Congratulations, you paid a couple hundred dollars to contribute to an intelligent mammal being used to entertain people in a big pool every day.... You're real special!

Hi! Does anyone know anything or have books/webpages/resources about indigenous legends involving magical and shapeshifting dolphins in South America? Is the available information just scarce? I looked online in Spanish and English and only found some mentions and overviews of these stories within articles about the dolphins' natural history (which is also interesting).

I'd be glad to hear about any other interesting whale histories or facts if anyone has some.

Thank you!

Hello! I was hiking today and found a carcass on the beach in Pacifica, CA. It was headless, and there was a mild amount of gore. I was wondering (out of curiosity) if there was anyone who could identify it, which is much harder without the head.

I've put the pictures behind an IMGUR link, just so that nobody accidentally sees them. It's not horrible, but there is mild gore.

https://imgur.com/a/aPMGwE4

Rice’s whales are a newly discovered species found exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico. There are believed to be only 50 remaining.

According to new research published in Scientific Reports, Rice’s whales are more vulnerable than previously thought because they are "picky eaters" — and have a highly specialized diet, primarily eating Ariomma bondi, more commonly called silver-rag driftfish.

This is not a good thing. Partly because silver-rag driftfish live in a region heavily impacted by people and industrial activity, and if they disappear, there would be cascading consequences for Rice's whales. The study's main takeaway is that a conservation strategy to protect this disappearing species must also protect its habitat and what it eats.

Read more: https://go.fiu.edu/engangered-whales

Thanks for reading /cetacea!

Infographic

Great App I use is “Whale Alert.” It’s to help prevent whale vessel strikes. It helps boaters letting you know whale Saftey zones, right whale safety zones, marine protected areas, where to reduce knots, let’s you report whale sightings dead/alive, alerts of right whales in shipping lanes, makes boats report they’re in the area of right whale zones, gives NOAA data. Everything is in real-time and visual. For those who aren’t aware it’s great for boaters and the general public! A little goes a long way to protect such beautiful animals we’re blessed to have. 🐋

https://www.whalealert.org

I very confused about identifying the differences between Bryde's and Eden's whale. I keep finding contradicting information about size and whether they are even different species. Can anyone help please?