cetaceans

The DNA of a whale shows its father was a beluga and its mother was a narwhal.

In addition to detecting unseen organisms in the ocean, studies of environmental DNA can shed light on the genetic structure of marine populations.

After release from rehab, bottlenose Billie started walking on water with her tail. Studying how the behavior spread could offer clues about how animals learn from each other.

Although highly controversial now, keeping orcas in captivity helped transform popular and scientific conceptions of the marine mammal from an unfeeling killer to a complex, intelligent animal.

In Chapter 15, author Jason Colby describes a scene of captive orca release and early research into the species' behavior and social organization

Scientists examine lateralized behaviors in blue whales.

Overlooked for half a century, a skull in the Smithsonian collection points to a dolphin species that lived 25 million years ago, according to a study.

Louis Herman, who made seminal discoveries on dolphin cognition, has passed away at age 86.

Researchers report the first evidence that nearby vessels may impair the cetaceans’ foraging abilities.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute researcher Peter Tyack expresses the beauty of marine mammal communication.

An oceanic quacking sound—unidentified for 50 years—turns out to be minke whales.

What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes

A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research

In February 2009, a bottlenose dolphin named Nari swam up to the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort on Moreton Island off Australia’s Queensland. 

Dolphins heal amazingly quickly from shark bites, with no swelling, infection, and seemingly little pain, but how do they do it?

A new public science project asks people at home to match whale songs in hopes of better understanding their language.