Nitrogen isotopes are used to figure out the level at which whales feed in food webs, but getting accurate measurements from skin samples is difficult since oils in skin bias the measurements. A new paper corrects for this bias.
Joy Cabrol: doi.org/10.1111/mms....
Fighter jet https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/xf-92a-delta-wing/
How do blue whales stop themselves tipping over when they inflate their lower jaw to engulf krill? The upper jaw! The triangular shape of the upper jaw keeps them swimming forward, acting like the delta-shaped wings of a fighter jet
Fish et al. 2026: doi.org/10.1111%2Fmm...
They are often very skinny when they come past that point in Australia after a long winter with low food intake, makes them look very slender and long
12.02.2026 02:21 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
People don't realize that we share Earth with largest animals to ever exist in the history of our planet.💙😎💙
Majestic Blue whale surfaced near Busselton Jetty, Australia.🇦🇺
Incredible video of blue whales in Loreto, Mexico, and the unique whale-watching methods used there that involve complete passive boats, engines off, resulting in lower stress for the whales, and longer times between deep dives, and a better whale watching experience!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJxa...
Preprint: our systematic review of hybrids between blue whales and fin whales. There are 46 possible cases, of which 17 have been genetically confirmed (15 from the North Atlantic!)
doi.org/10.22541/au....
Three blue whale sightings in the open waters of the SE Arabian Sea in 2024. Sightings here are rare, although strandings are common, perhaps because blue whales are mostly found far from shore in deep water.
doi.org/10.6024/jmba...
Right whales, humpback whales, and other species likely were hunted in Brazil 5000 years ago, well before evidence of whale hunting in other regions. Remains even include one blue whale bone
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Blue whale songs continue to decline in frequency (deepening) in all examined populations. New work in New Zealand shows this decline is slowing over time. Songs are also higher frequency when there is more singing (during the breeding season, Feb-June).
Barlow et al.
doi.org/10.1121/10.0...
COMING SOON!!!!!! Entire volume on blue whales by Whalewatcher, that I have been given the great honor of guest editing! So many amazing articles in prep already.
06.01.2026 04:33 — 👍 103 🔁 16 💬 6 📌 3
Staggering array of bacteria genera (genera!) sequenced from the blows of blue whales.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Stable isotopes and mercury in baleen plates
PhD dissertation by Malia Smith
www.proquest.com/docview/3283...
Tags on blue whales in the eastern North Pacific show regions of high use (California, Baja, Costa Rica Dome) but also occasional vagrant blue whales heading to Hawaii, Gulf of Alaska and the Galapagos.
By Palacios et al. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
For those interested, my talk was recorded and posted here: "FEAR: the impact of killer whales on baleen whales"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lnU...
Haha! Absolutely it must help as well as being the best way to go after squid at 3000 m depth. There is a cool paper on how fear of killer whales drives synchrony in beaked whales returning to the surface at angles: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
20.11.2025 03:49 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Blue whales in the NW Atlantic produce at least five types non-song calls ("audible calls" >25 Hz), labeled as short downsweeps, medium downsweeps, long downsweeps, hooks, and arches. These calls are associated with feeding, social calls, and reproductive competition.
doi.org/10.1121/10.0...
FEAR: the impact of killer whales on baleen whales
Talk on 19 November by yours truly!
24.10.2025 03:25 —
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Has anyone digitized Mackintosh & Wheeler (1929) Appendix III: measurements of bodily proportions of blue and fin whales?
24 measurements of each of a few thousand whales
The earliest known clearly identifiable blue whale stranding, 1 March 1594. Translation includes: length of about 80 ft, and 200 jet-black baleen plates, stranded on the border of Belgium and the Netherlands
Source: Bor (1681, p. 784)
Postdoc fitting Bayesian spatial models to various streams of data on humpback whales with @afredston.bsky.social at Santa Cruz, CA
recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF02003
Wonderful infographic on my paper showing that "flight" species of baleen whales generally call too deeply and quietly to be heard by hunting killer whales, unlike the "fight" club.
By A Haddock & C.A. Gallagher, SMM Education Committee
Paper here: doi.org/10.1111/mms....
We still love Tui De Roy’s photo she let us use on the cover of @society4conbio.bsky.social!
12.09.2025 18:11 — 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0Wow that is an incredible photo! Somehow I didn't realize that was the front cover for our paper!
12.09.2025 23:16 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Does anyone have any incredible photos of blue whales that you are willing to share for a special issue on blue whales, e.g. drone, interesting behavior, gorgeous backdrops, mother-calves, etc.?
12.09.2025 17:50 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
Blue whale songs from the central/western North Pacific population heard in the Northern Marianas, peaking in June and December but relatively low call numbers and likely from distance animals. No visual sightings of blue whales in survey.
Source: doi.org/10.1371/jour...
Two new blue whale strandings off the SW coast of India in 2023
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Blue whales not so great at turning corners, as measured by centripetal acceleration, only better than gray whales, while humpbacks are the clear champions (allowing them to produce tight bubble rings for feeding).
doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
Humpback whales are amazingly maneuverable, due to their extremely long flippers, and can turn on a dime. Blue whales are not too bad but clearly built for long-distance speed and not turning
doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
