Whales & Dolphins (& Porpoises)

Discover how animals use echolocation to navigate, hunt, identify other species and avoid obstacles.

Mammal expert Steve Harris discusses which mammal bones you might find washed ashore, and how to identify them.

Risso’s dolphins are rare and little is known about them, but conservationists are trying to learn more about them off the Balearic Islands

Learn all humpback whales, giant sirens of the sea - from where they live to what they eat, and why they don't have teeth

A moratorium on commercial whaling was introduced, and widely implemented, in the 1980s in a bid to stop the decline in whale populations – but did it work?

We don’t often think of whales defecating, but we should – their faeces have a vitally important part to play in the ecosystem of our oceans.

The sei whale is the third-largest marine mammal, but its calls are seldom heard.

Watching whales, dolphins and porpoises in their natural habitat, the ocean where they belong, is a wonderful experience. In the waters surrounding the UK at least 28 of the globally recognized species have been spotted.

World’s biggest cetaceans eat more than previously thought, highlighting their role in maintaining productive oceans.

Discover some of the new species around the world that have been recently discovered by scientists, from a tiny chameleon to a spider named after Greta Thunberg

For the first time ever, a match has been made between orcas photographed in Scotland and in Norway.

In the ninth episode of BBC Wildlife Magazine's Photography Masterclass, presenter Mark Carwardine shares some of his favourite images taken over a lifetime at sea.

In this new documentary on Apple TV+, we follow two scientists as they study humpback whale songs across opposite sides of the world and try to answer the questions that 50 years of research has not been able to answer.

James Cameron and Signourney Weaver take us on a breath-taking dive into whale behaviour in this new National Geographic series on Disney Plus.

Following two decades of research, a landmark study has concluded that the endangered Indus and Ganges river dolphins are actually separate species.

Accidental entanglement of cetaceans is reduced with acoustic alarms on fishing nets.

The western South Atlantic humpback whale population has grown to 25,000, close to pre-whaling numbers.

Research shows that juvenile harbour porpoises are being exposed to a ‘toxic cocktail’ of chemicals when they feed from their mother.

Ireland’s Fungie is the oldest solitary dolphin in the world.

Aerial images enable researchers to determine the body mass of whales.

Return to the oceans with these new BBC programmes celebrating the marine wildlife of our beautiful blue planet.

The National Whale and Dolphin Watch reports its highest ever total number of cetacean sightings for the 2018 survey.

Although the chemicals are banned, their effects are still threatening orcas.

A charity says that Hector's and Māui dolphins are at risk of extinction if the government doesn’t act.