Latest news with #whales
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Why are whales washing ashore in Japan? Scientists explain the mass strandings after Russian megaquake sparks tsunami warnings
Heartbreaking footage has revealed that at least four giant whales are stranded on a beach in Japan amid the tsunami warnings. Filmed in Tateyama, Chiba prefecture, the footage shows the huge creatures laying within a few feet of each other on the beach. Parts of Japan have now been struck by 5ft waves, but the whales appeared to have become stranded before they hit. This poses the question – how did the whales end up there in the first place? According to Professor Peter Evans, Director of the Sea Watch Foundation, the answer may lie in an increase in underwater noise, causing the whales to become disorientated. Speaking to MailOnline, he explained: 'Whales, particularly deep diving species, are susceptible to hearing damage from underwater noise. 'Sea quakes are one source of very loud noise. 'I imagine that the earthquake off Russia has caused major tremors initiating the tsunami and that all of that has had impacts on whales.' Japan was struck by tsunami waves approaching five feet on Wednesday as the biggest earthquake for 14 years caused millions to evacuate. Tidal waves struck parts of Russia, Japan and the United States in the aftermath of a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. The earthquake was the sixth most powerful on record, and the strongest in Kamchatka region since 1952, with aftershocks of up to 7.5 magnitude expected. It is the largest earthquake globally since 2011, when a 9.1 megaquake hit northeast Japan and left 19,747 people either dead or missing. Dr David Rugh, a retired whale expert at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), explained that most whales are usually unaffected by tsunamis. Writing in an article for Journey North, he said: 'Whales will be almost unaffected. 'At sea they will have the sensation of a wave passing when the tsunami goes by, much as vessels at sea do, without any deleterious affect. 'The place where there might be a problem would be near shore when a tsunami rapidly pulls water out to sea before a wave hits the shore. 'Whales might be stranded for a moment and then pushed hard against tidal rocks as the tsunami overwhelms them. 'Therefore, the degree of impact may be a function of proximity to the coast.' The expert highlights that tsunamis vary in size and dynamics, so it will not be consistent in how they impact whales. 'Videos of tsunamis sometimes show a beach becoming exposed for a short while, and then a high wave comes in,' he added. 'If a whale was very near the beach at that moment, it might be pulled out to sea or — for a few tens of seconds — it might be stranded. 'It's the force of the incoming wave that could be especially hard on living things.' WHAT CAUSES TSUNAMIS? A tsunami, sometimes called a tidal wave or a seismic sea wave, is a series of giant waves that are created by a disturbance in the ocean. The disturbance could be a landslide, a volcanic eruption, an earthquake or a meteorite; the culprit is most often an earthquake. If the landslide or earthquake triggering the tsunami occurs nearby the shore, inhabitants could see its effects almost immediately. The first wave of the tsunami can arrive within minutes, before a government or other institution has time to issue a warning. Areas that are closer to sea level have a higher risk of being affected by the waves. Those less than 25 feet from sea level are the most dangerous. The cause of death most frequently associated with tsunamis is drowning. Additional hazards include drinking water contamination, fires and flooding. Initial tsunami warnings are usually based on seismic information only. Inhabitants of coastal areas that might be exposed to a tsunami are encouraged to follow evacuation routes in the event that they receive a tsunami warning. They should seek higher ground or move inland immediately to get away from the ocean.
The Sun
21 hours ago
- Climate
- The Sun
Heartbreaking vid shows giant whales washed up on Japanese beach after Russian mega quake sparks tsunami warnings
HEARTBREAKING footage shows giant whales washed up on a beach in Japan after a monster Russian earthquake sparked tsunami warnings. The magnitude 8.8 quake hit off Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said - with waves also lashing Japan and Hawaii. 6 6 6 The quake struck about 84 miles off the coast at around 7.24pm EST (12:30am BST) at a shallow depth of 19.3km (12 miles). It is the 6th largest ever recorded and the largest since the 2011 shake which led to a tsunami that caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster. A mere few hours after the terrifying earthquake hit, four whales washed up along the coast of Japan. Japanese TV aired videos of the beached whales in Tateyama, Chiba prefecture. Heartbreaking footage shows the gargantuan creatures laying within a few feet of each other on the beach. Waves are captured lashing around the creatures as the Russian quake continues to wreak chaos. Thankfully, the area was not hit by a major tsunami - and it remains unclear if the beached whales are a direct result of the quake, as some reports suggested an earlier typhoon could be to blame. Meanwhile five beluga whales washed ashore in Russia's region of Kamchatka after water receded due to the tsunami. Residents were seen throwing water over the whales to try and save them. A 4m (13ft) high wave was recorded on the southern tip of Kamchatka with waves inundating low lying areas and thousands evacuating. Flight 'red alert' issued & tsunami fears as giant 10-mile-high ash cloud soars from Mount Lewotobi volcano eruption Hawaii is bracing for the possibility of 3m (10ft) surges that could strike across the northern islands in the chain. Waves 1.2m (4ft) have already hit Hawaii with video caught by locals showing the water receding moments before. Locals in low lying and coastal areas are now heading for the hills with warning sirens blasting out across Honolulu. Some 1.9m people in Japan have been ordered to evacuate with small waves already hitting the country. It's a nightmare scenario for the country that suffered a nuclear disaster at Fukushima in 2011 caused by a tsunami. Tsunami warnings have been issued for as far away as Indonesia, New Zealand and Peru. Officials in California's Monterey County have told those living in boats to seek shelter with waves 5ft high possible in the north of the state. With the threat to the US, President Donald Trump posted: "Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii. "A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way. Please visit for the latest information. STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!" What is a tsunami? TSUNAMIS are waves triggered by earthquakes, underwater volcanic eruptions and submarine landslides. After an underwater earthquake, the seafloor rises and drops, which lifts water up and down. The energy from this pushes sea water that transfers to waves. Many people think of tsunamis as one wave - but they are typically multiple waves that hit the shore like a fast-rising tide. Many tsunamis are small and don't cause damage, but others can cause massive destruction. In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Indonesia - causing waves that levelled remote villages, ports and tourist resorts along the Indian Ocean across Southeast and South Asia 6 6 6
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
$9 Billion Exit by Satoshi-Era BTC Whale Sparks Debate: Are Bitcoin OGs Losing Faith?
Bitcoin's identity crisis came roaring back into focus this weekend after Galaxy Digital (GLXY) announced that it had facilitated a $9 billion sale of more than 80,000 bitcoin for a Satoshi-era investor. The firm said the sale — one of the largest notional BTC transactions ever — was part of the seller's estate planning strategy. The transaction was immediately seen as symbolic. For some, it marked a practical rebalancing. For others, it was a worrying sign that even Bitcoin's earliest believers are cashing out. Crypto analyst and commentator Scott Melker fanned the flames with a sharply worded post on X. 'Bitcoin is amazing,' he wrote on July 26. 'But it's obviously been co-opted to some degree by the very people that it was created as a hedge against. Many of the most ardent early whales have seen their faith shaken and have been selling at these prices.' The comment kicked off a fierce debate that spanned crypto influencers, traders, and ideologues — many of whom disagreed over what the whale's exit meant, and whether Melker's framing was accurate. Some Dismiss the Concern Critics of Melker's interpretation argued that one transaction — egardless of size — doesn't signify ideological abandonment. They noted the sale was explicitly tied to estate planning, not a loss of conviction. Others pointed out that wallet movements can be misleading, and selling doesn't automatically mean an investor has given up on the asset long term. Some community members even called the remark speculative, pointing to OGs like Adam Back and others who continue to accumulate. Melker later clarified that he was 'just pointing out what I've been hearing,' not declaring his own view. Others See a Pattern Supporters of Melker's take saw the whale's exit as emblematic of a broader shift. With Bitcoin increasingly absorbed into traditional finance — via ETFs, corporate treasuries, and custody solutions — some worry that the asset has drifted from its cypherpunk roots. To this group, Bitcoin's transformation into a tradable, regulated, and largely off-chain instrument is a distortion of its founding vision. If early believers are losing interest, they argue, it may be a symptom of Bitcoin becoming less about individual sovereignty and more about financial engineering. Bitcoin's Open-Access Design Defended Another group pushed back against the premise that institutional involvement amounts to ideological failure. In their view, Bitcoin's value lies in its neutrality — its rules apply to everyone, whether it's retail users or Wall Street funds. Censorship resistance, not exclusion, is the foundation. These commentators argued that the rise of ETFs and custodial adoption was inevitable, and even necessary, if Bitcoin is to achieve broad monetary relevance. From this perspective, whale exits are simply a part of maturing capital flows — not a sign of philosophical surrender. Questions About Security and Use The debate also triggered deeper concerns about Bitcoin's function. If most BTC is held as a passive store of value and rarely transacted, how will the network continue to be secured post-halving? With mining rewards falling and on-chain usage declining, some worry that transaction fees alone may not sustain network integrity in the long run. A Telling Moment While Melker's post didn't move markets, it did spotlight a critical question: What does it mean when early believers sell? Is it a warning signal, or a natural redistribution? A loss of faith — or a sign of progress? Galaxy's $9 billion transaction offered no definitive answers. But the reactions that followed revealed just how unsettled Bitcoin's evolving role remains. Between the vision it was born from and the institutions now shaping it, the ideological rift is no longer theoretical — it's playing out in real time. Sign in to access your portfolio
Irish Times
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Ireland's ‘hotbed' for whales who have migrated from southern waters
For the past few years, Donegal Bay has been a hotbed for rare aquatic mammals. Part of the reason for this is that whales who may be more traditionally associated with Irish waters in the south of the country have been migrating further north, driven by a desire for one of their favourite Irish delicacies: sprat. Residents in west Cork have been drawing attention to industrial fishing of sprat in their communities through a Save Our Sprat campaign. On Tuesday, they received some encouraging news: Ireland is set to ban industrial sprat fishing in inshore waters from October next year in the move the campaign hopes will pave the way for a return of some familiar creatures. READ MORE Members of the campaign see it as a positive first step, though they are concerned that the restrictions don't go far enough and will continue to campaign. Pádraig Whooley, sightings officer for the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), says that the same whales spotted off the coasts of Cork and Kerry 15 or 20 years ago are now popping up in places like Donegal Bay. 'That's obviously where the feed is at the moment,' he says. Other factors could include climate change, says Whooley. 'It could also be the fact that we're hammering what they're feeding on down here, which is the sprat,' he says. 'It's a very controversial one and local coastal communities are frankly getting very angry with the way we're allowing the industrial extraction of forage fish species like sprat. 'If you're into marine wildlife, and whales and dolphins in particular, Donegal Bay seems to be the place to be right now,' says Pádraig Whooley. Photograph: Joshua Nueva 'What we in the IWDG are saying is that the more sprat we're removing – and it's completely unregulated; they can catch as many as they want – we are saying that sprat is part of [the reason for] fewer of these humpback whales turning up in the likes of west Cork and west Kerry.' Donegal Bay is an inlet that touches three counties: Sligo , Leitrim and Donegal . There are a number of decent viewing points for activity in its waters, among them Sliabh Liag, Muckross Head and Mullaghmore Head. A number of species can be spotted in these waters. 'We also had a killer whale turn up [there] this weekend,' Whooley says. 'When the guys were out looking for humpback whales, they found one of the Scottish killer whales known as Aquarius. He was also, about three weeks ago, down off the Blaskets in Kerry. 'If you're into marine wildlife, and whales and dolphins in particular, Donegal Bay seems to be the place to be right now ... The more you see these animals, the more anecdotes you hear about them – the less they're just a number on a database. [They develop] personalities.' Even for experienced chroniclers of marine life, humpback whale sightings in Ireland are rare. [ Why are Ireland's whales disappearing? Opens in new window ] View across the bay at Slieve League cliffs, on the west coast of Donegal, Republic of Ireland. (Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) It can be a powerful moment for those that live it, as is evidenced by a video from content creator and adventurer Joshua Nueva in Donegal Bay last week. Flanked by a convoy of dolphins, Nueva's humpback emerges from below the surface, leaping up into the air and causing its travelling companions to scatter. Initially, the dolphins appear to be playing with the whale, whose movements generate a sort of slipstream on the surface. 'It's called pec slapping,' Nueva says. 'They take their fin, and they slap it on the water. There's no real data or proof to say why they do that. 'It is a playful behaviour – it's not like they're being threatened, or they feel like they're in danger. Dolphins love to swim with the whales because they're actually quite lazy. 'Whenever there are any boats or large mammals like humpbacks travelling in the direction that they want to go, they swim with it because they don't need to expend as much energy to travel.' Anyone who spots a whale is encouraged to contact the IWDG, as they can identify the animal. Photograph: Joshua Nueva Nueva logged his sighting with the IWDG, who have been documenting whales in Ireland for several decades. Anyone who spots a whale is encouraged to contact the IWDG, as they can identify the animal by its fluke – a uniquely shaped and marked tail that acts as a fingerprint. 'It takes a little while to try and find them because the bay is so vast,' Nueva says. 'When I saw the humpback fin splashing the water, I thought: no way. I couldn't believe it because there were no humpbacks spotted in the bay at that time. It was only then they started to accumulate. 'For us to see it and not be aware of it, it just goes to show what is going on around our coast that we wouldn't notice if we weren't looking for it. If we kept an eye on our coastline a little bit more, we'd be surprised at what we see.'
E&E News
5 days ago
- General
- E&E News
Whale entanglements decline but still threaten survival
Sixty-four large whales became entangled in fishing gear in 2023, according to new NOAA data, slightly fewer than the prior year and below the 16-year average of 72. But entanglements remain a major cause of injury and death to whales off both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, including federally endangered North Atlantic right whales whose populations are believed to be around 370 individuals. 'Entanglements in fishing gear or marine debris represent a continued threat to the welfare and recovery of many whale species. This includes species that are endangered and approaching extinction,' NOAA said in a press release. Advertisement The latest findings do not reflect all whale injuries or deaths due to human causes in 2023. Vessel strikes are also a significant cause of mortality for large whales, particularly in busy shipping corridors and fishing grounds off the U.S. East Coast where right whales are particularly vulnerable.
