5 h. ago Watch: Scientists discover Orcas using seaweed for surprising behaviour in drone footage

The strange ritual, dubbed allokelping, is thought to strengthen social bonds within orca pods

Events

7 h. ago Orcas observed ‘making seaweed tools’ to massage each other, study suggests

Scientists observed the surprising social behaviour, dubbed allokelping, in drone footage of killer whales

Politics

7 h. ago Killer whales seen grooming each other with kelp in first for marine tool use

Behavior in orca population off coast of US and Canada captured by scientists using drone observationKiller whales have been observed mutually grooming each other with a type of seaweed, the first known instance of a marine animal using tools in a way that was previously thought to be the preserve of primates such as humans.A group of killer whales, which are also known as orcas, have been biting off short sections of bull kelp and then rolling these stems between their bodies, possibly to remove dead skin or parasites. The behavior is the first such documented mutual grooming in marine animals and is outlined in a new scientific paper. Continue reading...

Events

7 h. ago Orcas make seaweed tools to scratch each other’s backs, new research finds

Killer whales were observed detaching lengths of seaweed and massaging each other with it in the wild, a new study has suggested - making waves in the scientific community

Politics

1 week ago My unexpected Pride icon: Free Willy helped me see the radical power of coming out

An oppressed orca breaking free to find its true family? It may not be obviously queer, but I’ve found much comfort in Willy and Jesse’s story in this filmI don’t know precisely when I first watched Free Willy. But I do remember that the film was central to a childhood obsession with whales – orcas, specifically – that followed me well into adulthood. (I still remember a lot of random facts, such as “killer whales can live up to 90 years old!” and “their pregnancies are 17 months long!”)Released in 1993, just a few months after I was born, the film follows Jesse – a moody 12-year-old foster kid with abandonment issues – and his unlikely friendship with Willy, an orca confined in a far-too-small pool at a local marine park. Jesse and Willy have a lot in common. Both are antisocial, stubborn and mistrustful, but form a close bond – one that sees Jesse determined to free Willy from the park where he is being exploited for profit by an evil businessman. It’s a classic good v evil tale –...

Politics

2 w. ago Harrowing plight of world's loneliest killer whales and dolphins: Tragic stories behind majestic sea creatures neglected and abused in marine parks

Some of the most disturbing cases of animal abuse in recent memory have unfolded at marine parks.

Events