r/whales 5d ago

Let's talk about Iberian killer whales (AMA)

45 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m a researcher from Portugal working with cetaceans, and I’m involved in several research projects, including work on the Iberian orca population. I’ve had the opportunity to observe and study these animals firsthand, which has given me a close look at some of the behaviors and interactions that have attracted so much attention in recent years.

The situation surrounding the Iberian orcas is increasingly critical, and at the same time there is a huge amount of misinformation, speculation, and misconceptions circulating online. Some claims are based on misunderstandings of orca behavior, while others have been dramatized and/or repeated so often that they’re now treated as facts.

For that reason, I decided to make this post as an opportunity to share information from a scientific perspective, clarify what we actually know, and hopefully debunk some of the more common myths surrounding these interactions.

I’m happy to discuss the subject and answer questions where I can, while also being clear about what is established by research and what remains uncertain.


r/whales Nov 28 '23

Giving Tuesday 2023 - These front-line marinelife and marine ecosystem organizations need your support!

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91 Upvotes

r/whales 22h ago

The Norwegian Whale Museum

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395 Upvotes

r/whales 16h ago

Baby Pilotwhale

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88 Upvotes

r/whales 11h ago

How a humpback whale's dive shapes its song

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22 Upvotes

r/whales 3h ago

Bigg's Killer Whales [ORCA] - 01 Sep 2026 - Campbell River | BC

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3 Upvotes

r/whales 1d ago

🔥 A mother whale and her calf breaching together off the coast of San Cristobal, Galapagos.

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196 Upvotes

r/whales 1d ago

Caught the moment the ocean poured off a humpback’s tail — Maui

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154 Upvotes

r/whales 1d ago

Humpback off Maui

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171 Upvotes

600mm zoom shot with my Canon


r/whales 1d ago

Whale/dolphin id

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6 Upvotes

Friend saw these on the boat from Newcastle to Edinburgh. Anyone knows which animals these are?


r/whales 1d ago

Tahiti/Papeete - Whale Swim Buddies Wanted - Mid September!

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11 Upvotes

r/whales 1d ago

This humpback decided to say hello off San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico (Jan 2022).

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65 Upvotes

There were more than four of them that day, so excited they put on a whole ballet for us in the open sea. This breach was the highlight, still can't get over how something that size clears the water like that. No idea how many tons of ocean it's fighting on the way up, but it looked effortless from the boat.


r/whales 3d ago

This huge humpback rolled upside down and started doing this off Maui

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470 Upvotes

One of the more unusual humpback behaviors I've been lucky enough to capture off Maui. It rolled over and repeatedly brought those enormous pectoral fins out of the water. Watching the size of those fins from this distance was incredible.


r/whales 2d ago

Casual whale watching in Victoria, BC.

28 Upvotes

r/whales 1d ago

Documentary where a man gets hit by a whle

0 Upvotes

I dont remember much about it, just that a diver get to close to the whale tail (i dont remember if it was a blue whale or a humpback whale), and the whale move the tail laterally and hit the man in the face, then the docu proceed to explain why do sharks move their tails laterally and whales vertically, to then rescue the diver, thats all i remember, i saw it like in 2015 or 2018.


r/whales 3d ago

Iceland’s last whaler faces a threat he can’t harpoon: The EU | On Saturday, Icelanders will vote on whether to reopen a path toward joining the bloc — and adopting its rules that ban the hunt

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106 Upvotes

r/whales 4d ago

🔥 Three orcas showed up at the dock and started feeding on salmon two metres away

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210 Upvotes

r/whales 3d ago

Petition · 100 Days to Save Wikie & Keijo: France Must Secure Their Safe Future

3 Upvotes

These beautiful creatures, a mother and son, have been left to die in an abandoned aquarium in France. Please pray they are relocated to safety soon. Sign the petition to Save these wonderful Whales.


r/whales 4d ago

Sperm Wales follow me around at work

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219 Upvotes

I commercially fish in Alaska and these dudes like to eat the Sablefish heads we toss overboard as we dress them before icing them in the holds….

Whales cmon Reddit let me edit the title


r/whales 3d ago

What should be the education path of someone who wants to become a cetologist?

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2 Upvotes

r/whales 4d ago

White humpback whale spotted near Gil Island, BC

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793 Upvotes

A rare white humpback whale has been spotted along with their normally-pigmented mother! It's impossible to know if their coloration is caused by albinism or another condition without observing the color of their eye (which albinism would make pink) or conducting a genetic test; albinism is likely the cause, though, as in species that are darker in color albinism often produces this sort of creamy yellowish coloration. In any case, they are a very special whale🤍They were observed by the research station Whale Point, who had this to say:

On a very foggy Tuesday morning Shelby Fisher notified us of a resighting of the white humpback whale “Spirit” just outside the Gitga’at harvesting camp, Kyel. This time we were very fortunate to not only get a fluke shot of Spirit but also a perfect ID shot of her/his mother. The mother is BCX 2002, Kuleana. They travelled all the way into Taylor Bight and passed our Lab very closely on their way west.
We are grateful to Shelby for notifying us and for Janie of BC Whales for her help identifying the mother.


r/whales 5d ago

One of the Shedd’s rescued beluga whales has died

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197 Upvotes

r/whales 5d ago

Had the opportunity to photograph Humpback Whales Bubble Net Feeding.

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144 Upvotes

Just got back from an Alaskan Cruise (NCL). It was a sight to see.


r/whales 6d ago

Humpback Whale, Grommet, Thrilling the Crowd with Her Amazing Displays! Cape Ann, MA

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162 Upvotes

Grommet (and I believe Quill for the team breach) gave us an awesome show with multiple breaches and plenty of pectoral fin slaps!


r/whales 5d ago

Two days left to pledge to support Pacific Mammal Research's harbor porpoise research and help whale enthusiasts everywhere get what possibly is the very first realistic harbor porpoise plush ever made!

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47 Upvotes

Check the fundraiser out here, and learn more about PacMam here.