Dolphins and Whales News -- ScienceDaily

Dolphin ancestor's hearing was more like hoofed mammals than today's sea creatures (Wed, 15 May 2019)
Paleontologists are looking into the evolutionary origins of the whistles and squeaks that dolphins and porpoises make -- part of the rare echolocation ability that allows them to effectively navigate their dark environment.
>> Read More

How whales defy the cancer odds: Good genes (Fri, 10 May 2019)
Scientists have studied potential cancer suppression mechanisms in cetaceans, the mammalian group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Biologists picked apart the genome of the humpback whale, as well as the genomes of nine other cetaceans, in order to determine how their cancer defenses are so effective.
>> Read More

Mysterious river dolphin helps crack the code of marine mammal communication (Fri, 19 Apr 2019)
The Araguaian river dolphin of Brazil was thought to be solitary with little social structure that would require communication. But researchers have discovered the dolphins actually are social and can make hundreds of different sounds, a finding that could help uncover how communication evolved in marine mammals.
>> Read More

Ancient, four-legged whale with otter-like features found along the coast of Peru (Thu, 04 Apr 2019)
Cetaceans, the group including whales and dolphins, originated in south Asia more than 50 million years ago from a small, four-legged, hoofed ancestor. Now, researchers reporting the discovery of an ancient four-legged whale -- found in 42.6-million-year-old marine sediments along the coast of Peru -- have new insight into whales' evolution and their dispersal to other parts of the world.
>> Read More

Climate change is a threat to dolphins' survival (Mon, 01 Apr 2019)
An unprecedented marine heatwave had long-lasting negative impacts on both survival and birth rates on the iconic dolphin population in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Researchers have now documented that climate change may have more far-reaching consequences for the conservation of marine mammals than previously thought.
>> Read More