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Left image shows a drawing of a sea monster depicted in light green and sticking its head out of the water to gobble up fish. The right image shows a digital illustration of a whale eating in a similar way.

Terrifying sea monster 'hafgufa' described in medieval Norse manuscripts is actually a whale

By Sascha Pare published

Scientists in Australia think that a sea monster in 13th-century Norse manuscripts was actually an accurate description of a whale using trap feeding.

Whales
A mother and baby orca breaching in the ocean.

Orca males are burnouts who let their moms do all the hunting, surprising study finds

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Mama orcas are forgoing having more young and instead dote on their existing sons.

Orcas
The newly born calf swims alongside its mother. The pair were seemingly unaffected by the onlooking boats.

Extremely rare gray whale birth captured on camera, possibly for the first time

By Harry Baker published

A lucky group of whale watchers recently watched a gray whale calf being birthed off the coast of California. It could be the first time that this incredible phenomenon has ever been caught on camera.

Whales
A bizarre lump of white flesh on Mariazon Beach in Cornwall, England, on Oct. 27. Experts think that it is likely to be a whale's stomach.

Weird 'alien' sacks wash up on UK beach, most likely a whale's stomach

By Harry Baker published

A dog-walker recently stumbled across a bizarre, white "fleshy lump" on a beach in Cornwall, England. Experts think that the unusual object is actually part of a whale's stomach.

Whales
This drone image taken just off the coast near Esperance in Australia shows a juvenile humpback swimming alongside a southern right whale that has potentially adopted the young calf.

Whale sighting in Australia hints at 'extremely unusual' interspecies adoption

By Harry Baker last updated

An adult southern right whale was recently spotted swimming alongside a humpback whale calf. Experts think the larger whale may have adopted the juvenile after it lost its real mother.

Whales
A new study suggests that blue whales may ingest up to 10 million pieces of microplastics every day at peak feeding times.

A blue whale's daily intake of microplastics weighs as much as a small person

By Harry Baker published

Researchers estimate that blue whales may each consume up to 10 million pieces of microplastic every day during their main feeding season as they chow down on plastic-filled prey.

Whales
Drone footage shows a pod of killer whales attacking and killing a great white shark in South Africa.

Grisly new footage shows orcas attacking a great white shark and eating its liver

By Brandon Specktor last updated

Newly released video shows a gang of killer whales in South Africa attack and slaughter a great white shark.

Orcas
orca killer whale looking out of the water at sunset, off Kaldfjorden in Norway.

Orcas: Facts about killer whales

By Alina Bradford, Patrick Pester last updated

reference Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphin family.

reference
An aerial photograph of a Rice's whale in the Gulf of Mexico. The species was officially named in 2021 and is endemic to the northeast region of the gulf, making it the only whale species endemic to U.S. waters.

Newfound whale species that lives exclusively in US waters may already be on the brink of extinction

By Harry Baker published

A group of more than 100 international researchers has signed an open letter to the Biden administration calling for urgent action to save Rice's whale from extinction.

Whales
beluga whale

A Parasite Spread by Cat Poop Is Infecting (and Probably Killing) Whales in Canada

By Brandon Specktor last updated

Fifteen of 34 dead beluga whales tested positive for a potentially lethal cat-poop parasite.

Whales
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