"whales"

The state pathologist says they will process samples from the two dead whales to confirm things like species and sex, but they likely won’t be able to determine cause of death.

According to NOAA, over 180 gray whales have washed up dead along the West Coast so far this year. But each new specimen adds a little more clarity for scientists.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Friday that the 70 dead whales seen this year in the U.S. constitute “an unusual mortality event.”

“They’re just so graceful and beautiful. Every time I see a whale I get excited,” says biologist Craig George. “I’ve seen thousands and thousands. It’s always like seeing a bowhead for the first time.”

Scientists have spent the past few decades catching up to traditional knowledge, documenting scientifically what whale hunters already knew. Like the fact that the whales can smell, and that they can travel under sea ice.

A giant whale eye spent decades on a strange journey before it finally arrived at an animal eyeball lab and gave the folks there the “best Christmas ever.”

Boat captain Joe Howlett died on Monday after freeing a right whale that was tangled in fishing gear in Canada’s Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Whales might be the largest animals on the planet, but they haven’t always been so huge. Researchers say the ocean giants only became enormous fairly recently, and over a short period of time.

The company’s market value has plunged after complaints about its treatment of killer whales. The CEO says in 2017 SeaWorld in San Diego will switch to an “informative” show in a more natural setting.

45 years after the whales were first listed, federal scientists say that most humpback populations, including those common in Alaska, are stable and growing