Enrico Corsi is a 29-year-old Italian marine mammalogist. He is currently doing his PhD in the Marine Conservation Ecology Lab at Florida International University in Miami. Here is his story. A fascination for the living world I was always fascinated by the life sciences as far back as I could remember. I was that 90s kid who grew up watching Jurassic Park weekly, dreaming of being a paleontologist. By the time I reached secondary school,…

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What do baleen and sperm whales have to do with climate change? More than you may initially think! Long-lived species help to enhance the predictability of marine environments. This helps to keep the ecosystem stable. However, after an extensive period of whaling, humans have disrupted this natural process. The number of great whales has declined between 66% and 90% from pre-whaling numbers. This has impacted the structure of oceanic ecosystems in various ways, genuinely showing…

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Welcome to our new “whale of the month,” the leopard seal. This muscular seal has a large reptilian-like head and is the third-largest pinniped in the world. This Antarctic seal has also been featured in a TikTok video on a beach in South Australia, a couple of days ago. Whether you came here from TikTok or not, find out more about this top predator down below. An aggressive top predator Impressive teeth – Credit: Bartosz…

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Welcome to our new “whale of the month,” the leopard seal. This muscular seal has a large reptilian-like head and is the third-largest pinniped in the world. This Antarctic seal has also been featured in a TikTok video on a beach in South Australia, a couple of days ago. Whether you came here from TikTok or not, find out more about this top predator down below. An aggressive top predator Impressive teeth – Credit: Bartosz…

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Worn-out teeth, also called tooth wear, are pretty common in cetaceans. Although there are many documented cases of tooth wear in captivity, worn-out teeth exist in wild whales. And especially those who eat a lot of fish, like herring-eating killer whales. In this post, we explain why eating some fish can damage wild killer whale teeth. Eating sharks or sucking on small fish can wear out killer whale teeth – Credit: Anaïs Remili. Shark scales…

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As an inevitable part of nature, death happens to all living things. Despite the certainty of it, coping with death is never easy for anyone. And by anyone, I don’t just mean humans… Some animals, including elephants, apes, and cetaceans, react unusually when a group member passes away. Could these animals be capable of experiencing grief? Could they understand a concept as abstract as death? Learn more about it in this post! Disclaimer: Some pictures…

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As an inevitable part of nature, death happens to all living things. Despite the certainty of it, coping with death is never easy for anyone. And by anyone, I don’t just mean humans… Some animals, including elephants, apes, and cetaceans, react unusually when a group member passes away. Could these animals be capable of experiencing grief? Could they understand a concept as abstract as death? Learn more about it in this post! Disclaimer: Some pictures…

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This month we crack into the life of sea otters as our “Whale of the Month.” Though they have a charming disposition, looks are deceiving for these feisty creatures! Sea Otter and her pup in Monterey Bay, California; photo credits Suzi Eszterhas/Minden Pictures Sea Otter vs River Otters Before we get started, what is the difference between sea otters and river otters? Well, let’s start with size: sea otters are MUCH larger than river otters.…

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This month we crack into the life of sea otters as our “Whale of the Month.” Though they have a charming disposition, looks are deceiving for these feisty creatures! Sea Otter and her pup in Monterey Bay, California; photo credits Suzi Eszterhas/Minden Pictures Sea Otter vs River Otters Before we get started, what is the difference between sea otters and river otters? Well, let’s start with size: sea otters are MUCH larger than river otters.…

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Polar oceanic water can get as cold as about –2°C! Even temperate or tropical waters might drop as low as –1°C if deep enough. This makes you think, how do marine mammals survive arctic temperatures? In this post, we’ll take the artic plunge into thermoregulation in marine mammals. What we will learn in this post – Credit: Anaïs Remili Let’s Talk Ratios: Size matters! One way that animals can reduce heat loss is by having…

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