Blue whales forced to increase their 'singing' to cope with noise pollution from shipsSeptember 23rd, 2009 LONDON - A new research by scientists has determined that blue whales have had to increase their 'singing' to cope with noise pollution from ships. Man-made noise such as ships' engines has caused hearing loss in whales.
New Zealand air force medevacs sick US man from Antarctic baseSeptember 21st, 2009 NZ air force medevacs sick man from AntarcticWELLINGTON, New Zealand — An American working at a U.S. scientific base on the frozen continent of Antarctica has suffered heart problems and was being evacuated to New Zealand, the New Zealand air force said Monday.
Soviet whaling secretly decimated humpback whale populationSeptember 2nd, 2009 SYDNEY - Secret Soviet whaling between 1947 and 1973 wiped out some humpback whale population in the Pacific, according to a new study. Wally Franklin, doctoral student at the Sydney based Southern Cross University's Whale Research Centre and co-director of The Oceania Project, co-authored the paper.
Bowhead whales sing love songs in different voicesAugust 3rd, 2009 LONDON - Hydrophones have revealed that bowhead whales can sing in different voices to attract a mate and thereby ensure the species' survival. This is probably because global warming has opened up the Northwest Passage in 125,000 years, enabling the 100 tonne bowhead whales of the northern Pacific to reach Disko Bay in Greenland to mate with other whales.
Powerful quake pushes New Zealand island closer to AustraliaJuly 22nd, 2009 WELLINGTON - An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale Wednesday pushed the South Island of New Zealand closer to Australia, scientists said. The epicenter of the quake was located at the Fiordland region of South Island.
Watching whales far more profitable than killing themJuly 7th, 2009 LONDON - a report published by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has suggested that watching whales is far more profitable than eating them. According to New Scientist, the report found that revenues from whale watching in 2008 reached 2.1 billion dollars, which is double the amount earned a decade ago.
Head of whaling commission says deadlock is damaging for oversight bodyJune 25th, 2009 Deadlock on whaling hurting oversight bodyFUNCHAL, Madeira Islands — A long-standing stalemate between pro- and anti-whaling nations is threatening the credibility of the International Whaling Commission, the oversight body's president said Thursday. Member nations missed a target of settling their protracted dispute at the IWC's annual meeting this week in Portugal's Madeira islands, William Hogarth said.
Coastal whales threatened by 'bycatch whaling'June 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists have warned that a new form of unregulated whaling, called 'bycatch', is becoming a growing threat to whales along the coastlines of Japan and South Korea. According to Scott Baker, associate director of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, DNA analysis of whale-meat products sold in Japanese markets suggests that the number of whales actually killed through this "bycatch whaling" may be equal to that killed through Japan's scientific whaling program - about 150 annually from each source.
Whaling talks ponder compromise deal but breakthrough said to be no closerJune 22nd, 2009 Whaling talks said stuck on compromise dealLISBON, Portugal — The International Whaling Commission on Monday began discussing a possible compromise deal that would reduce the number of whales killed each year. However, environmental groups expressed little hope of a breakthrough in the two-decade dispute at the start of IWC's weeklong annual meeting in Portugal's Madeira islands.
Mum sperm whales have babysitters when they go food shopping!June 15th, 2009 LONDON - Biologists studying sperm whales in the North Atlantic have found that mothers use organised babysitting sessions so they can go hunting for food. Scientists at the University of St Andrews, Durham University and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, have discovered that females share responsibility for the younger members of a pod by establishing networks of carers.he whales are specially adapted to allow them to make long, deep dives.
Indian students could move to New Zealand if racial attacks continue in AustraliaJune 3rd, 2009 WELLINGTON - Indian students based in Australia may opt to go to neighbouring New Zealand if the racially motivated attacks Down Under don't stop. Education New Zealand chief executive Robert Stevens said he had been in touch with the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise office in India yesterday, urging the office to market New Zealand and Australia as "totally different societies".
A whale of a baby boom: Endangered right whales shatter record with 39 births in single springMay 9th, 2009 Nice going, mom! Right whales break birth recordBOSTON — Right whales have plenty to celebrate this Mother's Day — the sea moms gave birth to a record 39 calves this spring. The New England Aquarium said Friday that the birth surge breaks the old record of 31 and shows much improvement from 2000, when only one calf was born.
Australia, NZ to make Super contingency plan if South Africa opts outMay 1st, 2009 Australia, NZ have Super fall-back planSYDNEY — Australia and New Zealand rugby officials still hope to have South Africa in the Super tournament alliance beyond 2011, but said Friday they are planning for an Asia-Pacific competition in case an agreement cannot be reached. "The New Zealand Rugby Union and Australian Rugby Union will continue to work towards expanding Super rugby from 2011 in partnership with South Africa despite the current impasse in negotiations with SA Rugby," NZRU chief executive Steve Tew and his Australian counterpart, John O'Neill, said in a joint statement Friday.
Tea Scoreboard: India vs New Zealand, Day 4, Third TestApril 6th, 2009 WELLINGTON - Scoreboard at tea on the fourth day of the third cricket Test between India and New Zealand at the Basin Reserve here Monday:
India: first innings 379
New Zealand: first innings 197
India: second innings 434/7 declared
New Zealand: second innings (target: 617 runs)
Tim McIntosh c Dravid b Khan 4
Martin Guptill lbw b Harbhajan Singh 49
Daniel Flynn b Khan 10
Ross Taylor batting 48
Jesse Ryder c Dravid b Harbhajan Singh 0
James Franklin batting 18
Extras (b-6, nb-1) 7
Total (for four wickets in 42 overs) 136
Fall of wickets 1-30 (McIntosh, 10.6 overs), 2-54 (Flynn, 22.3), 3-84 (Guptill, 31.2), 4-84 (Ryder, 31.4)
Bowling
Zaheer Khan 15-4-50-2
Munaf Patel 4-0-8-0
Ishant Sharma 6-1-33-0
Harbhajan Singh 16-5-35-2 (1nb)
Yuvraj Singh 1-0-4-0
Toss: New Zealand chose to field
Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia) and Simon Taufel (Australia)
TV umpire: Tony Hill (New Zealand)
Match referee: Alan Hurst (Australia)
Hippos more closely related to whales, not pigs, say researchersMarch 20th, 2009 TORONTO - Hippos spend lots of time in the water and now, if researchers are to be believed, it turns out that they are the closest living relative to the whales. Jessica Theodor, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Calgary (Canada) and her colleague Jonathan Geisler of Georgia Southern University are disputing a recent study that creates a different family tree for the hippo.
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