UM Todayorcas – UM Today

The Canadian Press: Orcas moved into the Arctic. It could be bad news for other whales, and humans too

Fiona Odlum — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 19:47:02 +0000

Killer whales are expanding their territory and have moved into Arctic waters as climate change melts sea ice, with two genetically distinct populations being identified by Canadian scientists.

But their study says that could have “severe consequences” for potential prey whales such as belugas, narwhals and bowheads, that lead researcher Colin Garroway called “slow, chubby and delicious.”

Garroway, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Manitoba, said in an interview that the situation was complex — the Arctic orcas have the potential to upend ecosystems as apex predators, even as they merit conservation concern.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to APTN News.

Mongabay News: Killer whales have found new homes in the Arctic Ocean, potentially reshaping marine ecology

Fiona Odlum — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 19:43:53 +0000

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are finding a new place to roam in the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean. Though Indigenous people in the region have seen the whales, also known as orcas, pop up sporadically for centuries, the predators now have more access to the chilly waters than ever before.

Two distinct killer whale populations now claim habitats in the Arctic, according to a team led by researchers at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. But the whales’ presence raises conservation concerns that may be difficult to address, the team reported recently in Global Change Biology.

To read more about this research, please follow the link to Mongabay News.