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J2 / In Memoriam
Remembering and honoring a beloved local orca Written by CWR founder Ken Balcomb (1940-2022) on December 31, 2016. MY FIRST ACQUAINTANCE...
Ken Balcomb
Dec 9, 20244 min read
about BREACHING
Orca BEHAVIORS Few things, in nature, are as impressive as when a multi-ton animal launches itself out of the water. Everyone, seasoned...
Dave Ellifrit
Jun 7, 20245 min read
Killer whales give new insight into the evolution of menopause
On March 13, 2024, the international science and technology journal Nature published a Center for Whale Research (CWR) paper titled The...
Dr. Darren Croft
Apr 16, 20248 min read
Toki will always be remembered
The loss of Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (Tokitae/Toki) this past week has brought great sadness to all who know, love, and care for this...
Katie Jones - CWR Scientific Interpreter
Aug 24, 20234 min read
Post-reproductive mothers reduce socially inflicted injuries in their sons
Recently the Center for Whale Research (CWR) published an exciting new paper about rake marks on killer whales, particularly males, and...
Center for Whale Research
Aug 4, 20234 min read
“One of the best days of my life!”
ONE YEAR AGO TODAY: The Center for Whale Research’s (CWR) Lodie Gilbert Budwill spent the better part of July 11, 2022, aboard the CWR...
Lodie Gilbert Budwill
Jul 10, 20234 min read
New vessel will open up new opportunities for Center for Whale Research fieldwork
The CWR team chose Washington State’s LIFE PROOF BOATS to build a rugged, safe, stable, and spacious research vessel to navigate in the...
Dr. Michael Weiss
Jun 22, 20234 min read
New Bigg’s killer whale research:
Bigg’s killer whale females maintain close relationships with their adult sons, while daughters disperse Post-reproductive mother T60 and...
Mia Lybkaer Kronborg Nielsen
Jun 13, 20233 min read
Blow by Blow
A step-by-step account of a CWR orca encounter Have you ever wondered what it’s like to spend time on the water with orcas? Where it’s...
Dave Ellifrit
Nov 29, 20228 min read
Every Card Gives Back
Lodie Gilbert’s commitment to helping the Southern Resident orcas is always on full display. Wherever you turn on San Juan Island, she’s...
Center for Whale Research
Nov 26, 20227 min read
Why ORCA RESEARCH matters
The Center for Whale Research’s new Research Director, Dr. Michael Weiss, explains why the ongoing study of Salish Sea orcas is...
Dr. Michael Weiss
Aug 23, 20226 min read
Here come the Kings!
The following story is a transcribed version of Sealife Productions’ Florian Graner’s new twelve-minute video Elwha River Salmon...
Florian Graner/Sealife Productions
Dec 13, 20218 min read
A bird’s-eye view of orcas! How, when, and why?
In the following Q & A with CWR’s Dr. Michael Weiss, we learn what it’s like to fly a drone over top of whales and the new knowledge...
Center for Whale Research
Oct 21, 20215 min read
Killer whale “peanut head”
What is it, when does it happen, and what are the causes? Several weeks ago, K21, the oldest male killer whale (orca) in the Southern...
Dr. Michael Weiss
Aug 18, 20214 min read
CAPTURED! Sold to the highest bidder!
In the early 1970s, more than 100 orcas were round-up and held captive in Penn Cove, Washington. Ten of these whales were sold to marine...
Center for Whale Research
Aug 13, 202111 min read
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