Portal:Cetaceans
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Cetaceans evolved from land mammals that adapted to marine life about 50 million years ago. Over a period of a few millions of years during the Eocene, the cetaceans returned to the sea. Their body is fusiform (spindle-shaped), the forelimbs are modified into flippers, the tiny hindlimbs are vestigial and the tail has horizontal flukes. Cetaceans are nearly hairless, and are insulated by a thick layer of blubber.
Cetaceans inhabit all of the world's oceans, as well as some rivers in South America and Asia. Some species can be found across the globe.
Cetology is the branch of marine science associated with the study of cetaceans.
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was set up by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) on December 2, 1946 to promote and maintain whale fishery stocks. The structural design of the IWC rested on the hope that states in their long-term self-interest would adopt cooperative policies suggested by expert scientific management of a common resource.See Protocol to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, 19 November 1956, 10 UST 952, 338 UNTS 366; Circular Communication to All Contracting Governments, 30 June 1972, 23 UST 2820. Since the 1980s the IWC has become the primary mechanism for the protection of all species of whale.Patricia Birnie, International Regulation of Whaling: From Conservation of Whaling to Conservation of Whales and Regulation of Whale-watching (New York: Oceana Publications, 1985) The change in the IWC's institutional mission began in the early 1970s, and is often linked with the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm in 1972. The result of this shift is most evident in the IWC's adoption of a five-year moratorium on commercial whaling, which commenced in 1986 and has been extended to the present, and in the IWC's recent designation of an Antarctic sanctuary for whales.
The current IWC Commissioners meeting is taking place from 16-20 June 2006 in St. Kitts and Nevis where pro-whaling countries plan to challenge the 1982 moratorium.
More on the International Whaling Commission
- 23 September - Speculation is raised over whether an object washed up near Wellington, New Zealand could be ambergris; City Council spokesman Richard MacLean says this is unlikely. Read more...
- 17 September - A man in Trefriw, Wales pleads guilty to the uncertified selling of a Harbour Porpoise skull on eBay. Read more...
- 10 September - Australia and New Zealand announce a non-lethal whale research program to challenge Japan's whaling. Read more...
- 26 August - Findings from the controversial Japanese whaling research program suggest that a loss of Antarctic sea ice due to increased temperatures has lowered whales' food supply, causing an overall decline in blubber. Read more...
- 12 August - IUCN changes the conservation status of the Humpback Whale and Southern Right Whale to "least concern" due to the species' recovery. Read more...
- 1 August - Snubfin Dolphins are recorded on camera for the first time along the Australian coastline. Read more...
- ...the male narwhal's tusk can be up to 3 metres in length and weigh up to 10 kilograms.
- ...observations of cetaceans date back to at least the classical period in Greece, when fisherpeople made notches on the dorsal fins of dolphins entangled in nets in order to tell them apart years later.
- ...groups of bottlenose dolphins around the Australian Pacific have displayed basic tool use by wrapping pieces of sponge around their beaks to prevent abrasions. This is a display of a cognitive process similar to that of great apes.
- ...Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick had real-life inspiration, a notorious male sperm whale named Mocha Dick.
- ...the Voyager Golden Record carried into space whale songs, among other sounds.
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A U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program bottlenose dolphin named K-Dog wearing a locating pinger, performed mine clearance work in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq War.
The United States and Russian militaries have trained and employed dolphins for several reasons. Such military dolphins can be trained to rescue lost divers or to locate underwater mines. Military dolphins were used during the First and Second Gulf War.
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A Blue Whale song Recorded in North Eastern Pacific Humpback Whale Song A verbal recording of the article Humpback Whale Killer whale calls at a distance - Problems listening to the files? See media help.
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