Humpback whales are using two important migration stopover sites for two differing purposes - one largely for social interaction, the other for resting mothers and calves.

Griffith's Dr Raphael Mayaud found Hervey Bay was more like a 'playground' and Moreton Bay a 'much-needed pitstop'.

Fresh from the field - we confirmed that humpback whales are nursing in Moreton Bay, Australia! 🇦🇺
phys.org/news/2025-11...

@susanbengtsonnash.bsky.social @lbejder1971.bsky.social + Augusta Hollers, William Gough, Raphael Mayaud
@griffith.edu.au @universityofhawaii.bsky.social #marmam

#marmam

Congrats to my lab-mate Erika @erikaoteri.bsky.social on her first publication! 🎉🔬👩🏼‍🔬

Humpback whales sometimes stay with entangled companions and help them breathe, suggesting whales may be capable of empathy. Historical whaling records show the same behaviour 💔
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

Sharing this cool article about humpback whale vision (spoiler alert: they need glasses🤓). The photos are amazing - imagine holding a whale’s eyeball in your hands! www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/h...

Just published a new paper with an amazing team! We describe epimeletic behaviour (care for a sick or distressed individual) in humpback whales. It all started during an entanglement response off Maui in 2021 and led to something much bigger. 🐋💙 #marmam dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...

#marmam

This article by @emesemaczko.bsky.social references my research on swim-with-whale tourism. In Hervey Bay, Australia we found 50% ⬇️ in resting behaviour when swimmers were in the water. Impt implications for energy budget as these whales migrate to feeding grounds. www.forbes.com/sites/emesem...

#marmam

New paper! We describe humpback whale mom & calf’s associating with other mom & calf’s along Australia’s east coast. This contrasts what is seen on the breeding grounds - perhaps these “play dates” help older calves learn to socialize.

Read here: www.aquaticmammalsjournal.org/article/prev...

A study published in Marine Mammal Science (2024) has documented the first recorded case of humpback whales mating—and it was between two males. 🤯 Learn more: www.cbc.ca/radio/asitha...

As mentioned in episode 75, the IWC has created a Global Whale Watching Handbook for anyone interested in the guidelines, best practices, and the questions you can ask before you book a tour.
Check it out here: https://buff.ly/4fgvnQI
#WhaleTales

I should add: While using an observation about humpback whale behaviour to legitimize human behavior obviously isn’t ideal from a scientific perspective, if people want to use my article to validate their queer identity in a world that continually tries to invalidate them, I 100% support this 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

We're absolutely thrilled to have Stephanie Stack on our pod to talk about the note "An observation of sexual behavior between two male Humpback Whales."
Many theories have gone around about what these two whales might be doing but we may never really know.
https://buff.ly/4hQ91b7
#WhaleTales

We are back this month with a super exciting episode featuring the incredible humpback researcher Stephanie Stack! She joins us to talk about research on Humpback Whales as well as her now famous article "An observation of sexual behavior between two male Humpback Whales."
https://buff.ly/3OvJMxn

📢 New publication! 📢
We extend the known range of a critically endangered population of southern right whales by 1,500 km northward. Also the first known sighting of a southern right whale found north of the equator! 😲 With ~50 mature adults remaining, this has important management implications.

This week I presented at a stakeholder workshop in Okinawa to discuss responsible whale tourism.

I have been studying whale-watch and swim-with-whale tourism in Japan since 2022. Whale tourism is growing steadily in Japan yet not govt regulated.