Culture on the High Seas

Female sperm whales and their calves swim off the coast of Pinta Island in the Galápagos.  PHOTO: FLIP NICKLEN, MINDEN/CORBIS

Female sperm whales and their calves swim off the coast of Pinta Island in the Galápagos. PHOTO: FLIP NICKLEN, MINDEN/CORBIS

Have you read about how lemon sharks are able to make and maintain social networks, despite the lack of Facebook and Twitter—and learn from their interactions? Or about the whales who communicate with other humpbacks through social learning? Now a study finds that deep-diving whales have a distinct series of clicks called codas they use to communicate during social interactions.

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Scraping Hell’s Attic

The Sulphur-Bottom Whale

The sulphur-bottom whale is the largest mammal on (or under) the earth’s surface; many speculate that it might be the largest animal ever to have inhabited our terraqueous globe. These immense creatures can typically grow to between eighty and a hundred feet long, with the largest specimens caught suggesting that the whales might exceed one hundred and ten feet in length! The weight of the sulphur-bottom whale is commensurate with its size: they can weigh between one hundred and one hundred and fifty tons. For comparison, the largest elephant ever recorded weighed a mere twelve tons. If the sulphur-bottom whale rolled over in its sleep Continue reading