Free Republic

Fossil Whale Brain Proves Paleontologist Wrong by Brian Thomas, M.S. | Jan. 27, 2012 Howell Thomas, senior paleontological preparator for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, was skeptical when a woman claimed that she found a fossilized whale brain in San Luis Obispo County, California, nine years ago. "The first thing I said when I heard about this finding was that there's just no way," Thomas told the Beatrice Daily Sun. "They brought it in, and sure enough, it's the second of two fossil whale brains [ever found]."1 He explained that "it's an amazing specimen because brains don't...

A whale nearly swallowed two people on a kayak and a woman on a surfboard. The humpback whale lunged from out of nowhere just several feet away, forcing thousands of anchovies to the surface, with sea gulls swarming around the scene in search of breakfast. Barbara Roettger filmed the epic near-miss event near Santa Cruz, California where recently a sailboat collided with another humpback whale and at least one kayaker capsized. Oh, and for the record, humpback whales typically are about 50 feet long and weigh 50 tons. That’s a whopping 2000 pounds for every foot of whale. Short be...

Found this on a Czech website... a gem: From a Connecticut Sea-World wedding (not Irish I'd hazard to guess) where the mariachis suddenly noticed a rare Baluga White Whale really starting to get into it... ay caramba [YouTube] Video/more at Reaganite Republican

Passengers aboard the Manute'a got an eye full recently when an 80-foot blue whale surfaced alongside the boat, stole a breath and revealed its massive backside and fluke. But the best view was enjoyed by a paddleboarder who got breathtakingly close to the great leviathan (see video). This occurred last weekend off Dana Point, Calif., and the video, shot by David Anderson of Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari, was posted this week. The paddleboarder appeared to be trying to capture underwater footage of the mammoth creature -- blue whales are the largest mammals ever to inhabit the planet --...

A humpback whale which was freed from almost certain death by three men off the coast of California repaid the favour to its rescuers with a breathtaking display of breaches and dives. The amazing hour-long performance was caught on camera moments after the creature was cut free from fishing nets. When the boat came across the whale it was trapped with its tail and flippers hopelessly entangled in the nets. Scroll down to watch video The whale watchers first thought the humpback was already dead as it was floating on top of the water. But then it let out a...

Flipping amazing... the moment a humpback whale 'thanks' rescuers who saved it from dying tangled in fishing nets A humpback whale which was freed from almost certain death by three men off the coast of California repaid the favour to its rescuers with a breathtaking display of breaches and dives. The amazing hour-long performance was caught on camera moments after the creature was cut free from fishing nets. When the boat came across the whale it was trapped with its tail and flippers hopelessly entangled in the nets. (photos & Video at link)

A whale that appeared to be dead washed ashore on Atlantic Beach, Long Island Wednesday. [snip] Typically, when dead mammals wash onto beaches, marine experts are brought in to assess the animal.

Protesters in Madison have "aroused a sleeping giant" in the national fight for workers' rights, filmmaker Michael Moore told thousands at the Capitol Square on Saturday, as rallies opposing Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposals wrapped up their third week.... "America is not broke ... Wisconsin is not broke," Moore said. "The only thing that's broke is the moral compass of the rulers." More at Wisconsin State Journal A "sleeping giant" was aroused?!? I'm confused, I'll explain why in Pulp Fiction style: First of all, boobs...check...liberal ideology....check...did I not just say a fat lady is singing? Second, assuming his skin...

Meghan McCain, daughter of U.S. Senator John McCain spoke at Indiana State University tonight. McCain shared her experience on the campaign trail with her father as well as where she sees the country going politically. One big goal of hers is to redefine republicanism."I have two theories. The first is in the next election Republicans will nominate a very extreme conservative. If that happens I think that the idea of a third party rising up could happen for the first time in history," McCain said.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- There is a mystery for marine biologists out on San Francisco's Ocean Beach. On Monday morning, a badly decomposed whale washed ashore, but it's probably not a species we are used to hearing about in these waters. A 50-foot long, badly decomposed whale washed-up on the beach between the base of Lawton and Kirkham streets.

Delray man in custody after hacking tail off for foodA Delray Beach man is in custody after he reportedly tried to cut the tail off a whale that washed ashore early Thursday morning. Florida Fish and Wildlife agents are questioning James Hogan after he was found hacking away at the tail end of the whale, estimated to be between 10 and 12 feet long, according to the Palm Beach Post. "I didn't know it was illegal," Hogan told the Post, before he was hauled away. Hogan said he was fishing early Thursday morning when a passerby told him about the...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9nt_IB-vTE&feature=player_embedded (AFP) – 8 hours ago MOSCOW — Wielding a crossbow and undeterred by high waves, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday chased whales off Russia's Pacific coast and boasted of the exhilaration of "living dangerously." Dressed in heavy waterproofs, Putin fired arrows from an inflatable raft off the volcanic Kamchatka Peninsula at a rare grey whale to obtain a skin sample, managing to hit the animal at the fourth attempt. The hardman antics -- barely thinkable for any other world leader -- were the latest stunt by Putin this summer as he travels across Russia's Far East on a...

MOSCOW – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin fired darts from a crossbow at a gray whale off Russia's Far Eastern coast on Wednesday in the latest in a series of man-versus-nature stunts designed to cultivate the image of a macho leader. Putin held his balance in a rubber boat that was being tossed around in choppy waters off the Kamchatka Peninsula, and eventually hit the whale with a special arrow designed to collect skin samples. "I hit it at the fourth try!" a beaming Putin, kitted out in black-and-orange waterproof suit and black beanie, yelled to a camera crew...

It turns out the whale that tried to beach itself off Maui earlier this week is an extremely rare species. Experts have determined that it's a Blainville's beaked whale. This species is so rare there isn't even a count of them in the wild, because they live far offshore in very deep water. The female whale is now at a facility in Hilo. Scientists there have been running blood tests and found some abnormalities with her kidneys so they're treating her with antibiotics. The whale has been on a squid milkshake diet, but she's starting to eat whole squids. "These...

Ok, now I realize that the news hit on the 23rd of July about the whale smacking the sailboat, but I noticed that no one ever posted the video that was taken of it. Yes, someone captured it on video. So if youre one of those individuals who never watched the news to find out it really did happened and still think the picture was photo shopped, well now there is video proof. Or if you believed it, but never knew someone captured the whole incident on video, then you might be interested. The person who took the video...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- PETA wants SeaWorld and its executives to face criminal charges for the death of a killer whale trainer in February at the Orlando theme park. Trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed when she was attacked by a killer whale named Tilikum. PETA said it reviewed the investigation file from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and is calling for Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum to pursue involuntary manslaughter charges against SeaWorld and its senior executives. In the complaint sent to McCollum’s office, PETA called the Sherriff’s Office investigation “grossly negligent.” "The sheriff's office and the state attorney have not...

A yachter in South Africa says her trip off the country's picturesque southwestern coast was wrecked by an unexpected whack from a whale. Paloma Werner said Wednesday the whale breached just feet (meters) from their boat in Cape Town's waters on Sunday. It whacked the yacht, snapping the mast in two. The seas around Cape Town are teeming with whales and great white sharks during the winter months, which fall in the middle of the year.

A couple watching whales from a sailboat ended up getting a real close-up view. The 33-foot southern right whale soared out of the water off Cape Town, South Africa, and landed on their boat, snapping the mast, according to reports.

Rescuers unable to save little sperm whale A baby whale that ended up beached on the shore of Hallandale Beach has died, officials said. The pygmy sperm whale was found around 10 p.m. Thursday near the South Life Guard Tower, according to Hallandale Beach Fire Rescue. Fire Rescue, working with Hallandale Police and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were all at the scene to try to help the whale. A veterinarian from Marine Animal Rescue Society also responded to the scene. But due to the 3-foot whale's young age and its condition when it washed ashore, the rescuers...

Fox Station exclusive report on board "A Whale" that just arrived in the Gulf, the ship is capable of skimming 500k barrels of oil a day...(Video)

Sperm whale faeces 'offset CO2 emissions'Page last updated at 21:33 GMT, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 22:33 UK By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News Sperm whales may put a gentle (and unwitting) brake on climate change Sperm whale faeces may help oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the air, scientists say. Australian researchers calculate that Southern Ocean sperm whales release about 50 tonnes of iron every year. This stimulates the growth of tiny marine plants - phytoplankton - which absorb CO2 during photosynthesis. The process results in the absorption of about 40,000 tonnes of carbon - more than twice as much...

JERUSALEM (AFP) - – The appearance of a grey whale off the coast of Israel has stunned scientists, in what was thought to be the first time the giant mammal has been seen outside the Pacific in several hundred years.

JERUSALEM (AFP) - – The appearance of a grey whale off the coast of Israel has stunned scientists, in what was thought to be the first time the giant mammal has been seen outside the Pacific in several hundred years. The whale, which was first sighted off Herzliya in central Israel on Saturday, is believed to have travelled thousands of miles from the north Pacific after losing its way in search of food. "It's an unbelievable event which has been described as one of the most important whale sightings ever," said Dr Aviad Scheinin, chairman of the Israel Marine Mammal...

Initially, the sighting seemed an opportunity rather than an anomaly, and certainly not the highly unexpected discovery it turned out to be. Last Saturday, researchers with the Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center (IMMRAC) took to the water to study a whale approximately a mile and a half off Herzliya Marina, just north of Tel Aviv. The whale, which was about forty feet long, was generally behaving as a whale does: swimming along the surface, making periodic short dives of between three and five minutes duration, and occasionally showing its tail flukes as it did so. For about two...

SEVENOAKS, England,- A British prankster pleaded guilty to making numerous hoax emergency calls, including a claim that he had been raped by a whale. Daniel Hammond, 21, pleaded guilty before magistrates in Sevenoaks, England, to making several hoax calls to the 999 emergency number between Aug. 4, 2009, and March 3 of this year, The Sun reported Wednesday. Prosecutors said the calls included a claim that his genitals fell off because he smoked too much marijuana before sex and a Saddam Hussein imitation featuring a bomb threat against a train. "The defendant's calls started with claims he'd been raped by...

SANTA MONICA, Calif.- A Santa Monica, Calif., sushi restaurant says it is closing its doors voluntarily after serving endangered whale meat. But The Hump restaurant at the Santa Monica Airport also faces federal charges, The Los Angeles Times reported. On its Web site, the restaurant said, "The Hump hopes that by closing its doors, it will help bring awareness to the detrimental effect that illegal whaling has on the preservation of our ocean ecosystems and species." The newspaper report said the restaurant took responsibility once charges were lodged, the charges themselves came only after an undercover sting operation by animal...

An activist from New Zealand has been arrested by Japan's coastguard after he boarded a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean last month. Peter Bethune said he had boarded the ship intending to make a citizen's arrest of the Japanese crew. Instead, the Shonan Maru 2 immediately set sail for Japan with him on board.

A California sushi chef and the restaurant in which he worked have been charged with illegally serving meat from an endangered Sei whale, the Justice Department said on Thursday. Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, 45, and the parent company of the popular restaurant The Hump in Santa Monica were charged late on Wednesday with violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act which makes it illegal to sell any kind of whale meat. The case stemmed from informants who ordered whale meat at the restaurant in October 2009 and evolved into a sting operation by U.S. wildlife and customs officials who observed whale meat being...

ORLANDO--There are new doubts that SeaWorld will let the whale that killed a trainer perform again. These concerns come to light as the theme park works with Dawn Brancheau's family to seal surveillance video of the incident and tries to cope with outside pressures demanding the whales be released. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA, flew a banner over the park Tuesday with the message: "Let the whales and dolphins out of prison."

SeaWorld said Tuesday that it is reconsidering whether to keep using the 6-ton killer whale that drowned its trainer last month in performances for audiences. In the immediate aftermath of the Feb. 24 tragedy, in which 40-year-old trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed, SeaWorld said it intended to return Tilikum to shows. Jim Atchison, president and chief executive officer of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, said the orca’s training for and participation in such performances was an important component of his “overall health and husbandry.” But SeaWorld has subsequently decided not to make any decisions about its interactions with killer whales until...

Chuck Tompkins, curator of zoological operations at SeaWorld Orlando, told "Good Morning America." "Dawn had very long hair in a ponytail. That ponytail had swung in front of him. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her underwater and held her underwater." Eyewitnesses could see clearly through viewing glass as the 12,000 pound killer whale named Tillikum thrashed Brancheau viciously underwater.Though it's the third time Tillikum has been involved in a human's death, there are reportedly no plans to take the massive animal out of the show. "We need to evaluate how to do this the right way," Tompkins...

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Trainers will continue to work with a killer whale that grabbed one of their colleagues and dragged her underwater, killing her, but SeaWorld said Thursday it is reviewing its procedures. People lined up to get into the Orlando park a day after the whale named Tilikum killed veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau as a horrified audience watched. Tilikum had been involved in two previous deaths, including a Canadian trainer dragged under water by him and two others whales in 1991.

(Feb. 25) -- Tragedy struck SeaWorld Orlando on Wednesday afternoon when a 40-year-old trainer named Dawn Brancheau was killed by an orca whale during the opening of a packed performance. Brancheau was recognized as one of the park's most seasoned trainers, and relatives have testified to her lifelong love for marine life, making the incident all the more heartbreaking. Now, Shamu Stadium has been closed indefinitely and an investigation begun into the possible causes of the fatality, leaving various media outlets and commentators asking, Why would a 12,000-pound, 30-year-old male whale named Tilikum suddenly snap, attack and kill his trainer?...

I found this video VERY interesting. It now becomes apparent that despite what SeaWorld says the trainer DID get into the water with the Orca. They have denied this happened. And they claim it is against policy. She is smiling widely. The video ends seconds before he grabs her. Some news sources have a still of the trainer in the water with the killer whale ... but now the video. I know many will not agree with me, but I think it is barbaric to treat animals like this. http://www.wesh.com/video/22671481/index.html

Just about everyone with access to a 24-hour news channel has seen the home video of a killer whale attacking his trainer at a Sea World facility in San Antonio. The whale, named Ky, is seen repeatedly trying to submerge his trainer of 10 years—in front of a shocked audience which turned out to see a seemingly innocuous event called the Shamu Adventure. No doubt trying to dismiss the attack as a simple rush of randy hormones, the trainer has publicly labeled it the actions of a teenage whale nearing breeding age. To which we would say: That's exactly the...

Check out this cool video of a penguin doing all he can to keep three or four Orca killer whales from making him their lunch. After about a minute of going to and fro to escape the clutches of their jaws, the penguin decides to take his chances with the humans instead. So before they know it, the people in the raft have a guest and he does not seem to be in too much of a hurry to jump back into the water. Eventually the whales decides to head back out to see if they can find other...

These past few weeks I have shared various stories about whales. There was the story about Orca, the killer whale, that decided to take a break from the performance at San Diego's Sea World to eat a pelican that dropped onto the water while the spectators looked on. I also shared the heartwarming tale of the penguin who did all he could to dodge the clutches of a killer whale until he decided to put his trust in mankind by jumping into a rubber raft of spectators for safety. Then just this past week I shared with everyone my...

A member of SeaWorld Orlando's family of killer whales and his trainer swim to the surface during the show 'Believe.' (SEAWORLD) One person is dead at SeaWorld's Shamu Stadium, following an incident this afternoon, an Orange County Sheriff's Office official confirmed. Orange County Fire Rescue responded to SeaWorld's Shamu Stadium this afternoon on report of a person who was not breathing. Details about the incident are not yet available, but a Sheriff's Office official confirmed it is a death investigation. A local TV station is reporting that a female trainer was killed after she was grabbed by one of the...

Orlando, Florida - A person was found dead Wednesday after an incident inside Shamu Stadium at SeaWorld Orlando. Emergency personnel were called to the park and found a person dead, according to Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman John Mulhall. The death was not the result of a natural death, he said. Our partners at WKMG in Orlando say witness Victoria Biniak said she saw a trainer thrashed around by a whale from a viewing area, although that has not been confirmed by park officials. "The trainer was explaining different things about the whale.. and then the trainer that was down...

SeaWorld in San Diego has canceled its Shamu whale show at least for Wednesday after an Orlando SeaWorld employee was killed in an encounter with a whale at that theme park. "We're terribly saddened by the loss of the member of our SeaWorld family, it doesn't matter what park," said SeaWorld San Diego spokesman David Koontz. "We have canceled our afternoon Shamu show here today." Koontz said park officials had yet to make a decision about to whether to cancel Thursday's show. Orlando SeaWorld officials are not revealing the identity of the victim, although a local TV station is reporting...

The Orange County Sheriff's Office has confirmed a Sea World employee died Wednesday after being attacked by a killer whale. Emergency officials arrived just before 2:00 pm Wednesday (02/24/2010) and found the person unresponsive. Witnesses are reporting that the victim was a trainer who was dragged into the tank and drowned by the whale.

A SeaWorld employee died this afternoon during an incident at SeaWorld's Shamu Stadium, following an incident this afternoon at the Killer Whale attack, an Orange County Sheriff's Office official confirmed. Neither SeaWorld, rescue personnel or the Sheriff's Office are confirming the identity of the employee, although a local TV station is reporting that a female employee was killed after she was grabbed by one of the theme park's whales at the start of a public show. Park guest Victoria Biniak told Local 6 that the trainer was a veteran of SeaWorld and had just finished explaining to the audience the...

TOKYO — Japanese ruling party lawmakers have questioned a plan to sign a defence logistics accord with Australia as the two countries are at loggerheads over Japan's annual whale hunts, an official said Tuesday. The move comes as anti-whaling activists of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society have been harassing a Japanese whaling fleet on its annual hunt for hundreds of the sea mammals in Antarctic waters. Australia opposes the hunts, carried out despite a 1986 international moratorium on commercial whaling under a loophole that allows "lethal research" whaling, and has threatened international legal action against Japan. Japan's government is considering...

Off the coast of San Francisco, an unexpected killing challenged the great white shark's supremacy as the ultimate predator when one became prey to a killer whale. Whale-watchers witnessed a stunning act of nature as a killer whale rose to the water's surface with a great white in its mouth and held it there for 15 minutes. Even more amazing, biologist Peter Pyle was nearby and able to get underwater footage of two whales feeding on the shark.VIDEO

Carrying the remains of a roughly 30-foot (9-meter) giant squid in her jaws, a female sperm whale, with a calf at her side, swims near the surface off Japan's Bonin Islands (map)in the northwestern Pacific. Taken on October 15, this and other "absolutely sensational" new pictures offer rare proof of the sperm whale's taste for giant squid, said giant squid expert Steve O'Shea of the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. The pictures may also reveal that adult sperm whales, which grow up to 59 feet (18 meters) long, use pieces of their prizes to teach youngsters how to...

It is the greatest animal battle on the planet, and it has finally been caught on camera. A BBC natural history crew has filmed the "humpback whale heat run", where 15m long, 40 tonne male whales fight it out to mate with even larger females. During the first complete sequence of this behaviour ever captured, the male humpbacks swim at high speed behind the female, violently jostling for access. The collisions between the males can be violent enough to kill.

Dead whale in Tampa Bay was hit by shipThe Associated Press Last Modified: Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 2:41 p.m. ST. PETERSBURG - The 41-foot-whale found floating in the Port of Tampa last weekend was killed by a ship out in the Gulf of Mexico. That was the word Tuesday from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which performed a necropsy. **SNIP** He said it was "a clear-cut case of a ship strike." The animal was found floating in Tampa Bay Sunday morning. It was towed to Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg, where it was buried Monday.

A 25-foot dead whale washed up in Gloucester on Sunday. If the whale ends up on private land, the landowner likely will be responsible for removing it unless the carcass washes back into the water, WVEC reported

One rule of thumb I generally observe while traveling abroad: Always know what something is before putting it in your mouth. Recently, I broke that rule--and ended up regretting it. I ate whale meat. I didn't mean to. It just sort of happened during an otherwise routine company enkai--office party--at a hole-in-the-wall izakaya called Andy's Shin Hinomoto under the Yurakucho railroad tracks in central Tokyo. I ordered a beer and sat down next to my co-workers, just as the waitress was bringing out plates of food: generous cuts of sashimi, deep-fried chicken nuggets, a sautéed mushroom salad and--what the heck...

A beluga whale saved a drowning diver by hoisting her to the surface, carrying her leg in its mouth. Terrified Yang Yun thought she was going to die when her legs were paralyzed by crippling cramps in arctic temperatures. Competitors had to sink to the bottom of an aquarium's 20-foot arctic pool and stay there for as long as possible with the beluga whales at Polar Land in Harbin, north east China. Beluga whale Mila had spotted her difficulties and using her sensitive dolphin-like nose guided Yun safely to the surface.