Book your Whale Watch Now!
The temperatures are heating up and so are the wildlife sightings! We’ve been seeing a number of humpback whales, including regulars such as Jabiru, Pele, Nile, and Mogul, as well as minke whales and the occasional fin whale. One surprise thus far has been the frequency of Atlantic white sided dolphin sightings. Seen primarily in the spring and fall in previous years, the increased dolphin sightings have thrilled passengers and crew alike.
One special sighting to be on the lookout for in July is the possibility of seeing the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary research team as they work to tag both great shearwaters and humpback whales. Check out www.stellwagen.noaa.gov for more information!
Reserve your trip today.
Why menopause keeps evolving in whales
Comparing data on toothed whale species that do, and do not, experience menopause suggests that prolonged female postreproductive life allows whales to improve their offsprings’ and grand-offsprings’ survival chances. Older female whales such as killer whales (Orcinus orca) share food and become “repositories of long-term ecological knowledge”, explains animal-behaviour researcher and study co-author Sam Ellis. Menopause also seems to reduce reproductive competition between mothers and daughters. The hormone changes killer whales go through are similar to those in menopausal humans, but “as to hot and cold flushes, we’ve got no way of telling yet”, Ellis says.
To listen to the full Nature Podcast click here.
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The latest news and events from the Hyannis Whale Watcher team.
