/channels/taxonomy/term/29026/all en /channels/channels/news/killer-whales-diet-more-important-location-pollutant-exposure-study-says-352197 <p>Both elegant and fierce, killer whales are some of the oceans’ top predators, but even they can be exposed to environmental pollution. Now, in the largest study to date on North Atlantic killer whales, researchers in the American Chemical Society’ <i>Environmental Science & Technology</i> report the levels of legacy and emerging pollutants in 162 individuals’ blubber. The animals’ diet, rather than location, greatly impacted contaminant levels and potential health risks — information that’s helpful to conservation efforts.</p> Tue, 24 Oct 2023 14:38:07 +0000 webfull 194166 at /channels /channels/channels/news/tastes-differ-even-among-north-atlantic-killer-whales-347500 <p>Killer whales (also known as orcas) are intelligent predators. While it’s known that killer whales in the Pacific Northwest exploit widely different food types, even within the same region, we know much less about the feeding habits of those found throughout the North Atlantic. Thanks to a new technique developed by a research team led by ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ, it is now possible to quantify, for the first time, the proportion of different prey that killer whales in the North Atlantic are eating by studying the fatty acid patterns in their blubber.</p> Fri, 14 Apr 2023 13:14:46 +0000 webfull 189002 at /channels