Happy World Whale Day! Today, we’re celebrating the incredible diversity, intelligence, and resilience of whales and their vital role in our oceans. With around 90 species of cetaceans spanning the globe, whales are divided into toothed whales (like orcas, dolphins, and sperm whales) and baleen whales (like humpbacks and blue whales). Whales are critical to marine ecosystems and display extraordinary intelligence. They have their own languages, cultures, and complex social relationships. Their emotional sensitivity and capacity for learning make it hard not to see ourselves in them. Through the “poop loop,” whales fertilize the sea surface, enriching waters with nutrients that allow algae to grow and absorb carbon. When whales die, their bodies sink to the seafloor, storing carbon for centuries. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, species like the humpback whale have made remarkable recoveries, showing the power of conservation and nature’s resilience. Every whale encounter is ...