Whales and other cetaceans

Lump of rare whale vomit sells for £11k at auction - BBC News : A lump of whale vomit found by a dog walker on an Anglesey beach has sold at auction for £11,000. Ambergris is a wax-like substance found in the the intestine of a sperm whale and it's a very rare and sought-after ingredient in the perfume industry. The 1.1kg (2.4lb) chunk was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder in France. 'via Blog this'

Esperance whale encounter captures hearts across Australia - ABC Esperance - Australian Broadcasting Corporation : 'via Blog this'

The Secret To The Inuit High-Fat Diet May Be Good Genes : The Salt : NPR : In the Arctic, the typical meal looks very different. There, a traditional plate would have some fatty marine animal like seal or whale and not much else – fruits and vegetables are hard to come by in the harsh climate. And yet despite the fact that the high-fat Arctic diet may sound like a heart attack waiting to happen, these people tend to have low rates of heart disease and diabetes. Researchers thought maybe it was the omega-3 fatty acids in the meat and blubber that might be protective. But a  new study on Inuit in Greenland suggests that Arctic peoples evolved certain genetic adaptations that allow them to consume much higher amounts of fat than most other people around the world, according a team of researchers reporting Thursday in the journal Science. 'via Blog this'

The Navy said its war games couldn’t avoid precious whale habitat. This judge didn’t buy it. - The Washington Post : A Navy ship near whales in 2003. (Kenneth Balcomb) from the Washinvgton Post The Navy’s reputation as a fearsome fighter is more than earned — on the high seas and in U.S. courts. In the 75 years since the Navy started conducting war games in a vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean between the Hawaiian and California coasts, conservationists have often sought to restrict its use of bombs and sonar that harms marine mammals. Each time, the military branch blew the activists away, arguing that what’s good for the Navy is best for America. That’s why a recent court loss, and the Navy’s surprise capitulation to working out a settlement agreement with conservation groups that was announced this week, is startling. For the activists, it was a win by a hopeless underdog, a mouse chasing an elephant, an ant moving a rubber tree plant. 'via Blog this'