Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Such a cool idea - not great for whale language claims however 😏🧪 160
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/08/2026New paper: Classifying bioacoustic data without individual call annotations using temporal convolutional networks and feature extractors - first (but not last!) PhD paper from @garrobe.bsky.social 🥳 pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/art... @seamammalresearch.bsky.social 🐋🦑🧪pubs.aip.org 1126
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 21/08/2026New paper! Costs and benefits of group size for sperm whales of the open ocean royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... w/ Hal Whitehead, Sam Walmslsey and @anaeg.bsky.social 🐋🦑 @seamammalresearch.bsky.socialroyalsocietypublishing.orgCosts and benefits of group size for sperm whales of the open oceanAbstract. Individual feeding success can change with the size of a social group through competition, cooperation, recruitment and other processes. Female s 12419
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 26/07/2026Exceot they are not vowels or even "vowel-like". In any way. At all. The entire myth is built on fundamental misunderstanding or misrepresentation of sperm whale sound production - which is why the word 'vowel' appears only in the PR and not the actual peer-reviewed paper 🙄 053
Reposted by Luke RendellJasper Blom @jasprblom.bsky.social · 26/07/2026What a powerful way to illustrate shifting baseline syndrome. And how sad it sounds... www.theguardian.com/environment/...theguardian.comListen to Britain’s dawn chorus of 1976: the dramatic loss of birdsong in 50 yearsGuardian recreates audio landscape of past filled by loud morning symphony before 73m wild birds were lost 25232
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 13/07/2026New chapter: Sperm Whales in Handbook of the Mammals of Europe. Led by Sanna Isojunno, a comprehensive review of knowledge of sperm whales in European waters - happy to see this out! @jlkershaw.bsky.social @seamammalresearch.bsky.social 🐋🦑 link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/... DM yr email for PDFlink.springer.comSperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758This comprehensive species-specific chapter covers all aspects of mammalian biology, including taxonomy, global and European distribution, genetics, morphology, life history, ecology, behavior, parasi... 0164
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 09/07/2026New paper! I am now officially a bowhead song researcher thanks to Seth's cool new paper - see thread for details - there is so much work to do on bowhead song and I am excited to continue this collaboration! @seamammalresearch.bsky.social @taylorhersh.bsky.social @sethharris15.bsky.social 🐋🦑🧪 1177
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 24/06/2026New paper! Dialect variation in Mediterranean sperm whales shows evidence of cultural evolution in an isolated population tinyurl.com/yrfepekh with @taylorhersh.bsky.social @asociaciontursiops.bsky.social and the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute 🐋🦑🧪 @seamammalresearch.bsky.social 14923
Reposted by Luke RendellTay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 13/06/20261/4 The enormous complexity of algae fishing Researchers have studied in detail how chimpanzees in Guinea fish for algae. They prepare their tools (up to 4 m long) in advance, and use 22 different techniques. (paper) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... 13622
Reposted by Luke RendellCat Hobaiter @nakedprimate.bsky.social · 21/04/2026I like ba-o-babs and I can not lie… but as it turns out I’m not the only one! Fongoli chimpanzees incorporate baobab hollows into their vocal drumming displays!! 🧪🐵🥁 Are you sitting comfortably… 1/n #newpaper #sciencestorytelling brill.com/view/journal... 2367
Reposted by Luke RendellAlexa Robles-Gil @alexaroblesgil.bsky.social · 29/04/2026Many of us have seen videos of humans swimming with orcas. The reality, however, is much different. Over the course of nearly a year, I traveled to Norway and Mexico to report on the complexity of swimming with these apex predators. Read more in @nytimes.com gift link www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/s...nytimes.comClear Waters, Murky Morals: When Humans Swim With Killer Whales 2187
Reposted by Luke RendellCamille Troisi @camilletroisi.bsky.social · 15/04/2026📢Fully-funded #PhD opportunity with us: 🐦 Quantifying (social) learning and social behaviour in an urbanised world 🐦 Position at @ceec-research.bsky.social 📆29th May deadline More info: tinyurl.com/yz28s96x Apply: tinyurl.com/2wpkb64y #cognition #socialbehaviour #fieldwork #birds 🙏Please Share 28398
Reposted by Luke RendellFranca Eichenberger @francae.bsky.social · 27/04/2026Really nice to see our recent paper picked up in a Dispatch. It highlights a point we care a lot about: even in a conservation success story like humpback whales, recovery is about more than numbers.🐳 Dispatch: www.cell.com/current-biol... @currentbiology.bsky.social @seamammalresearch.bsky.socialcell.comMarine biology: Don’t call it a humpback comeback!As a population recovers from extreme exploitation, it is not simply a matter of how many individuals are in the population but who they are, which can affect sexual selection. A long-term study of hu... 1189
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 24/04/2026So exciting to see sperm whale dialect data being collected from the Turkish eastern Med waters 👏 Aylin Akkaya - and presented with good humour 🤣 sperm whale squeals can indeed sound like drowning cats! watch this space for more developments on this topic! 👌🦑🧪🐋 #ECS2026 0184
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 24/04/2026@denrisch.bsky.social sent gliders bearing soundtraps around the famous Stanton Bank - dolphins on the bank, porpoises off it...super cool work! #ECS2026 🦑🧪🏴🐋 1102
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 24/04/2026Georgina Whittome with important findings about blue whale distribution and ENSO patterns in the eastern Pacific 👏 @seamammalresearch.bsky.social #ECS2026 #MSc_MMS_St_A 🐋🦑🧪🏴 073
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 24/04/2026Day 3 #ECS2026 🥳 Super thoughtful and thought provoking plenary on importance of taking perspective in conservation science from Paul Thompson this morning 🐋🦑🧪 040
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 23/04/2026@oceangill.bsky.social looks beyond Europe to summarise coastal cetacean conservation issues and massive data gaps around the Indian Ocean, focussing on the concerning status of humpback dolphins and establishing a vital international network #ECS2026 🦑🐋🧪 @seamammalresearch.bsky.social 093
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 23/04/2026Minke whakes in Western Scotland need dynamic management of protection and entanglement mitigation as distribution changes across seasons awesome work - local fisher knowledge can be vital! Nice work @timawbery.bsky.social #ECS2026 🐋🦑🧪 171
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 23/04/2026Day 2 #ECS2026 @eva-mariab.bsky.social telling us about diving physiology explored with foraging experiments at @seamammalresearch.bsky.social #MSc_MMS_St_A 🐋🦑🧪 142
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026So chuffed to see @ellengarland.bsky.social and I's #MSc_MMS_St_A project student @sethharris15.bsky.social presenting his awesome work on bowhead songs at #ECS2026 🥳🐋🧪 092
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Full disclosure I co-supervised @amsouth.bsky.social but my unbiased and objective opinion that his work on humpback song rhythms is awesome! 🤣 @seamammalresearch.bsky.social #ECS2026 🐋🦑🧪 0112
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Great to see #MSc_MMS_St_A graduate Thomas Webber blazing trails to automatically identofying Rissos dolphin clicks - see cool! #ECS2026 🐋🦑🧪 031
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Marleine Meister mesmerising with bowhead song, showing how vocal behaviour varies with ice cover. Amazing! #ECS2026 🐋🦑🧪 020
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Count the #MSc_MMS_St_A students and graduates at #ECS2026 - I make it 41 but I will be wrong 🤣 so nice to see everyone! 196
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Ever masterful Enrico Pirotta shows how individual health can modulate responses to stress in dolphins 👏🐋🦑🧪 #ECS2026 042
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Sinking creel lines effectively mitigate by catch in these fisheries in Scotland! 🏴 Here's a picture of a creel with a sinking line. Amazingly important presentation by Susan Calderan #ECS2026 🐋🦑🧪 030
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Great job @jessmontabaranom.bsky.social! Important findings about seal behaviour around tidal turbines monitored with multibeam sonar @seamammalresearch.bsky.social #ECS2026 🐋🦑🧪 074
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Leigh Hickmott present a fine scale analysis of dive behaviour of beaked whales responding to milttary sonar #ECS2026 🐋🥳🐋🦑🧪🏴 082
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Very important work from Amy Feakes (who bravely defeated technical glitches!) on the impacts of seismic survey on fin whale vocal detections 👏 #ECS2026 🐋🦑🧪🏴 071
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Highly informative plenary from Emer Rogan to kick off #ECS2026 - detailed and sobering - Celtic Sea harbour porpoise need bycatch relief! 🐋 🦑 🧪 061
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026Let's goooo! #ECS2026 🏴 @jeannemrdl.bsky.social is presenting work on humpback song in soundscapes of New Caledonian lagoons 🥳 🐋 🦑🧪 🏴 0297
Reposted by Luke RendellErin Wessling @northernlimitpt.bsky.social · 02/04/2026🎉 New paper out in Biological Reviews! 🎉 With 19 brilliant co‑authors from the IUCN SGA's Working Group on Chimpanzee Cultures, led by Crickette Sanz and me, we provide a much needed toolkit on how animal cultures can be built into conservation. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...onlinelibrary.wiley.comIdentifying practical pathways from animal culture theory to conservation practiceWildlife conservation has traditionally focused on the maintenance of population size, preserving genetic diversity and protecting habitats, with success typically measured through stable or increasi... 22715
Reposted by Luke RendellGwen C. Katz @gwenckatz.bsky.social · 27/03/2026I know how you feel, Allan the teenage sperm whale, I know how you feel. 14111
Reposted by Luke RendellStephanie L King @stephanielking.bsky.social · 26/03/2026New OA paper @royalsocietypublishing.org: What can we learn from bonobos and bottlenose dolphins about the evolution of between-group cooperation? royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article... Lovely collab with @lirsamuni.bsky.social Martin Surbeck and Richard Connor. 49448
Reposted by Luke RendellDr. Headbutt 🌈🧪 @nicoleackermans.com · 26/03/2026Sperm whales have been recorded headbutting for the first time by drone! This behavior has often been hypothesized (think Moby Dick) but never captured. Exciting news for the headbutting world! 🧪 doi.org/10.1111/mms....doi.orgHeadbutting Behavior Between Sperm Whales Documented Using Unoccupied Aerial VehiclesClick on the article title to read more. 37424
Reposted by Luke RendellDaniel MacPhee 🇨🇦 @d-macphee.bsky.social · 27/03/2026“Gero and his colleagues show that two “matrilines”—independent, female-led groups—of sperm whales in Unit A appeared to cooperate to assist in the calf’s birth. This behavior has never been observed in such detail before in this species.” #Whales 🧪 #Birth www.scientificamerican.com/article/sper...scientificamerican.comScientists saw a sperm whale giving birth. And then things got weirdSperm whales are known to socialize, but scientists were stunned when they saw a group of sperm whales gather as one of them gave birth 16633
Reposted by Luke RendellKathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 27/03/2026How incredible: “The full delivery took about 30 minutes. For hours afterward, pairs of whales held the baby above the water until it was able to swim… What struck the researchers was how many mother, sister and daughter whales united to support the new calf, even ones that weren’t related.”apnews.comScientists captured female sperm whales on video working together during a birth to protect the calfScientists have captured rare footage of a sperm whale giving birth, offering a window into the large mammals' behavior. 958181393
Luke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 25/03/2026Amazing footage from @asociaciontursiops.bsky.social shows two young males and a smaller female calf - is their boisterousness part of the explanation why males leave/are isolated from the social units they were born in, because they bring threat od injury to vulnerable calves? 🐳🦑🧪 2299
Reposted by Luke RendellCat Hobaiter @nakedprimate.bsky.social · 23/03/2026"if you want to be able to follow someone’s gaze, then you need contrast of some kind. A dark iris on a white background broadcasts direction like a compass needle; a dark iris on a dark background tells you almost nothing" Yes, but with one really important element missing... 1/2 131
Reposted by Luke RendellJane @localnotail.bsky.social · 19/03/2026Bless the librarians of Aberystwyth University for sending this blog out to their students: "Wait a Minute…What If I Don’t Want to Use AI?" #LibrarySkywordpress.aber.ac.ukWait a Minute…What If I Don’t Want to Use AI?AI is everywhere right now. It writes summaries, explains theories, fixes grammar, and recommends playlists.But here’s the thing nobody says out loud: you’re allowed not to use it. Whether you feel… 418180
Reposted by Luke RendellMelissa Ramsay @melissa-e-ramsay.bsky.social · 05/03/2026We saw so many ragworms during fieldwork today, bright green for the breeding season! @animalsdoingstuff.bsky.social 0204
Reposted by Luke RendellCulture Conference @cultconf.bsky.social · 28/02/2026So much to take away from Taylor Hersh’s keynote — taking us deep into the cultural realms of sperm whale vocal clans across the oceans. 🐋 Heartfelt thanks, @taylorhersh.bsky.social! 0213
Reposted by Luke RendellÉadin O'Mahony, PhD @eadinomahony.bsky.social · 05/02/2026🐋 Loved having a chat about bubble netting humpbacks on @npr.org's Science Desk with Nate Rott! As a *major* NPR Tiny Desk fan... can someone tell me is this the scientists' equivalent?! 🤪 www.npr.org/2026/01/28/n...npr.orgHumpback whales cast bubble nets to catch prey. They may be learning from each otherHumpback whales will sometimes use an intricate strategy to catch food called bubble-net feeding. A new study suggests they're spreading the knowledge of how to do it to each other. 0123