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Two whales allokelping, with a small length of kelp stem visible between them. (Credit: Center for Whale Research, NMFS NOAA Permit 27038) In a nutshell Southern resident killer whales are making tools from kelp to groom each other—the first documented case of tool manufacturing in marine mammals This “allokelping” behavior involves coordinated teamwork between whale pairs and appears to serve both hygiene and social bonding functions The behavior is unique to this critically endangered population and could be threatened by climate change affecting kelp forests ================================================================= FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash. — Scientists have spotted something extraordinary: killer whales are crafting their...

A group of orcas off the west coast of North America has brought back a bizarre fashion trend not seen since the late 1980s: wearing a single dead salmon on their heads as if it were a hat. Experts are at a loss to explain why orcas would want to wear fish in the first place, let alone why they would want to bring back the practice almost 40 years after it stopped. The salmon hat craze was first observed in 1987 when a female orca in the Puget Sound area of the northeast Pacific was seen carrying a solitary...

A killer whale calf has been stranded at Carmel River State Beach for at least nine hours, with crews working tirelessly to keep it comfortable until help arrives. "We can't locate the parent pod so we don't want to float her out there and she not be able to locate the rest of the pod and then she doesn't know how to forage, know how to hunt and do all the things she needs to survive on her own," said Monique King with the Marine Mammal Center. The whale has been vocal and moving its tail, but the prolonged time...

Orcas relentlessly battered a yacht in a “terrifying” two-hour attack that didn’t end until the $128,680 vessel sunk to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. ... they were not playing at all, they knew exactly what they were doing. They knew the weak points of the boat, and they knew how to sink it... “Their sole intention was to sink the boat ... The five orcas circled the 39-foot sailing boat and took turns smashing it to bits .. in a coordinated assault Powell compared to the carnage of wolves. ... The pod of five first focused on the rudder,...

Oprah Winfrey is sharing some insight into her dramatic physical transformation, seemingly implying that she’s not cutting any corners with weight loss trends like Ozempic. The TV icon turned heads while walking the red carpet for the premiere of “The Color Purple” at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles Wednesday night. Winfrey, 69, fittingly wore a bright purple gown, which highlighted her curves and slimmed-down figure. (snip) Winfrey’s outing comes amid ongoing social media chatter about her health and fitness transformation. After seeing recent pics of the talk show host out and about in public, many have...

A rare sight in the Monterey Bay, an all-white killer whale was spotted with a hunting pack. Orca CA216C1 "Frosty" was seen with a pack of orcas hunting elephant seals and California sea lions. According to Monterey Bay Whale Watch, Frosty is about 4 years old and has been seen in the bay before. Filmed aboard Monterey Bay Whale Watch by videographer Evan Brodsky.

American presidents for the past several decades, since the end of the presidency of Ronald Reagan, have had a pretty abysmal record when it comes to the U.S. geopolitical relationship with Russia and Vladimir Putin. -snip- In 2013, my father participated in freedom protests in Kiev alongside Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and spoke in front of thousands of protestors. He told them 'We support your just cause, the sovereign right of Ukraine to determine its own destiny freely and independently. And the destiny you seek lies in Europe.' In 2014, following the invasion and annexation of Crimea by Russia my...

Meghan McCain couldn’t hide her disappointment in her political party on this morning’s episode of The View, bashing Republicans for voting to oust Rep. Liz Cheney from House Republican leadership. In response to the congresswoman losing her post after denying the 2020 election was rigged, McCain admitted she was “having a hard time” with the morning’s news. The conservative co-host pointed out that while Cheney has a “hyper-conservative” voting record, her replacement, Rep. Elise Stefanik, is “much more centrist and mushy in the middle politically.” Sharing a “throwback” with viewers, McCain recalled a photoshoot for Elle Magazine’s ’30 Women at...

Meghan McCain told her co-hosts Wednesday on ABC’s “The View” that Republican lawmakers were being a “MAGA sausage-fest” for planning to remove Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) from her leadership role for “refusing to debase herself to Cheeto Jesus,” referring to former President Donald Trump. McCain said, “What’s going on is Liz Cheney, by the way, was already, by the way, voted in January to stay in her position and overwhelmingly had support to stay when they tried to oust her before. What’s happening is it’s clear. I’m going to be a little crass. They’re shivving her for her going on...

Chris Christie is once again accusing President Biden of lying, this time charging that the president is "not telling the truth" about the tax increases inside the sweeping spending proposal he’ll unveil on Wednesday night. Speaking hours before Biden’s first address in front of Congress, the former two-term GOP governor of New Jersey and 2016 Republican presidential candidate-turned-political analyst and pundit argued that the president is "not telling the truth to the American people to hide a socialist agenda."

Oprah Winfrey is currently on her 2020 Vision speaking tour, stopping by the Forum arena in Los Angeles Saturday to discuss wellness and living a balanced life. Unfortunately for the media mogul, she quite literally lost her own balance while onstage, slipping and taking a pretty hard fall in front of hundreds of attendees.

At the bottom of the world, in some of the roughest seas, live mysterious killer whales that look very different from other orcas. Now, for the first time, scientists have located and studied these animals in the wild. The orcas are “highly likely” to be a new species, says Robert Pitman, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The scientific team made the finding in January about 60 miles off the coast of Cape Horn, Chile..

RUSH: So the Hollywood left is all atwitter now with The Oprah. They want The Oprah to run for president based on her speech last night. I didn’t watch it. I didn’t tune in to watch the Golden Globes so all I know is what I have been able to inform myself via reading and so forth after the fact. I made it a point not to watch it. I couldn’t have cared less. But the fact that they’re glomming on to Oprah — (interruption) No, no, no. I have plenty of thoughts about it. I know plenty enough to...

Off the coast of South Africa, just below the ocean’s surface, an epic battle is underway as killer whales hunt and kill the world’s most iconic predator, the great white shark. The phenomenon began in early May when scientists at shark cage diving company Marine Dynamics spotted a pair of killer whales cruising along the south western coast of South Africa. Days later, great white shark carcasses began washing up in their wake.

Raw Video: Orca pod swims past Pebble Beach Video at the site.

A marine biologist says killer whales are on an unprecedented killing spree in California’s Monterey Bay. Nancy Black says orcas have killed four gray whale calves in eight days. Black, who co-owns Monterey Bay Whale Watch, says a family of nine killer whales has taken part in all the attacks but the first killing involved 33 orcas.

GOTV software use by Republicans and Democrats.

Meghan McCain, the political scion who has won public fame as a blogger, commentator and TV-show host, will join Fox News Channel as a contributor, Variety has learned. A spokesperson for the network confirmed the hire. McCain is expected to contribute to the network’s primetime and daytime programming. McCain, the oldest daughter of U.S. Senator John McCain, a Republican, joins as Fox News Channel, like other news outlets, heads into a frenzied pre-season for the 2016 election for U.S. president. Already, more than a dozen different candidates for the Republican nomination have thrown their hat into the ring. McCain, who...

WASHINGTON - Power outages left many wondering who turned out the lights in D.C. on Tuesday-- including OprahWinfrey. The power went off at D.C.'s Warner Theatre, right in the middle of Ms. Winfrey's speech honoring Maya Angelou. Winfrey was part of the dedication ceremony of a new U.S. Postal Service Forever Stamp that honors Angelou. "I am honored to be here to stand her as her daughter, sister-friend at the unveiling of the Maya Forever-- FOREVER-- stamp," Winfrey said, and then the lights went out.

This should be good. The always candid Meghan McCain, co-host of “Take Part Live” and daughter to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), is scheduled to appear on “The Howard Stern Show.” She admitted as much to a follower on Twitter over the weekend. If history repeats itself, we’re in for a real treat. …