Marine mammals

For more than a year a frozen slab of leopard seal poo sat in a NIWA freezer. The poo, known scientifically as scat and about the size of two bread rolls, is as good as gold for leopard seal researchers.

17 January 2019. By Voyage Leader Dr Richard O'Driscoll.

The Ross Sea Region Research and Monitoring Programme (Ross-RAMP) is a five-year research programme funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and run by NIWA to evaluate the effectiveness of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area.

A leopard seal, who has made the balmy waters around Auckland home, is prompting a NIWA scientist to campaign for her to be made a New Zealand citizen.

The Ross Sea region is vital to the future of the Antarctic ecosystem.

A NIWA-led team of marine ecologists are using seal-mounted cameras to get a first-hand view into the behaviour and movements of Weddell seals under the Antarctic ice.

A NIWA-led team of marine ecologists are using seal-mounted cameras to get a first-hand view into the behaviour and movements of Weddell seals under the Antarctic ice.

Scientists will be trying to understand how Antarctic-based Weddell seals see the world when they head to the ice next week.

The new science season at Antarctica is just a few days away from opening and NIWA researchers are busy packing containers and shipping them to the ice where they will be reunited with them in the coming months.

Identifying dolphins using photos of the unique pigment patterns on their fins can be used to help in the management of a species, says a NIWA scientist.

Wellington’s whale may be a sign they are returning to their historical habitat, says NIWA.