National Institute of Polar Research

  • Using their sonar system, toothed whales are able to zero in on prey in the pitch black conditions of the deep sea. Seals lack such a system, but still catch prey in the same conditions. New research now shows how their whiskers allow them to do so.
  • Not only is Siberia's Lake Baikal the world's largest freshwater lake, it's also home to the Baikal seal. A new study indicates that the animals subsist largely on tiny crustaceans, which it was formerly thought were not worth the effort of eating.
  • Quick: What does a [insert sea creature here] like for lunch? Peanut butter and jellyfish sandwiches, of course. While you could insert sharks, swordfish and tuna in that joke, up until recently, you would have left penguins out because no one thought they ate jellyfish. Turns out, we've been wrong.