Questions about whales, seals, sea lions, or other marine mammals? Dr. Andrew Trites is your ‘go-to’ guy.
Dr. Andrew Trites has won UBC’s President’s Award for Public Education through Media.
Killer whales breathe just once between dives, study confirms
A new study has confirmed a long-held assumption: that orcas take just one breath between dives.
What could be impacting the food source of Southern Resident killer whales?
There are currently 74 Southern Resident killer whales, and this population is listed as endangered in both Canada and the U.S. The species relies on Pacific salmon (Chinook and coho) for food, however these salmon populations have been decreasing for decades.
Shark-bitten orcas in the Northeastern Pacific could be a new population of killer whale
UBC researchers believe a group of killer whales observed hunting marine mammals including sperm whales, as well as a sea turtle, in the open ocean off California and Oregon could be a new population.
Toxic chemicals found in oil spills and wildfire smoke detected in killer whales
Toxic chemicals produced from oil emissions and wildfire smoke have been found in muscle and liver samples from Southern Resident killer whales and Bigg’s killer whales.
The cryptic lives of marine mammals: a century of marine mammal metabolisms
The metabolic rates of marine mammals who live their entire lives at sea or remain submerged for long periods of time are almost impossible to measure, creating large gaps in the data that scientists hope to fill with future technological innovations.
Teenage orcas could be roughhousing with boats off the coast of Spain
Killer whales are in the news for sinking boats off the coast of Spain.
Food quality matters for southern resident killer whales, UBC study states
If southern resident killer whales ate just low-lipid salmon, they would have to eat around 80,000 more Chinook salmon every year than if they just ate high-lipid salmon.
Toxic toilet paper and long-lasting chemicals found in endangered killer whales
A chemical used in the production of toilet paper and ‘forever chemicals’ have been found in the bodies of orcas in B.C. , including the endangered southern resident killer whales.
Southern resident killer whales not getting enough to eat since 2018
The animals have been in an energy deficit, averaged across spring, summer and fall, for six of the last 40 years.