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Mother and baby beluga bond at Vancouver Aquarium when grandmother introduced
The new-born baby whale latched on to her mother and began the trial-and-error process of nursing underwater. This is no easy task since the baby has to avoid sucking in salt water.
The new-born baby whale latched on to her mother and began the trial-and-error process of nursing underwater. This is no easy task sin... more -
Video: Watch the Beluga Birth
Cool live birth of Vancouver Aquarium Beluga giving birth to female calf.
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Birth of Baby Beluga
12 year old Qila gave birth to her female calf at the Vancouver Aquarium Tuesday. This is a second generation born in captivity, Qila's birth home was also the Vancouver Aquarium. 12 year old Qila gave birth to her female calf at the Vancouver Aquarium Tuesday. This is a second generation born in captivity, Qila'... more
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Whalemeat traders 'defying ban'
About 60 tons of meat from fin whales caught in the 2006 Icelandic hunt was reportedly sent with a much smaller amount of minke meat from Norway.
The meat had already arrived in Japan, although a Japanese official said no request to import it had been received.
Conservation groups say the trade will damage attempts to bridge the gap between pro- and anti-whaling nations.
The fin whale is listed as Endangered on the internationally recognised Red List of Threatened Species.
But Iceland maintains populations are high enough in the North Atlantic that a small annual kill, such as the seven caught in 2006, is sustainable.
This is Iceland's first whalemeat export to Japan in nearly 20 years.
About 60 tons of meat from fin whales caught in the 2006 Icelandic hunt was reportedly sent with a much smaller amount of minke meat f... more -
Study: N. Pacific humpback whale population rises
Once hunted to the brink of extinction, humpback whales have made a dramatic comeback in the North Pacific Ocean over the past four decades, a new study says.
The study released Thursday by SPLASH, an international organization of more than 400 whale watchers, estimates there were between 18,000 and 20,000 of the majestic mammals in the North Pacific in 2004-2006.
Their population had dwindled to less than 1,500 before hunting of humpbacks was banned worldwide in 1966.
"It's not a complete success, but it's definitely very encouraging in terms of the recovery of the species," said Jeff Walters, co-manager of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
The study, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the most comprehensive analysis ever of any large whale population, said David Mattila, science coordinator for the sanctuary.
At least half of the humpback whales migrate between Alaska and Hawaii, and that population is the healthiest, Mattila said.
But isolated populations that migrate from Japan and the Philippines to Russia are taking a longer to recover after whaling operations ceased, he said.
"Whales are long-lived and give birth one at a time .... so if the population gets pushed too low, it may take quite awhile to come back. Maybe that's what's happening in the west," Mattila said.
The whales are protected under federal laws that include the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.
Their resurgence could spark a debate over whether they should still be considered endangered, said Naomi McIntosh, superintendent for the humpback sanctuary.
"Those discussions are bound to happen, and we knew that going into the study, we anticipated it," she said. "I think it's too early to make that call."
The number of collisions between whales and boats has been increasing, probably because the population is larger, Walters said. Whale entanglements in marine debris, fishing gear and aquaculture structures also are a growing concern.
The whale count was made based on data collected from Hawaii, Mexico, Asia, Central America, Russia, the Aleutians, Canada and the United States' northwest coast.
The study used a system of photographing whale flukes - the lobes of a whale's tail - in six different feeding and breeding areas around the world, and then matching the pictures with whale flukes photographed in wintering areas. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, humpback whales have made a dramatic comeback in the North Pacific Ocean over the past four de... more -
Okinawa, Japan 10: Ocean Expo Park and Churaumi Aquarium
Ocean Expo Park is a great place to stop in Okinawa. It's home to Churaumi Aquarium - the second largest aquarium in the world. Seeing the whale shark swim by makes it worth the stop just by itself.
Check out my travel video web site - StrayCompass.com
To see more Okinawan videos - head to AgileH.com
Stay tuned for more great videos about Okinawa. Ocean Expo Park is a great place to stop in Okinawa. It's home to Churaumi Aquarium - the second largest aquarium in the world. Seeing... more -
Whale Watching In San Ignacio
Apart from the weather this trip was amazing and well worth seeing. We got to whales and dolphins. It is amazing to think that that whale is only baby. I have more footage of this and i will try and get it to you Apart from the weather this trip was amazing and well worth seeing. We got to whales and dolphins. It is amazing to think that that wh... more
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Sperm Whale Attack
Japanese fisherman try to help a stranded sperm whale get back to the ocean but things turn from bad to worse as the whale capsizes one of the boats causing one fisherman to drown. Japanese fisherman try to help a stranded sperm whale get back to the ocean but things turn from bad to worse as the whale capsizes on... more
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Top 10 Hybrid Animals
Tyon, Liger, Wolf-Dog are all fine, but really the Wolphin - love child of a dolphin and whale - has to win flippers down.
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