Once seen as a conservation success, southern right whales may now face renewed challenges. A study in Scientific Reports finds that some populations are slowing in recovery or declining, eliciting concern among researchers. Research suggests that shifting ocean conditions, especially changes in prey, are impairing whale health and breeding.

For centuries, sailors and coastal communities have watched these great migrations in awe. And even now, with satellite tags, acoustic monitors and high-tech tracking at our disposal, the question of how whales navigate remains unknown. 

Marine scientists have confirmed the first-ever live observation and documentation of the elusive ginkgo-toothed whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens), one of the rarest and least understood beaked whales. The species, previously known only from strandings, has never before been conclusively photographed or sampled alive at sea.

The Descent into Blue

A whale’s body sinks slowly through the water, passing layer after layer of drifting life. Small fish, sharks, and seabirds may feed briefly at the surface, but soon the great shape slips out of sight, falling into deeper, quieter realms.

As it sinks, it becomes a kind of travelling oasis — shedding nutrients, attracting small creatures, and nourishing life as it goes. This falling world can take hours or even days to reach the abyssal plain, thousands of metres below.

The project, led by The Whale Sanctuary Project (WSP), will transform a protected cove into a habitat roughly 100 times larger than the tanks at Marineland in Niagara Falls, where many belugas have spent years in captivity. In this environment, the whales will be able to swim freely and experience natural ocean features, such as tides, currents and seasonal changes. Although they will still receive human care and monitoring due to their long confinement, the whales will live in a space that resembles a wild, natural habitat.

Late July 2025 brought troubling news: U.S. Congressman Nick Begich (R–AK) introduced a draft bill that would significantly narrow the Marine Mammal Protection Act—a key law that has safeguarded whales, dolphins, seals and polar bears since 1972. Conservationists warn that the draft could undo decades of progress in protecting marine mammals from harm.

Recent research has revealed that certain baleen whales, including blue, fin, sei, Bryde’s, and minke whales, communicate at frequencies below 100 hertz, rendering their calls inaudible to killer whales. This behaviour, known as acoustic crypsis, is believed to be a survival strategy to avoid detection by orcas, their main predators.

The narwhal, often called the “unicorn of the sea,” has long fascinated scientists with its spiral tusk. Traditionally believed to play a role in mating displays or competition, new research reveals that the tusk, actually an elongated tooth, serves a far more dynamic purpose.

A study conducted by researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU's) Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (in partnership with the Inuit communities in Nunavut, Canada) has provided groundbreaking insights into narwhal behaviour. 

Traveling up to 5,000 kilometers every year is no mean feat. Every year, humpback whales make this journey without fail: they feed on krill and small fish in the polar regions to build up their fat reserves, then embark on their annual migration to the tropics where some will mate and others will give birth. 

For the pregnant females undertaking this journey, the demands of pregnancy substantially add to the physical challenges they face. A new study published in The Journal of Physiology looks into the energetic burdens they encounter.

Collisions between whales and cargo ships are a significant threat to whale populations, often leaving them little chance of survival. Now, a study published in Science highlights the global scale of the issue: it turns out that shipping routes overlap with 92 percent of the migratory ranges of blue, fin, humpback, and sperm whales.