Search Results for: Whales

Animals

Northern elephant seals sleep just two hours a day at sea

The marine mammals have truly awesome stamina for staying awake, sleeping only minutes at a time on months-long trips at sea.

Life

Mammals that live in groups may live longer, longevity research suggests

An analysis of nearly 1,000 mammal species reveals that the evolution of mammals’ social lives and life spans could be linked.

Paleontology

Mysterious ichthyosaur graveyard may have been a breeding ground

Some 230 million years ago, massive dolphinlike reptiles gathered to breed in safe waters — just like many modern whales do, a study finds.

Animals

Gory footage confirms orca pods can kill adult blue whales

For the first time, three recorded events show that orcas do hunt and eat blue whales using coordinated attacks that have worked on other large whales.

Math

‘Once Upon a Prime’ finds the hidden math in literature

In her new book, mathematician Sarah Hart explains how math shapes all sorts of literary works, from nursery rhymes to Moby-Dick.

Animals

A 2,200-year-old poop time capsule reveals secrets of the Andean condor

Guano that has accumulated in a cliffside Andean condor nest for 2,200 years reveals how the now-vulnerable birds responded to a changing environment.

Animals

A ‘trapdoor’ made of muscle and fat helps fin whales eat without choking

An “oral plug” may explain how lunge-feeding fin whales don’t choke and drown as they fill their mouths with prey and water while eating.

Animals

Baleen whales eat (and poop) a lot more than we realized

The sheer volume of food that some whales eat and then excrete suggests the animals shape ecosystems to a much larger degree than previously thought.

Paleontology

Megatooth sharks may have been higher on the food chain than any ocean animal ever

Some megalodons and their ancestors were the ultimate apex predators, outeating all known marine animals, researchers report.