A new method to measure whale hormones: in a sample smaller than a grain of rice Welcome to Whale Scientists where we talk about whales, graduate student life and scientist stories.

Congrats to @clareandvik.bsky.social on her first Whale Scientists infographic! Full story: whalescientists.com/a-new-method...
Samples from Norwegian Orca Survey, project MULTIWHALE 🐳

🧪 Whale hormones… from less than a grain of rice
A new method can measure 8 hormones (like stress & pregnancy) from tiny blubber samples, meaning more insight from every biopsy.
🐋 Stranded whales showed higher stress
🇳🇴 ONE sample can now reveal pollution, diet & health
Big step for conservation

Killer whales flee at the sound of pilot whales New research shows that killer whales actively flee when they hear pilot whale calls, responding the same way than to military sonar.

Find the recap of the study here: whalescientists.com/killer-whale...

Playback experiments in Iceland showed that orcas quickly switched to high-speed travel away from the sound source, tightened their group formation, and often went completely silent after hearing pilot whale calls. Their reaction was strikingly similar to how they respond to military sonar.

New research reveals something unexpected: when killer whales hear the calls of long-finned pilot whales, they don’t investigate — they leave. Fast.

Fraser’s dolphins in the Caribbean: Social island hoppers Fraser's dolphins have found a stronghold in the island chain stretching from Grenada to Anguilla, and island hop along the Lesser Antilles.

Great work Lucas Bernier on uncovering the lives of one of the ocean’s least-studied dolphins! We love featuring cool research by early-career scientists, and this was a beautiful opportunity to take a virtual trip to the Caribbean. whalescientists.com/frasers-dolp...

🐬 Fraser’s dolphins in the Caribbean turn out to be the ultimate social networkers, swimming with other species 83% of the time while island-hopping across 229km of ocean.

Anaïs brought some fascinating info with her to the Whale Tales Podcast this month and while a lot of it was disheartening, as always there are things you can do to help!
buff.ly/fS9t7qg

#WhaleTales #WhaleTalesPodcast @anaisremili.bsky.social @whalescientists.bsky.social

Can Whales Smell? The Surprising World of Cetacean Olfaction Though whales evolved from land mammals with good noses, their sense of smell took different paths.

Wanna read more? whalescientists.com/can-whales-s... Story by Eline Van Aalderink, Infographic/illustrations by @anaisremili.bsky.social

Can whales smell? The answer is not so simple!

The recap of the study by Sebastian Alvarez-Costes on his new study! Super fascinating and inspiring work 🐬✨

New Genome Assembly Approach Unlocks Secrets of Critically Endangered Dolphins in New Zealand Despite working with degraded DNA, scientists assembled high-quality genomes of New Zealand's dolphins, with insights for conservation.

Scientists have assembled the first high-quality genomes of New Zealand’s Hector’s + critically endangered Māui dolphins using degraded DNA—an unprecedented breakthrough that offers insights for conservation and a new path forward for endangered species worldwide.
whalescientists.com/new-zealand-...

The Great Whale Conveyor Belt: Earth's Largest Mammals Keep Oceans Thriving Large whales operate what scientists have called “the Great Whale Conveyor Belt,” the largest long-distance nutrient transport on Earth.

We recap the whole study here: whalescientists.com/the-great-wh...

A new and exciting @nature.com Communications study reveals baleen whales operate the planet's largest nutrient transport system, moving tons of nitrogen and carbon from polar feeding grounds to tropical breeding areas. Great job @jjkiszka.bsky.social and coauthors ✨

Thanks Heather 🥰

Find Martin's recap on Whale Scientists: whalescientists.com/humpback-wha... @lbejder1971.bsky.social

New research reveals the extraordinary energy demands of humpback whale mothers, who travel over 3,000 miles without food to birth and nourish their 2,600-pound calves, a feat now further imperiled by climate change and marine heatwaves disrupting their critical food supply.

Kinship clustering within an ecologically diverse killer whale metapopulation - Heredity Heredity - Kinship clustering within an ecologically diverse killer whale metapopulation

🧬 New Paper 🧬
Together with Eve Jourdain, @andrewfoote.bsky.social, @fipsamarra.bsky.social et al. we investigated how ecological & spatio-temporal factors shape gene flow in killer whales from Greenland to Norway. 🧶⬇️
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New study: Researchers studied how "forever chemicals" (PFAS) are affecting Arctic wildlife, specifically polar bears and ringed seals.

Did you know killer whale poo is green? @anaisremili.bsky.social has been working with some precious samples for a metabolomics project. She told us the shades vary from green-brownish to bright green.

This is a tiny condensate so make sure to read the whole story (link in bio) and thank you to all these amazing ladies for their time and extremely valuable advice! @carissaandclimate.bsky.social whalescientists.com/whale-resear...

To prove it, we asked six inspiring early-career women to share how they carved out their niche in marine mammal science, offering insight and inspiration on where a master’s degree can take you. @emmaluck22.bsky.social @intertidalkendy.bsky.social

Dreaming of a career in whale research but worried about needing a PhD? Good news—you don’t need one to contribute meaningfully to the field!

Eyes in the Sky: Drones Transform Sperm Whale Research Drones are revolutionizing sperm whale research, capturing aerial images that reveal scars, and markers previously unseen from boats.

Read the whole story: whalescientists.com/drones-trans...

Over seven years in the eastern North Atlantic, researchers used drones to identify 336 individual sperm whales by their unique scars, patterns, and skin marks!

Ever wondered how scientists identify sperm whales? Traditionally, it’s all about capturing photos of their tail flukes when they dive. But what if the whales don’t dive? Enter drones: a game-changer in marine mammal research.

Seal singers in Antarctica: From love songs to ultrasonic vocalizations Seal species in Antarctica use unique sounds for communication and navigation in their frigid remote habitat

Dive into the icy waters of the Southern Ocean and discover the hauntingly beautiful vocalizations of Antarctic seals. 🦭✨

whalescientists.com/seal-antarct...

Thanks Lars!! 😇

How To Study The Deepest Diving Whales? Use Chemistry! Stable isotope analysis reveals the diets, habitats, and food chain position of elusive deep-diving whales without direct observation.

This chemistry-based method lets scientists unlock secrets from stranded whales’ tissues, revealing their diets, habitats, and place in the food chain—all without direct observation. whalescientists.com/study-deep-d...

🧪 How To Study The Deepest Diving Whales? Use Chemistry! 🐋

Beaked whales are elusive deep divers, making them tough to study. But stable isotope analysis is changing that!