The North Atlantic Right Whale – June 2020

This month we will be discussing a baleen whale. Baleen whales are typically large in size, use low frequency vocalizations, and have baleen plates. They are made up of keratin that continuously grow and wear down, just like our hair and finger nails. More specifically, this month, we will discuss the Northern right whale. Who is the Northern Right Whale? Northern right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are similar to the other species of right whales, the…

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A humpback whale is in Montreal today for the first time in history!

Come read the update here. UPDATE May 31st 2020 The whale is still in Montreal. It likely cannot go further because the current is too strong. The whale seems to be 2-3 years old and in good health, according to the Groupe de recherche et d’éducation sur les mammifères marins – GREMM. Humpback whale calves usually remain with their mothers until they reach at least 3 years-old. The reason behind the calf’s presence in Montreal…

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Is this beluga whale a Russian spy?

Hvaldimir’s story Some of you might have heard of Hvaldimir. Maybe you even heard of him without knowing his name. This beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) has become quite famous in Northern Norway. He was found on April 26th 2019, in a little fjord called Tufjord, on an island off the northern Norwegian coast (Finnmark). What surprised the locals was the friendly behavior of the lonely whale … and the fact he was wearing a harness…

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Madison Hahn

Madison Hahn is a 23 years old American marine mammalogist. She obtained her BSc in Ecology from the University of Georgia and a Master of Professional Science (MPS) in marine mammal science from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Here is her story … Internships and Research Dolphin Photo-ID My research path was first nurtured by Dr. Schacke, a professor at UGA. I became his research assistant and fin catalog…

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Ronald Smit

Ronald is a 26 years old marine biologist from the Netherlands. He holds a MSc Aquaculture and Marine Resource Management from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. We became friends with Ronald during our internship in Italy in 2016. Here is his story … Ronald’s Education I have always been fascinated by nature and especially marine mammals. And, like so many others in this field, I was also a huge fan of the Free Willy movies!…

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