whales

Parliament passed the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act in a move hailed by animal rights activists. Violations are punishable by fines of up to about US$150,000.

Whales might be the largest animals on the planet, but they haven't always been so huge. Researchers say the ocean giants only became enormous fairly recently, and over a short period of time.

Killer whales are one of only three species known to have menopause. Researchers are looking at the conflict and cooperation between older and younger female whales to understand why.