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Bringing you stories, news, fun facts, and more about whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Whale Tales

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    • May 28, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 41m AVG DURATION
    • 90 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Whale Tales Podcast

    Episode 081-Minke Whales

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025 26:44


    We are back and are finally covering Minke Whales (how have we not talked about these lil guys yet?!) Put on your mittens and grab your lightsabers (this will all make sense we promise!) as we dive right in. Show Notes: -Minke Whale Unusual Mortality Event along the Atlantic Coast: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/2017-2025-minke-whale-unusual-mortality-event-along-atlantic-coast -Minke Whale Vocals: https://minkewhaleproject.org/behaviour/vocalisations […]

    atlantic coast minke whales
    Episode 080 – Gotham Whale

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 45:35


    The Whale Tales Podcast is back this month (celebrating our sixth anniversary!) with more amazing guests – Danielle Brown the Director of Research as well as Chris St Lawrence, Communications and Outreach Lead from Gotham Whale in New York. We discuss their work with Gotham Whale and their Wanted program, matching and IDing Humpbacks off […]

    Episode 079 – Dolphin Awareness Month Mailbag

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2025 58:55


    We are back with another mailbag episode (a dolphinny one to celebrate Dolphin Awareness Month

    Episode 078 – PacMam

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2025 60:15


    This month on the Whale Tales Podcast we welcomed Dr. Cindy  Elliser and Kat White from Pacific Mammal Research who tell us all about Harbour Porpoises in the Salish Sea including what they've found in their incredible long term work (which you can read about it their latest publication!). While we do get pretty detailed […]

    Episode 077 – Project Jonah

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2025 57:35


    We are very excited this month to welcome Daren Grover, the General Manager of Project Jonah in New Zealand! Daren talks to us about marine mammal strandings and what Project Jonah does to help stranded cetaceans plus a wonderful overview about the whales and dolphins found in New Zealand. Show Notes: Website: https://www.projectjonah.org.nz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/projectjonah/ […]

    Episode 076 – Jackie Hildering

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2024 81:14


    We are very excited to welcome Jackie Hildering, The Marine Detective herself to the pod this month! Join us for a wonderful and thoughtful conversation about Humpbacks in BC, research and community building.  Show Notes: -The Marine Detective website: https://themarinedetective.com/ -The Marine Education and Resource Society: https://mersociety.org/ -Whale Safe Boating Course Sign Up: https://signup-can.keela.co/boater-course-alert-list -Whale […]

    Episode 075 – Stephanie Stack

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2024 49:58


    We are back this month with a super exciting episode featuring the incredible humpback researcher Stephanie Stack! She joins us to talk about research on Humpback Whales as well as her now very famous article “An observation of sexual behavior between two male Humpback Whales.” Full note in Marine Mammal Science: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.13119 Photographers of Humpback […]

    Episode 074-Summer Report 2024

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2024 72:33


    We are joined by returning guest Ashley Keegan this month to hear all about the whale watching season in the Salish Sea in 2024! (plus special guests Judith Scott and WhaleWise pop in to tell us an amazing story from earlier this fall) Show Notes” -Read Ashley's Whale Tales -An Encounter with an Entangled Humpback: […]

    World River Dolphin Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2024 76:54


    Surprise! We are popping into your feeds today with an extra special episode to celebrate World River Dolphin Day (today!) We were joined by friend of the pod, Emily Cunningham who is now the River Dolphin Conservation Lead at WWF and is here to talk all things river dolphins, especially the threats that they face […]

    Episode 073-North Pacific Right Whales

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2024 105:56


    Just a bunch of whale nerds this month on the Whale Tales Podcast – we are joined by Kate Hruby and Kevin Campion from Save the North Pacific Right Whales to talk all things North Pacific Right Whales and learn more (as much as we can?) about these rare, sneaky whales.   Show Notes: -Save the […]

    Episode 072-Oops We Did It Again: Oops All Stories Volume 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2024 57:14


    Break out your Britney because we did it again! It's another Oops All Stories episode featuring incredible stories from all over the world (and THREE new species for the library!) from some amazing Storytellers! Thanks to Vanessa: https://www.instagram.com/vaneprigo/ Selby: https://www.instagram.com/selbywilko/ Sigrún: https://www.instagram.com/shelguwildlife/ Judith: https://www.instagram.com/judith_scott_photography/ Sara: https://www.instagram.com/frostythezoologist/ and https://x.com/YukonFrost Blue Dolphin Tours: https://www.instagram.com/bluedolphintour/ Elizabeth: https://www.instagram.com/offshoreorca/ WhaleWise: […]

    Episode 071-Peale’s Dolphins in the Falkland Islands

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2024 40:38 Transcription Available


    The Whale Tales Podcast is back this month with two incredible guests! We welcomed researchers Caroline Weir and Morgan Martin to the pod to talk about their paper “Peale's dolphins (Lagenorhynchus australis) are acoustic mergers between dolphins and porpoises” (as featured in this month's Patreon Journal Club!) as well as all things Peale's Dolphins! We […]

    Episode 070-Gladis

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2024 12:30


    Happy Orca Action Month! We are celebrating all month long on the Whale Tales Podcast with four special episodes each highlighting a specific Orca (or OrcaS) from around the world with a truly terrific tale. Today we are wrapping things up with the currently very famous Gladis-or should we say Gladises? Show Notes: – Killer whales […]

    Episode 069-Port and Starboard

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2024 12:10


    Happy Orca Action Month! We are celebrating all month long on the Whale Tales Podcast with four special episodes each highlighting a specific Orca (or OrcaS) from around the world with a truly terrific tale. This week we are talking the notorious Port and Starboard! Show Notes: –Confirmation of the occurrence of a second killer […]

    Episode 068-Old Thom

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2024 6:36


    Happy Orca Action Month! We are celebrating all month long on the Whale Tales Podcast with four special episodes each highlighting a specific Orca (or OrcaS) from around the world with a truly terrific tale. Today we have a short and sweet episode about Old Thom (not to be confused with last week's episode about […]

    Episode 067-Old Tom

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2024 9:41


    Happy Orca Action Month! We are celebrating all month long on the Whale Tales Podcast with four special episodes each highlighting a specific Orca (or OrcaS) from around the world with a truly terrific tale. First off we have Old Tom and his pod “The Killers of Eden.” Show Notes: -Eden Killer Whale Museum

    Episode 066 – Joëlle De Weerdt & Humpbacks in Nicaragua

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2024 47:26


    The Whale Tales Podcast is back with another amazing guest Joëlle De Weerdt from Association ELI-S who is here to tell us all about humpbacks in Nicaragua and the research she is doing on them for her PhD. If you want to hear us loose our minds about humpbacks (again, probably not for the last […]

    Episode 065-Erin Gless from Pacific Whale Watch Association

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2024 65:03


    Super exciting episode this month with an incredible guest Erin Gless, executive director of Pacific Whale Watch Association! We dive deep (fun puns!) into the history and mission of the PWWA and the work it does in the Salish Sea plus TWO Fun Flipper Facts!???? Show Notes: Pacific Whale Watch Association: https://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.com/ PWWA Social Media […]

    Episode 064-Dolphin Fact Off Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2024 46:29


    Dolphin filled episode this month – we've got dolphins facts and more dolphins facts and a dolphin story and dolphin themed call to action. It's the only way we know how to celebrate Dolphin Awareness Month! Show Notes: –Lauryn Fly Instagram –Behavioural laterality in foraging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) by Kaplan et al. –The Life […]

    Episode 063-2024 Mailbag

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2024 56:28


    We are back with another mailbag episode answering questions that were asked by you! Show Notes: -Perucetus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perucetus -Podcast episodes with notes on become marine biologists and/or featuring marine biologists: https://whale-tales.org/podcast/episode-032-community-science/ https://whale-tales.org/podcast/episode-015-killer-whale-research/https://whale-tales.org/podcast/episode-013-the-story-of-us/ -Best marine biology universities (western centric): https://gyanberry.com/blog/best-global-universities-for-marine-biology-in-2022-2023/ -A Conversation with “Twain”: https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-have-20-minute-conversation-with-a-humpback-whale-named-twain/ https://peerj.com/articles/16349/ -A Surprise Whale https://whale-tales.org/a-surprise-whale-6-23

    Episode 062-Journal Club Plus!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2024


    Happy 2024! We are kicking the year off with a journal club (that you may have already heard if you are a patron of ours) on the paper “Harassment and killing of porpoises (“phocoenacide”) by fish-eating Southern Resident killer Whales (Orcinus orca)” by Giles et al, plus a handful of clips from our friends! Content […]

    Episode 061-Humpbacks in the Whitsundays

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2023 47:34


    Welcome back to the Whale Tales Podcast! Today we are joined by Olivia Brodhurst and Crystal Lacey to talk all about the Whitsundays and the East Australian Humpbacks you can find there! Show Notes: Whales of the Whitsundays: https://www.tourismwhitsundays.com.au/blog/whales-in-the-whitsundays/ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority: https://www2.gbrmpa.gov.au/learn/animals/whales-and-dolphins World Cetacean Alliance: https://worldcetaceanalliance.org/ Whitsundays Whale Heritage Area Candidacy: […]

    Episode 060-Emily Cunningham

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2023 50:36


    For this months episode of the Whale Tales Podcast we talked to Emily Cunningham, marine biologist and conservationist  about her research, Humpback community science in the UK and so many other things – it was amazing and we are so excited to share it with you! Show Notes: -Emily's Website: https://emilycunningham.co.uk/ -Motion for the Ocean: […]

    Episode 059-Summer Report 2023

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2023 59:27


    We are joined by returning guest Ashley Keegan this month to hear all about the whale watching season in the Salish Sea this year! Show Notes: –Ashley's Stories

    Episode 058-Harbor Porpoise Aggregations in the Salish Sea

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2023 42:53


    Journal Club is back! And so are these little guys – who are everywhere apparently – we are talking about Harbor Porpoise Aggregations in the Salish Sea by Dave Anderson et al. Show Notes –Full paper –Back on the Water with Grey Whales. –Diving behaviour in Harbour Porpoises –Tea Bag Ghosts (video)

    Episode 057 – Baleen

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2023 30:58


    Welcome back to another episode of the Whale Tales Podcast! Following up on our Cetacean teeth episode we are taking a look at the other set of cetaceans – The Baleen Whales! Show Notes: -The Naming of Things: The Disorder of the Order of Whale Names: https://whale-tales.org/the-naming-of-things-the-order-of-whale-names/ –A Summer in Húsavík, the European capital of […]

    World Krill Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2023 109:12


    Surprise! We are popping into your feeds today to help celebrate the second ever #WorldKrillDay with a special episode all about those lil guys who have a big impact – krill! Specifically today, Antarctic krill.

    Episode 056-Cetacean Teeth

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2023 37:21


    Welcome back to another episode of the Whale Tales Podcast! This month we are talking all things Odontocetes -or rather the chompers that gave these Toothed Whales their name!

    Episode 055-Oops All Stories!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2023 33:55


    Just in case our Orca Action Month mini eps weren't special enough for you we have an extra special super fun episode today (maybe our fav of all time?) – that's right it's Oops All Stories!

    Episode 054-Galapagos Orcas

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2023 14:37


    We are back, celebrating Orca Action Month with a short episode this week discussing the Galapagos Orca community.

    Episode 054-Galapagos Orcas

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2023 10:38


    We are back, celebrating Orca Action Month with a short episode this week discussing the Galapagos Orca community.

    Episode 053-Norwegian and Icelandic Orcas

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2023 10:38


    It's Orca Action Month! We are celebrating Killer Whales this month with a mini episode each week looking at specific orca ecotypes or communities – this week we are discussing Norwegian and Icelandic Orcas! Show Notes: -Norwegian Orca Catalogue: https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/The_Norwegian_Orca_ID-Catalogue_2016_Version_2_/4205226/4 -Icelandic Orca Catalogue: http://orcaguardians.org/orca-id-catalogues/ -Krisztina's Whale Tales: https://whale-tales.org/category/storytellers/krisztina/ -Judith's Whale Tales: https://whale-tales.org/category/storytellers/judith/

    Episode 052-The West Coast Community

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2023 13:44


    Happy Orca Action Month! We are celebrating all month long on the Whale Tales Podcast by discussing different ecotypes each week and we are kicking things off with the West Coast Community in Scotland Show Notes: -The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust: https://hwdt.org/ -“Dopey Dick”: https://hwdt.org/news/2016/4/1/famous-killer-whale-from-1977-dopey-dick-never-left-the-neighborhood

    Episode 051-Type D Killer Whale Genomes

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2023 34:58


    Journal club is back! We are talking about the new paper “Type D” killer whale genomes reveal long-term small population size and low genetic diversity from Dr. Andrew Foote et al. Show Notes: Read the full paper! https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/114/2/94/7086686 More about Dr. Foote https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7384-1634

    Episode 050-Cetacean Vocalizations

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 45:12


    We are back with Episode 50 of the Whale Tales Podcast! And to celebrate we are talking all things cetacean vocalizations. Show Notes: -Singing Humpbacks: https://whale-tales.org/singing-humpbacks-2-22/ -Specialized Sounds in Cetacean Communications: https://dosits.org/animals/advanced-topics-animals/specialized-sounds-in-cetacean-communication/

    Episode 049-Dolphin Fact Off

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2023 32:02


    Episode 048-2023 Mailbag

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2023 31:08


    We've got another mailbag episode answering questions that were asked by you! Show Notes: -Dorsal Fins: https://baleinesendirect.org/en/dorsal-fins-from-killer-whales-to-narwhals/ -Environmental Impacts of Covid-19: https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/the-long-term-environmental-implications-of-covid-19-4b7a9937/ -Episode 028 – Fin Whales: https://whale-tales.org/podcast/episode-028-fin-whales/ -Structure of the cerebral cortex of the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Balaenopteridae) – Patrick R. Hof: https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ar.20407 -Marine Mammal Encyclopedia: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123735539000389 -Postmortem Neuroimaging of Cetacean […]

    Episode 047-Sei/Bryde’s/Omura’s/Eden’s/Rice’s Whales

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2023 33:25


    Get out your bulletin board and your string, this month we are talking about the very confusing Sei/Bryde's/Omura's/Eden's/Rice's Whales! Show Notes: -How the Gulf of Mexico Bryde's Whale became the Rice's Whale: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/marine-mammal-protection/how-gulf-mexico-brydes-whale-became-rices-whale

    Episode 046-Bowhead Whales

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2022 44:41


    This month we are headed back up to the Arctic to talk about the longest living mammal, the Bowhead Whale! Show Notes: –The Bowhead Whale: Balaena Mysticetus: Biology and Human Interactions, Editors: J.C. George, J.G.M. Thewissen –The Naming of Things: Bowhead Whales –‘Twas the Night Before Dolphins

    Episode 045-Icelandic Orcas

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2022 44:43


    Very exciting nerdy episode this month! We are talking to Judith Scott about her lifetime of whale watching adventures and talking a deep dive into all things Icelandic Orcas! Show Notes: -Judith's stories: https://whale-tales.org/category/storytellers/judith/ -Laki Tours: https://lakitours.com/ -We are all Whalers by Michael Moore: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/57331837 -Icelandic Orca Project: https://www.icelandic-orcas.com/ -Orca Guardians: Orca ID: https://orcaguardians.org/orca-id-catalogues/ -Join […]

    Episode 044-Summer Report 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2022 44:24


    We are joined by returning guest Ashley Keegan this month to hear all about the whale watching season in the Salish Sea this year! Show Notes: –A Rare Visit from Risso's Dolphins –Ashley's Stories –SlomowaterAK on Instagram

    Episode 043-Marcie Callewaert

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2022 33:35


    We are joined this month by Storyteller and long time friend of Whale Tales, Marcie Callewaert to discuss her 10+ years in whale watching off the coast of BC! –Read all of Marcie's Whale Tales –Southern Resident's wearing salmon hats

    Episode 042-Harbor Porpoise Foraging Habitat Use

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2022 37:30


    Journal club is back! This month we are discussing the paper Extracting foraging behavior from passive acoustic monitoring data to better understand harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) foraging habitat use by Nicole R. E. Todd, Mark Jessopp, Emer Rogan, Ailbhe S. Kavanagh, published in June 2022 Show Notes: –the full paper –Nicole Todd on Twitter -A […]

    Episode 041-Rostrums

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2022 29:19


    We are back with an on the nose episode – it's all about rostrums! Show Notes: -Evolutionary Steps for Blowholes on Whales and Dolphins: https://www.quora.com/What-were-the-evolutionary-steps-for-the-blowhole-on-whales-and-dolphins -Review of Cetacean Noses: https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.23034 -The Naming of Blackfish: https://whale-tales.org/the-naming-of-things-blackfish/ -Northern Bottlenose Whales in Nova Scotia: https://whale-tales.org/northern-bottlenose-whales-in-nova-scotia—july-2021/

    Episode 040-Southern Resident Killer Whales

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2022 6:59


    It's the last week of Orca Awareness Month! We are celebrating Killer Whales this month by releasing mini episodes each week about the ecotypes off the coast of BC. Last but certainly not least: the Southern Resident Killer Whales! Show Notes: –Be Whale Wise -See a Blow Go Slow –Southern Resident Whale Tales –2022 Measures […]

    Episode 039-Northern Resident Killer Whales

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2022 7:12


    It's Orca Awareness Month! We are celebrating Killer Whales this month by releasing mini episodes each week about the ecotypes off the coast of BC. Next up: Northern Resident Killer Whales! Show Notes: –Northern Resident Whale Tales

    Episode 038-Bigg’s Killer Whales

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2022 13:40


    It's Orca Awareness Month! We are celebrating Killer Whales this month by releasing mini episodes each week about the ecotypes off the coast of BC. Next up: Bigg's Killer Whales! Show Notes: –Bigg's Killer Whale Whale Tales –April Starts off with a Bang –Incredible Encounter with the T123's and T124A's –Epic Day with the T36A's […]

    Episode 037-Offshore Killer Whales

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2022 11:34


    Welcome to Orca Awareness Month 2022! We are celebrating Killer Whales this month by releasing mini episodes each week about the ecotypes off the coast of BC. First up: Offshore Killer Whales! Show Notes: Whale Tales Merch

    Episode 036-Dwarf and Pygmy Sperm Whales

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2022 26:05


    We are back and are (finally!) talking about Dwarf and Pygmy Sperm Whales! Show Notes: –Cascadia Research in Hawaii –The First Time I Saw a Sperm Whale

    Episode 035-Kids Questions

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2022 35:02


    We are back and are answering kids cetacean questions! Show Notes: –The Naming of Things: Whale –8 year old discovered whale poop

    Episode 034-Long Term Memory in Bottlenose Dolphins

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2022 44:08


    We are celebrating Dolphin Awareness Month with our first ever journal club discussing the paper Decades-long social memory in bottlenose dolphin” by Jason N. Bruck Show Notes: –The full paper –Jason's website –Individualized Whistle Contours in Bottlenose Dolphins –My First Trip with Wild Dolphins

    memory long term decades bottlenose dolphins

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