Tagrorqual bleu

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The Big Blue

Viewed from the window, a powerful blast erupts from the river’s murky waters. From the comfort of their own home,…

|Observation of the Week 2/2/2024

Large Rorquals in the Gulf

This week, large rorquals were present all around the gulf. A blue whale made an appearance near Sept-Îles, minke whales…

|Observation of the Week 15/6/2023

Solo or in groups, the cetaceans are back!

The list of marine species present in the St. Lawrence is getting longer and longer: blue whales and fin whales…

|Observation of the Week 13/4/2023

Blue Whale Spout on the Horizon

Off the coast of Sept-Îles, a huge blast rises into the air, then another. Clearly visible from shore, these blows…

|Observation of the Week 16/3/2023

From Swimming Giants to Flying Gulls

Sunny days, seabirds flying gracefully over the river as they forage for food, reflections in the crystal clear water and…

|Observation of the Week 23/2/2023

Action on the Horizon

Whether watching through their binoculars, through the lens of their camera or with their own two eyes while squinting from…

|Observation of the Week 27/10/2022

Exceptional Tours in the Estuary

Everyone was surprised this week when not one, but two endangered species ventured into the St. Lawrence Estuary: one North…

|Observation of the Week 11/8/2022

Are blue whales really blue?

That might sound like a funny question! After all, isn’t the blue colour of Balaenoptera musculus, in addition to its…

|Whale Q&A 11/4/2022

How much food does a blue whale eat?

Tipping the scales at up to 135 tonnes, the blue whale is the largest animal on our planet. Seeing the…

|Whale Q&A 28/2/2022

2021 Season Raises Questions

By René Roy For several years now, I’ve been plying the waters of the St. Lawrence in order to observe…

|Field Notes 13/12/2021

Documentary “The Loneliest Whale”: The Importance of Epic Stories to Raise Public Awareness

In the documentary The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52, a group of scientists sets out to find a whale…

|News 14/7/2021

Migration in Full Swing

Migration is truly underway in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is in full swing at the tip of the…

|Field Notes 23/6/2021

400-Metre Regulatory Distance for Blue Whales Proving Effective

In the presence of watercraft, blue whales reduce both the duration and depth of their dives. A recent simulation-based study…

|News 19/5/2021

Educational Podcasts on Marine Mammals

Itching to set sail in search of marine mammals? Virtual experiences are available thanks to the following list of podcasts…

|News 8/3/2021

Generosity For Your Loved Ones… and For Whales, Too!

The 2020 holiday season will come with its share of challenges, just like the periods of adaptation that we all…

|News 4/12/2020
Rorqual bleu s'alimentant

How do we know how big a blue whale gulp is?

For researchers, studying the giants of the seas is no easy task! For example, how do they quantify how much…

|Whale Q&A 24/3/2020

Is it possible to collect dead whale skin in the St. Lawrence?

One reader sent us this video from Blue Planet Live in which researchers were collecting pieces of dead skin that…

|Whale Q&A 29/1/2020

What does a blue whale use its tongue for?

Blue whales have a huge tongue that weighs as much as an elephant. In addition to the sense of taste,…

|Whale Q&A 28/8/2019

Military Sonar: A Threat to Blue Whale’s Recovery?

A new study published in Experimental Biology showed that military sonar can affect the behaviour of the blue whales studied off the…

|News 13/8/2019

A Blue Whale At Last!

I finally encountered my first large rorqual of the season! And it was about time: I had already travelled 240…

|Field Notes 27/5/2019

Do whales suffer from sunburn?

Unlike other mammals, whales do not have hair to protect their skin. Even if they spend little time at the…

|Whale Q&A 15/5/2019

On the path of the blue whale: from the St-Lawrence to the United States

By Maureen Jouglain A study published in July 2017 in the journal Endangered Species Research presents the first records of…

|News 3/8/2017

My First Encounter with Pilot Whales

On Saturday, May 13, together with Katy Gavrilchuk and David Gaspard, members of the Mingan Islands Cetacean Study (MICS) team,…

|Field Notes 16/5/2017