Whales

Find out everything there is to know about whales and stay updated on the latest whale news with the comprehensive articles, interactive features and whale pictures at LiveScience.com. Learn more about these fascinating creatures as scientists continue to make amazing discoveries about whales.

Related Topics: Ocean, Extinction, Sharks

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Ancient Tiny Whale Hunted with Pointy Teeth, Oversize Gums

By Laura Geggel

Before baleen whales developed their iconic comblike filter-feeding structures, they relied on their pointy teeth and a suctioning method to nab and gulp down prey, a new study finds.

Amid Controversy, Japanese Whaling Ships Return to Antarctic Ocean

By Mindy Weisberger

Japan resumes whale hunts that have come under increasing scrutiny and censure from the international community for their questionable scientific merit.

A mother humpback whale and her calf swim on the Antigonia seamount located near the New Caledonian islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

Humpback Whales Make Migration Pit Stops at Underwater Mountains

By Charles Q. Choi

In Photos: Tracking Humpback Whales in the South Pacific Ocean

By Live Science Staff

Check out amazing photos of humpback whales breaching the ocean surface as scientists monitor their lengthy sea travels.

A diagram showing how animal poop moves nutrients around the ecosystem (numbers are in kilograms).

No Crap: Missing 'Mega Poop' Starves Earth

By Stephanie Pappas

Earth has a poop problem. The extinction of whales and other megafauna has resulted in a shortage of mega-manure, which is essential for spreading nutrients around the globe at sea and on land.

Giant Whales' Mouths Have Unique Nerves: They Stretch

By Shannon Hall

A massive whale's nerves can unfold and recoil like a bungee cord, explaining how they can balloon their mouths while feeding.

Incredible Video: Curious Whale Inspects Underwater Robot

By Becky Oskin

A lucky group of ocean lovers got the surprise of a lifetime when a huge sperm whale swam into their live video broadcast.

Gray Whale Breaks Mammal Migration Record

By Laura Geggel

The western gray whale now holds the record as the mammal with the longest known migration, researchers say.

Boneworms Dined on Ancient Sea Serpents

By Becky Oskin

Bone-eating worms that can devour an entire whale carcass were also feasting on prehistoric reptiles more than 100 million years ago.

17-Million-Year-Old Whale Skull Helps Place Humanity's First Steps

By Laura Geggel

A 17-million-year-old beaked whale fossil is helping researchers solve a puzzle about the likely birthplace of humanity in East Africa, a new study finds.

All About the Bass: How Baleen Whales Hear Very Low Frequencies

By Laura Geggel

Whale Genes Offer Hints to Longer Life Spans

By Becky Oskin

Researchers have charted the bowhead whale's genome in a search for genes that fight off aging.

Killer Whales Caught in Stunning Drone Footage (Video)

By Tia Ghose

A population of killer whales has been captured playing, chasing prey and socializing in gorgeous video taken by a tiny unmanned drone.

Photos: Drone Reveals Killer Whales

By Tia Ghose

A tiny drone has captured stunning images of a killer whale pod, revealing which whales are pregnant and malnourished.

The sun setting over a field of broken sea ice, or frozen seawater that floats on the ocean, in Antarctica.

As Arctic Melts, Shipping Traffic Blasts Wildlife (Op-Ed)

By Gary Strieker

Arctic traffic is jamming marine wlidlife.

Bottoms Up: How Whale Poop Helps Feed the Ocean

By Lavenia Ratnarajah, Indi Hodgson-Johnston

With no small amount of irony, the tables have turned with research discovering that we need whales for a healthy marine ecosystem, or at least their poop.