Marine Mammals

Latest news

Can a leopard seal change its spots?

Feature story
3 January 2019
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.

Seal-mounted cameras give scientists a glimpse of life under the ice

Feature story
19 December 2018
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 studying Weddell seal behaviour in Antarctica

Media Release
29 October 2018
Scientists will be trying to understand how Antarctic-based Weddell seals see the world when they head to the ice next week.

Busy season for NIWA scientists in Antarctica

Media Release
24 September 2018
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.
 

Our work

The decline of New Zealand’s sea lions

The main breeding population of New Zealand sea lions at the Auckland Islands has halved in size since the late-1990s; NIWA scientists are working with the government and experts from around New Zealand and overseas to understand why.

Acoustic Monitoring of whales and dolphins in New Zealand’s Cook Strait region

The sounds of whales and dolphins rarely seen in New Zealand waters have been recorded in a pioneering underwater sound project.

Satellite tracking of blue whales in New Zealand waters

The aim of this voyage was to examine the movement and habitat utilization of pygmy blue whales in New Zealand waters.

Acoustic monitoring of the critically endangered Māui dolphin

Māui dolphins, a subspecies of Hector’s dolphins, are listed as nationally critical in New Zealand with a population estimate between 57 and 75 dolphins over one year old.
 

Latest videos

Weddell seals - web

Seal-mounted cameras give scientists a glimpse of life under the 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.
Southern right whale observed in Wellington Harbour

Southern right whale observed in Wellington Harbour

On 4 July 2018 NIWA photographer Dave Allen took some close-up footage of a southern right whale seen surfacing in Wellington Harbour for several days. Dave worked alongside marine ecologist Kim Goetz, fisheries technician Pete Notman and Department of Conservation staff to take a biopsy sample for genetic analysis and acoustic recordings taken for NIWA's ongoing whale research.

Breakfast with Ebony - Episode 1

Breakfast with Ebony - Episode 1

Plastic spoons aren’t always used for eating - fisheries scientist Dr Jim Roberts found them handy when studying sub-Antarctic sea lions. Find out just how in the first of our new series presented by our inquisitive mailroom administrator Ebony Barrett.

Pilot whale ((Globicephala sp.) calls detected by acoustic recorder stationed in Cook Strait, New Zealand

Pilot whale ((Globicephala sp.) calls detected by acoustic recorder stationed in Cook Strait, New Zealand

Pilot whale (Globicephala sp.) calls detected by acoustic recorder stationed in Cook Strait, New Zealand from December 2016 to January 2017.
 

Can a leopard seal change its spots?

Feature story
3 January 2019
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.

Ross Sea Environment and Ecosystem Voyage 2019

From 8 Jan - 27 Feb 2019 RV Tangaroa is undertaking a six-week research voyage to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. On board scientists, supported by 19 crew members, will be studying ocean, atmosphere and ecosystem processes with the focus on establishing monitoring programmes for the newly created Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area (MPA).
Weddell seals - web

Seal-mounted cameras give scientists a glimpse of life under the 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.

Seal-mounted cameras give scientists a glimpse of life under the ice

Feature story
19 December 2018
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 studying Weddell seal behaviour in Antarctica

Media Release
29 October 2018
Scientists will be trying to understand how Antarctic-based Weddell seals see the world when they head to the ice next week.

Busy season for NIWA scientists in Antarctica

Media Release
24 September 2018
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.

Know your dolphin by the fin, says NIWA scientist

Media Release
23 August 2018
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 good sign, says NIWA

Media Release
9 July 2018
Wellington’s whale may be a sign they are returning to their historical habitat, says NIWA.
Southern right whale observed in Wellington Harbour

Southern right whale observed in Wellington Harbour

On 4 July 2018 NIWA photographer Dave Allen took some close-up footage of a southern right whale seen surfacing in Wellington Harbour for several days. Dave worked alongside marine ecologist Kim Goetz, fisheries technician Pete Notman and Department of Conservation staff to take a biopsy sample for genetic analysis and acoustic recordings taken for NIWA's ongoing whale research.

Unidentified whale signals recorded in Cook Strait

Media Release
3 May 2018
Two yet-to-be identified species of beaked whales have been detected in the Cook Strait region. Identifying which species they are is important for understanding the status of marine mammal populations in New Zealand waters.

Satellite tracking of blue whales in New Zealand waters

The aim of this voyage was to examine the movement and habitat utilization of pygmy blue whales in New Zealand waters.

Blog: Passive acoustic mooring - 15 March

15 March 2018

A couple of days ago we deployed the last of three long-term passive acoustic monitoring moorings, as a collaboration between the Ross-RAMP MBIE Endeavour project and The Australian Antarctic Division.

Warmer seas make whales more difficult to find and track

Media Release
16 February 2018
A two-week expedition to tag blue whales in New Zealand waters for the first time, almost came up empty due to warmer sea temperatures causing the animals to change their behaviour.

Look out for leopard seals

Media Release
15 January 2018
Beachgoers are being asked to look out for leopard seals over summer and report sightings as soon as possible.

Leopard seal pup’s lungs were failing, CT scan shows

Media Release
29 September 2017
A leopard seal pup born off St Kilda beach, Dunedin, on Tuesday has been found to have only had 10 per cent of normal lung capacity.

Spotted a leopard seal? Scientist seeks sightings

Media Release
17 August 2017
A leopard seal has spent so much time in New Zealand waters she has prompted a NIWA scientist to challenge conventional thinking about the species.

Acoustic Monitoring of whales and dolphins in New Zealand’s Cook Strait region

The sounds of whales and dolphins rarely seen in New Zealand waters have been recorded in a pioneering underwater sound project.
Breakfast with Ebony - Episode 1

Breakfast with Ebony - Episode 1

Plastic spoons aren’t always used for eating - fisheries scientist Dr Jim Roberts found them handy when studying sub-Antarctic sea lions. Find out just how in the first of our new series presented by our inquisitive mailroom administrator Ebony Barrett.

Acoustic monitoring of the critically endangered Māui dolphin

Māui dolphins, a subspecies of Hector’s dolphins, are listed as nationally critical in New Zealand with a population estimate between 57 and 75 dolphins over one year old.
Pilot whale ((Globicephala sp.) calls detected by acoustic recorder stationed in Cook Strait, New Zealand

Pilot whale ((Globicephala sp.) calls detected by acoustic recorder stationed in Cook Strait, New Zealand

Pilot whale (Globicephala sp.) calls detected by acoustic recorder stationed in Cook Strait, New Zealand from December 2016 to January 2017.
Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) in Cook Strait, New Zealand

Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) in Cook Strait, New Zealand

Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) calls detected by acoustic recorder stationed in Cook Strait, New Zealand from December 2016 to January 2017.

Scientists eavesdrop on endangered dolphins

7 June 2017

The critically endangered Māui dolphin is getting a helping hand from scientists this month who are beginning a year-long research project to listen in on them.

Unique research records rare whale species in Cook Strait

Acoustic recordings of rare whale species in Cook Strait

The sounds of whales and dolphins rarely seen in New Zealand waters have been recorded by NIWA scientist in a pioneering underwater sound project. In 2016 NIWA marine ecologist Dr Kim Goetz led a programme to deploy seven acoustic moorings in Cook Strait that recorded the sounds of marine mammals for six months until they were retrieved in December.

Unique research records rare whale species in Cook Strait

Media Release
29 March 2017

The sounds of whales and dolphins rarely seen in New Zealand waters have been recorded by a NIWA scientist in a pioneering underwater sound project.

Great humpback whale trail

Great Humpback Whale Trail

Here is an insight into what Auckland University’s whale research team is up to in The Kermadecs.

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