requiring lifecycle-wide policy action.
Environment
fromwww.ocregister.com
1 month ago

Diver strikes up unlikely friendship with seal off California coast

A white harbor seal repeatedly interacts playfully with Laguna Beach freediver Rusty Hunter during multiple dives, showing growing curiosity and affection.
Science
fromNature
2 months ago

Deep-sea robots will search for source of mysterious 'dark oxygen'

Oxygen has been detected 4,000 metres deep in the Pacific, prompting funded investigations with specialized landers and lab experiments to determine its source.
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
2 months ago

Scientists Catch Jellyfish and Sea Anemones Behaving in Surprisingly Human Ways

The animals do, however, have neuronsnerve cells that appear interconnected throughout their body. And now a new study shows that how these animals sleep is surprisingly similar to humans, suggesting that sleep may have evolved before even the most primitive brains. The findings, published on Tuesday in Nature Communications, also help answer one of science's prevailing mysteries: Why do animals sleep?
Science
Environment
fromABC7 San Francisco
2 months ago

CA coast could soon be safer for whales with expansion of vessel speed reduction program

California expanded vessel slow-speed zones statewide to reduce ship strikes on migrating whales through voluntary speed reductions and monitoring technologies.
fromNature
2 months ago

Jellyfish sleep like humans - even though they don't have brains

Neither jellyfish nor sea anemones have brains. But these animals sleep in ways strikingly similar to humans, according to a study published today in Nature Communications. The findings bolster a theory that sleep evolved, at least in part, to protect the DNA in individual nerve cells, helping to repair damage that builds up while animals are awake.
Science
Environment
fromBoston.com
2 months ago

A rare whale is having an encouraging season for births. Scientists warn it might still go extinct.

North Atlantic right whale numbers are rising slightly to about 384, but far more calves and stronger protections are needed to avoid extinction.
fromwww.latimes.com
2 months ago

California diver documents close encounter with lacy, undulating sea creature far from home

It looked like the silvery blade of a knife. Peering through his goggles, diver Ted Judah had laid eyes on a deep-sea creature rarely encountered by humans. He and wife Linda were diving off McAbee Beach in Monterey County in late December when, near the surface, he spotted the undulating thing. It was some kind of ribbon fish, he wrote in a post on the Facebook group Monterey County Dive Reports. Kevin Lewand solved the mystery.
Science
fromwww.mercurynews.com
2 months ago

From fuzzy flowers to see-through sea slugs, here are some of the new species discovered last year by California scientists

But as he swept his flashlight through the dark waters, something unexpected emerged. Inching through the beam of light, an alien creature crawled across the surface of the sand, resembling an inch-long cluster of ghostly leaves fringed with silvery filigree and capped with a pair of antennae-like stalks. It immediately caught my eye, said Gosliner, Invertebrate Zoology Curator for the California Academy of Sciences. I've been diving there for 30 years and this one immediately struck me as different.
Science
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