Lolita was captured five decades ago in the Puget Sound. Animal rights activists say she's the oldest orca in captivity and should live her final years back home in a seaside sanctuary.
Scientists have gotten the best estimates yet of exactly how much baleen whales, the largest animals on the planet, can consume in one day. Their caloric intake is mind-boggling.
Michael Packard says he was trapped in the whale's mouth for 30 to 40 seconds before it tossed him back in the water, bruised but otherwise unharmed. Experts tell NPR such events are extremely rare.
An international team of scientists is preparing to trap a dozen baleen whales off the coast of Norway and conduct hearing tests on them. It could inform decisions on military and business projects.
Belugas play, a sperm whale nurses, and orcas teach their pups to hunt in a series of photographs from National Geographic photographer and explorer Brian Skerry.
"While they are still alive and in water, there is certainly hope for them, but as time goes on, they become more fatigued and their chance of survival reduces," said a government wildlife official.