The Sydney Morning Herald logo

Whales

Advertisement
The excavation last week took several hours, drawing a crowd of captivated onlookers.

How a 23-million-year-old whale fossil was rescued from Ocean Grove beach

Nature had already reclaimed the fossil site once, burying it beneath layers of sand. If the crew failed this time, they would have to wait another year to try again.

  • Alexander Darling

Latest

A whale breaches in the Antarctic near a krill trawler.

Whales go to Antarctica to get fat. Humans are taking their food

First it was Whale Wars, now it’s krill wars. The groups that took on Japanese whaling in Antarctica now have a new industry in their sights.

  • Caitlin Fitzsimmons
This juvenile humpback whale has been seen entangled in ropes and in distress between NSW and Victoria over the past fortnight.

Young entangled humpback whale leads rescuers on multi-state rescue mission

Authorities are in a race against time to find a juvenile humpback whale spotted multiple times along the NSW and Victorian coasts, which is entangled in ropes.

  • Bianca Hall
Index image for Antarctica story

In the Trump era of America first, scientists fear for the future of Antarctica

There are growing concerns the treaty that has protected the last great wilderness for nearly 70 years may not hold as the old rules-based world order disintegrates along with the sea ice.

  • Caitlin Fitzsimmons
SharkSmart drones have been installed at six new beaches in Queensland.

SharkSmart drone program expanded at south-east beaches amid criticism of nets

The use of shark-monitoring drones at six new beaches comes four months after the premier said he would not protect the environment “at the expense of one single human”.

  • Dominique Tassell
The Davidsons discovered an ancient whale fossil at Ocean Grove beach. From left to right: Max Davidson, 14, Kristina Davidson, Woody Davidson, 9, Nick Davidson and Mina Davidson, 11. 

A family uncovered a 20-million-year-old fossil on a Victorian beach. Then they lost it

The Davidson family stumbled upon the whale vertebrae on an Ocean Grove beach last week.

  • Cassandra Morgan
Advertisement
Warmer waters are the perfect conditions for raising humpback whales calves, and whale watchers are reporting recording record numbers off Australia's east coast.
Video icon1:49

Record numbers of humpback whales

Warmer waters are the perfect conditions for raising humpback whales calves, and whale watchers are reporting recording record numbers off Australia's east coast.

This mother and calf pod of humpback whales stopped in at Byron Bay in September.

This year’s whale migration has been bigger – and louder – than ever

Australia’s east coast humpback whale population is now as large as it was before industrial whaling began, and by some estimates even bigger.

  • Nick O'Malley
We’ve taken action on difficult environmental challenges before.

Here’s the good news: we’ve improved the environment before, and we can do it again

The predictions of Australia’s climate future if we fail to act are bleak. But we’ve done it before.

  • Bianca Hall
The humpback mother and calf caught in a shark net off Noosa on Thursday

Calls for shark net ban after five whales caught in a single week

There have been renewed calls for a ban on shark nets in Queensland after five whales became entangled in the past week.

  • Cameron Atfield