Marine mammal news, features and articles

From sea lions to killer whales (and even polar bears), there's a great diversity of marine mammals living across Earth's oceans. At Live Science, we guide you through the underwater worlds of our marine relatives with the latest news, features and articles, so whether our expert writers and editors are explaining why deep-diving mammals don't black out or reporting on a gray whale breaking the mammal migration record, you'll always have interesting marine mammal facts to read.
Latest about Marine Mammals

'I thought I was dead': Terrifying video of humpback whale gobbling up kayaker explained
By Patrick Pester published
A humpback whale appeared to swallow then spit out a kayaker in a viral video filmed off the coast of Chile. But was he actually in any danger?

Orcas off Antarctica filmed teaching calves to hunt in incredible new footage
By Hannah Osborne published
The adult orcas swam around the ice demonstrating how to pull a seal off by its tail.

Orcas: Facts about killer whales
By Marilyn Perkins, Patrick Pester last updated
Discover interesting facts about orcas, the deadly and beautiful predators that lurk in every ocean.

Grieving orca mom carries dead calf around on her head for a 2nd time
By Patrick Pester published
An orca famous for carrying a dead calf around has once again been spotted with a deceased newborn on her head in Puget Sound, but there's some good news for her endangered southern resident killer whale pod.

These endangered whales can live up to 150 years — twice as long as previously thought
By Kristel Tjandra published
Life expectancy prediction using data collected over four decades reveals southern right whales' exceptionally long lives — far longer than scientists previously thought.

Male humpback whale crossed 3 oceans for sex, inadvertently breaking distance record for species
By Sascha Pare published
A male humpback whale swam 8,106 miles (13,046 km) from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, mingling with other whale populations and potentially having sex with them along the way.

Orca gang develops brutal hunting strategy to take on the world's largest shark — 'This is a fascinating behaviour'
By Pandora Dewan published
The orca attacks appear to be led by a large adult male, suggesting that he may be leading the charge on this predatory behavior.

Orcas start wearing dead salmon hats again after ditching the trend for 37 years
By Sascha Pare published
Orcas off the coast of Washington State are balancing dead fish on their heads like it's the 1980s, but researchers still aren't sure why they do it.
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