Guest Author • Aug 17, 2016 •
By Tracey Rogers, UNSW Australia A group of killer whales are on the hunt. They work together to submerge and drown a whale calf. But then more whales appear. The newly arrived humpbacks bellow a trumpet-like call, and wield their five-metre-long pectoral flippers like swords against the prowling killer whales. The killer whales are driven away from the … Read More
Erica Mather • Jul 17, 2015 •
Delighted researchers and volunteers counted a record 137 whales during the Cook Strait Whale Survey completed this week. This is the highest tally since the survey began in 2004 and suggests that their numbers are increasing in New Zealand waters. The annual four-week survey, run by DOC research in partnership with oil and gas company OMV New Zealand, is timed … Read More
Guest Author • Feb 25, 2013 •
Written by Dr Helen Bostock (Marine Geologist, NIWA). Date: 22/2/2013 Location: 64.838758°S, 142.310661°E Weather: 20 knots, cloudy Sea state: 2-3 m swell Humpback whales We are now half way through the voyage…. it seems to be going by quickly. While most people were at lunch today, we were visited by 5 or 6 large humpback whales … Read More