South Australian Whale Centre in Victor Harbor, South Australia | Arts and entertainment

South Australian Whale Centre

Locality: Victor Harbor, South Australia

Phone: +61 8 8551 0750

Address: 2 Railway Terrace 5211 Victor Harbor, SA, Australia

Website: http://www.sawhalecentre.com

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• Museum
• Tourist information centre

25.01.2022 Did you know some animals can live in salty and fresh water!! Don't forget to join us as we discover more fun facts about our Salty Sea this school holidays. Have you ever wondered what makes the ocean salty? What purpose it serves or how the creatures that live in the sea adapt to such unusual conditions? ... We explore all of these questions and more with hands on experiments and creative crafts that will keep little hands and minds busy learning. All of our school holiday programs include standard entry into the SA Whale Centre and are valid for a 1 hour stamp in your children's university passport. Call 8551 0750 to book or visit https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/salty-seas-school-holiday-p

24.01.2022 Earlier this year Griffith University researchers deployed a ‘hi-tech whale phone’ in the waters off of the Gold Coast.The hydrophone was dropped 5 kilometres offshore North of the Seaway at 30 meters depth. It is hoped that this hydrophone will record Humpback whale calls as they migrate to better understand the tail of the whale migration season. They are due to be lifted from the water at the end of November to get a better idea of how whale numbers compare late in the s...eason. The expensive piece of kit can pick up whale calls from up to 10km away. "The data will provide new insights into the social activities of whales in the Gold Coast Bay and help us better understand how they use this area. https://news.griffith.edu.au//griffith-researchers-eavesd/

24.01.2022 Have a look at our Southern Right Whale skull undergoing a deep clean before it found it's home here at the SA Whale Centre way back in 2001. You might think all of that moisture is from the hose, however a great deal of the colour stains on our whale skull actually come from oil deep within the bone. In fact our whale skull is still leaching oil 19 years later! ... Amazing!

24.01.2022 Today is WORLD JELLYFISH DAY! These crazy creatures don't have a brain or a spinal cord, However there are over 1000 species of Jellyfish world wide, ranging from the size of a grain of sand to longer than a blue whale! Even more amazing is that these guys predate the dinosaurs and have some incredibly advanced survival methods. ... Watch the video below, and tell us what your favourite new piece of jellyfish information is. We are completely enamored by jelly fish that glow green, or the jelly that has cheated death! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQduHyiWe9o Lesson by David Gruber, animation by Silvia Prietov.

23.01.2022 John Miller, of Shark Cage Diving KZN, recently found himself swimming alongside a humpback whale mother and her calf. An amazing enough encounter on it's own, this was a little different as the mother was actually cradling the calf in her open mouth. It was an amazing experience, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this before" Miller shared.... Dr Stephanie Plön of Bayworld Centre for Research and Education in Port Elizabeth explained that much of whale behaviour is still a mystery but we do know that "During the initial development phase of the calf, there is little, if any, vocal communication." What we see instead is a lot of physical bonding between mother and calf pairs, this includes behaviours seen here in Encounter Bay, such as a calf jumping on it's mothers back, strokes with and "cuddles" under pectoral fins and nudging with tails and mouths. Dr Plön reminds us "It also needs to be recognised that whales have limited use of their limbs, so using the mouth may be a natural way to compensate, https://risingsunchatsworth.co.za//unique-whale-behaviour/

23.01.2022 Some of you may remember the sad and inspiring story of Tahlequah, the Orca who led a 17 day "tour of grief" mourning her still born calf in the summer of 2018. As the grieving mother refused to let go of her deceased calf and began to fall behind the group, each member of her pod took a turn carrying in what appeared to be a funeral procession until Tahlequah finally relinquished the body to the waves. 9 days ago, on September 4th Tahlequah became a mother once more to a h...ealthy and precocious calf, seen swimming vigorously alongside its mother just 2 days into its short life. Researches know the calf was not born on the day it was first sighted (September 6th) as its dorsal fin was upright, Orca calves are born with bent dorsal fins from the confined quarters of their mothers womb, it take a day or two before the fins stand upright. We wish Tahlequah and her new calf all the best on their journey through life.

21.01.2022 Kayakers in California had a close call this past Monday when they got too close to feeding whales. Baleen whales cannot actually consume a human (or a kayak) due to their small esophageal openings. However, these ladies were lucky to avoid injury after being scooped up and spat back out by a Humpback Whale who was only trying to get its fill of Krill and sardines. Avila beach in California is a known feeding spot for humpback whales at this time of year, when colder nutrie...nt rich waters pass through bringing an explosion of the whales main food source. There have been reports in the past of eager whale watchers being thrown into the ocean as the whales lunge out of the water to grab a mouthful. A good example of why it is important to give whales space in the ocean, and a great example of why it is a bad idea to get right in the middle of a large group of prey. https://calcoastnews.com//humpback-whale-scoops-up-kayake/

20.01.2022 Mike Korostelev, 38, from Moscow, was diving in the Indian Ocean when he came across a spectacular private moment between a mother and calf sperm whale. These stunning images show the Sperm Whale cow injecting milk in a plume into the water for her calf. Mike said: "It was big honour for me to be there and so close in that private moment of a whale's life." ... https://www.ladbible.com//animals-images-show-mother-sperm

17.01.2022 Kellda Centeno lives and frequently dives in the Philippines. Over the past 2 years she has collected some amazing images and fabulous stories of the marine life around her home. "With over 7,000 islands, the Philippines is said to be the center of the center of marine fish biodiversity with the highest density of species per unit area." We love stories of healthy marine life around the globe. Where do you love to dive? The Fleurieu has some spectacular dive sites all of ou...r very own. Read more about Kellda Centeno's adventures in the Philippines by following the link below. https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/20/a-diver-tells-her-tales/

15.01.2022 This happy little Echidna has been making friends on the Bluff recently, after our last post community member Darren Loechel contacted us to let us know he saw this character trotting around Rosetta Head. The whales may have moved on but wildlife abounds at one of our best whale watching locations. What wildlife encounters have you had around Victor Harbor? Let us know in the comments below.

14.01.2022 Did you know that whales change the climate? This short video explains trophic cascades and how whales change the climate through natural behaviours. A new study backs this idea with researchers arguing that if whale populations were allowed to grow to pre-whaling numbers, they would capture a massive 1.7 billion tons of CO2 annually! It is estimated that Earth’s largest mammals, the great whales, absorb an average of 33 tons of CO2 each throughout their lifetime, in addition... the great whales, through the trophic cascade process, regenerate phytoplankton. Phytoplankton contributes at least 50% to all the oxygen on the Earth and transfers 10 gigatonnes of carbon from the atmosphere into the deep ocean each year. According to new reports, that level of carbon capture is as much as 1.7 trillion trees, or four Amazon rainforests! Read more about the recent study here: https://www.oneearth.org/whales-provide-a-deep-water-solut/ https://business.facebook.com/SustainableHumanOfficial/videos/229445634973059/?t=0

14.01.2022 Did you know that November is Manatee awareness month? Lets celebrate Sea Cows, the origin for the mermaid myth with some Manatee fun facts! 1. Manatees have fingernails on their flippers, this is because they share a common ancestor with elephants and the finger nails on what were once their feet have not yet disappeared. ... 2. Manatees chew so much that they wear through their teeth constantly, because of this they have "revolving teeth" much like a shark. Whenever their teeth fall out due to over use another is ready to rotate forward and take its place and more teeth continuously grow at the back of their jaw. 3. Manatees have the longest lungs (in relation to their body size) of any animal. Because of this, they are incredibly buoyant, a manatee can allow itself to float to the surface with only the barest of movements. 4. Manatees have prehensile mouths, this means they can use the muscles in their mouths like we use our hands, to pick up and manipulate food and objects. The video below was taken in Florida, and shows an overly friendly manatee giving some holiday makers a bit of a fright. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLQR5MDPnx8

11.01.2022 There may be a lot of noise happening on Railway Terrace over the next few weeks, but the SA Whale Centre is still OPEN! Come on in to visit us, there's so much to explore!

08.01.2022 What on earth am I looking at?! This spectacular image by photographer Evans Baudin, won the 2020 Scuba Photography Contest. It depicts a 12 metre whale shark with around 50 remoras peacefully enjoying a free ride in her mouth! Evans isn't the only talent in this years contest, follow the link below to view more stunning underwater images. ... https://petapixel.com//photo-of-whale-shark-with-50-fish-/

08.01.2022 Flinders University are seeking volunteers for their annual Penguin Census at Granite Island. Running from 10am til 2pm on Friday October 16th, Volunteers must be able to climb, stretch and bend to locate penguin burrows across the Island. Please only apply if you are over 18 years of age. BYO torch, snacks and drinks, and appropriate clothing for weather conditions. Please bring a pen and a torch (not halogen)... Register your interest by contacting Dr Diane Colombelli-Ne'grel at [email protected] See you there!

06.01.2022 Many of you will have seen the image of a Blue Whale off of Sydney's coast captured by a photographer who goes under the Instagram handle @seansperception. The largest creature to have ever lived, the Blue Whale appeared out of the deep while Sean was busy watching humpback whales, allowing him to provide us all with this fabulous image of the still very mysterious creature of the deep. But, did you know that this is possibly only the 3rd time in the last 100 years a sightin...g of a Blue whale has been confirmed off the coast of Sydney Australia. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) confirmed and added that the giant of the sea may have weighed over 100 tonnes. The blue whale is the largest animal on the plant yet despite its size it could have easily slipped by Sydney’s coast unnoticed, said NPWS’ Andrew Marshall, Blue whales are largely ‘invisible’ even to the most avid whale watchers and researchers as the creature is very rarely seen around the world, Just breathtaking!

06.01.2022 End of the whale season and what is next?

06.01.2022 Sperm Whales are often thought to be the longest and deepest diving whales, but did you know Cuvier's beaked whales can dive deeper and for longer periods of time, throwing a spanner in the theory of size in relation to deep dives. Cuviers beaked whales are elusive whales who average an hour of dive time with a 2 minute surface breathing period. As you can imagine this makes them quite difficult to study. Back in 2014, one whale was recorded diving for just over two hours, ...the longest known time of a mammal underwater. Scientists say that in pursuing their favourite food, these whales have been documented diving down to 3,000m. Now Cuviers are breaking records again! In a new study scientists monitored 3,600 dives by two dozen Cuvier's beaked whales over a five-year period. Astoundingly, they recorded one animal diving for three hours and 42 minutes!!! They believe that it is the longest dive yet recorded for any whale and almost certainly a record for all mammals as well. Amazing! https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54268040

04.01.2022 When was the last time you visited the SA Whale Centre? In a few short weeks we'll be closing as renovations begin to amalgamate us with the Visitor Information Centre, so this is your last chance to see the centre as is. We've recently completed and installed a bunch of new signage, including an amazing local indigenous exhibit and it's looking fresher than ever! As a way to say thank you to our customers, we're offering 10% off everything in the retail shop. So head on in, check out the centre and grab an early Christmas gift or two! #sawhalecentre #victorharbor

04.01.2022 This incredible wildlife encounter was sent to us by local photographer Paul O'Niel, who stumbled across this curious echidna while walking across the Bluff in Victor Harbor. We think its just gorgeous! Did you know that Echidna spines are actually long, tough, hollow hair follicles? Or that during mating season they form a line known as an ‘echidna train’, with a leading female, followed by up to ten males!... Echindas have 15cm tounges and no teeth. They use their tounges to quickly and efficiently gulp down ants, worms and insect larvae. In fact, the echidna’s scientific name, Tachyglossus actually means ‘fast tongue’! These usually shy creatures aren't as rare as you might think, but ca be incredibly tricky to find.

04.01.2022 Blue Whales are typically found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean during the summer months. However, as temperatures there grow colder, the giant mammals migrate down the coast in search of warmer waters. A Stanford research team monitoring the songs and GPS location of 15 Blue whales over the past 5 years has found that the whales actually change their song prior to starting their migration. The whales, who usually sing a regular night time chorus begin to sing during the d...ay before beginning migration. The research team believes that teaching captains of cargo ships in the area to understand the changes in whale song and adapt trade routes accordingly could save the largest creature to have ever lived from fatal collisions in the future. https://www.theburnin.com//protect-blue-whales-teaching-s/

03.01.2022 Since the ban on commercial whaling Humpback populations in Western Australia have rebounded to up to 90% of their pre-whaling numbers, while the East coast population has recovered to 63% of its known pre-whaling population. This increase is among the highest documented in the world and shows no indication of diminishing. And with all those Happy Humpbacks currently migrating back to Antarctic waters, those in the right place at the right time get quite a show. ... This footage was sent to us by Matthew Higgins who was lucky enough to be a spectator on the East Coast of Australia as a pod of Humpbacks put on a spectacular show. Music is Olde Salooner Blues by Midnight North. Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ZIvjFSJdQ&feature=youtu.be

03.01.2022 Two Humpback Whales staying around. - https://l.facebook.com/Mailchimp/2HumpbacksatHalletCove

01.01.2022 "A species of (extinct) monk seal, Eomonachus belegaerensis, has just been discovered from fossils in New Zealand and yes the scientific name is inspired by the fictional 'Great Sea’ Belegaer from JRR Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings'. It's also changed how we think about seal evolution - thanks to our very own Palaeontologists James Rule and Erich Fitzgerald. "The investigation into the evolutionary history of true seals resulted in the most comprehensive phylogeny of the group to date! When we looked at true seal biogeography, we discovered that monachines (southern true seals) evolved in the Southern Hemisphere! Until now, it was thought monachines evolved in the North Atlantic. This represents the most drastic in our knowledge of the evolutionary history of seals." - James Rule."