NIWA

Marine Mammals

Latest news

Identification of significant ecological areas for the Otago coastal marine area

12 June 2023

Long-term protection of Otago’s coastal habitats took a step closer to reality after more than 100 marine Significant Ecological Areas (SEA) were identified as part of a research project led by NIWA.

Researchers to unveil Antarctic secrets

Media Release

11 January 2023

As New Zealanders search for the summer sun, 38 researchers and crew will board RV Tangaroa tomorrow for a six-week science voyage deep into the waters of Antarctica.

NIWA heads to Antarctica for critical climate, ocean research

Media Release

8 January 2021

NIWA’s flagship research vessel Tangaroa leaves soon on a six-week voyage to Antarctica, making it one of the few full scientific expeditions to the continent since the global outbreak of COVID-19.

Scientists on the trail of elusive sperm whales

Feature story

21 December 2020

When scientists head south to Antarctica on board NIWA research vessel Tangaroa next month, they’ll be keeping a close eye out for an animal that is particularly good at staying out of sight.

Latest videos

Eavesdropping on sperm whales in Antarctica

Whale researchers such as NIWA Marine Mammal Acoustician Dr Giacomo Giorli are eagerly awaiting the return of RV Tangaroa after its five-week Antarctic voyage.

The moorings team is bringing back precious data from long-term underwater listening devices which the researchers are using to search for signs that sperm whales are finally returning in numbers to the Ross Sea.

Sperm whales were targeted by the whaling industry in the 19th and 20th centuries and more than 70 per cent of their population wiped out. Scientists are now trying to establish if the sperm whale population is making a comeback.

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

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

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.

Identification of significant ecological areas for the Otago coastal marine area

12 June 2023

Researchers to unveil Antarctic secrets

Media Release

11 January 2023

As New Zealanders search for the summer sun, 38 researchers and crew will board RV Tangaroa tomorrow for a six-week science voyage deep into the waters of Antarctica.

Working with Animals at NIWA

We aim to deliver the science that enables New Zealand to meet its environmental challenges and thrive in a rapidly changing world. To fulfil our purpose we need to understand the way animals live and survive as vital parts of the overall ecosystem.

Eavesdropping on sperm whales in Antarctica

Whale researchers such as NIWA Marine Mammal Acoustician Dr Giacomo Giorli are eagerly awaiting the return of RV Tangaroa after its five-week Antarctic voyage.

NIWA heads to Antarctica for critical climate, ocean research

Media Release

8 January 2021

NIWA’s flagship research vessel Tangaroa leaves soon on a six-week voyage to Antarctica, making it one of the few full scientific expeditions to the continent since the global outbreak of COVID-19.

Scientists on the trail of elusive sperm whales

Feature story

21 December 2020

When scientists head south to Antarctica on board NIWA research vessel Tangaroa next month, they’ll be keeping a close eye out for an animal that is particularly good at staying out of sight.

2021 - Antarctic voyage

RV Tangaroa undertook a 45-day voyage to the Southern Ocean and Ross Sea in January-February, 2021.

Scientists conducting snapper research off North Island’s west coast

Media Release

6 October 2020

People along the Kapiti and Wanganui coast may spot NIWA’s research vessel Kaharoa operating close to shore in the next few weeks as scientists carry out a survey of snapper, tarakihi, red gurnard and John Dory.

Seal of protection

Small transmitters on Weddell seals are helping protect more than a million square kilometres of Antarctic ocean.

The frozen menagerie

Feature story

23 December 2019

Just past the locks, alarms and big heavy doors is a rather macabre sight.

Leopard seal Owha injured in Auckland Harbour

Media Release

28 October 2019

Researchers are keeping a close eye on Owha, the leopard seal that has made Auckland Harbour her home, after she was seen bleeding from her face on Saturday morning.

Planning an ocean observation network

Media Release

3 October 2019

New Zealand’s changing ocean environment has prompted the call to develop a system that will keep closer tabs on information from scientific monitoring buoys so the data they produce can be shared as widely as possible.

Owha and her friends awarded citizenship

Media Release

27 May 2019

New Zealand’s newest citizens like the solitary life, have leopard-like markings, and can each weigh up to 600kg.

Hector’s and Māui dolphins

Media Release

13 May 2019

A new scientific assessment of Hector’s and Māui dolphins has led to a revised understanding of their biology, their distribution and their main threats.

Scientists return from Antarctic voyage

Media Release

14 February 2019

After travelling almost 12,000km in the past six weeks, a group of scientists returns to Wellington at the weekend with new knowledge about life in the Ross Sea of Antarctica.

They were defrosting leopard seal poo...you won't believe what happened next!

5 February 2019

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.

Voyage update 2: Cape Adare

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

Research and Monitoring

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.

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).

Marine protected area

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

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.