Whakaari/White Island, island in the Bay of Plenty, 43 miles (69 km) west of Cape Runaway, eastern North Island, New Zealand. An active volcano, it is the top of a submarine vent at the northern end of the Taupō-Rotorua Volcanic Zone. With a total land area of about 1,000 acres (400 hectares), it

whale, any of the larger species of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Cetacea. The term whale can be used in reference to any cetacean, including porpoises and dolphins, but in general it is applied to those more than 3 metres (10 feet) long. An exception is the 2.7-metre dwarf sperm whale

Mulberry: …of flexible steel roadways (code-named Whales) that floated on steel or concrete pontoons (called Beetles). The roadways terminated at great pierheads, called Spuds, that were jacked up and down on legs which rested on the seafloor. These structures were to be sheltered from the sea by lines of massive sunken…

whale catcher, large, fast steamship or motor vessel from which whales are harpooned and killed and marked for pickup by a parent vessel called a factory ship. Whale catchers are the descendants of the early whaleboats that were carried aboard a whaler and sent out to stalk and kill the whale.

whale catcher, large, fast steamship or motor vessel from which whales are harpooned and killed and marked for pickup by a parent vessel called a factory ship. Whale catchers are the descendants of the early whaleboats that were carried aboard a whaler and sent out to stalk and kill the whale.

whale louse, (family Cyamidae), any of a small group of highly specialized peracaridan crustaceans (order Amphipoda) related to the familiar skeleton shrimp found in shallow marine habitats. Whale lice are external parasites that live on the body surface of such marine mammals as whales, dolphins,

whale louse, (family Cyamidae), any of a small group of highly specialized peracaridan crustaceans (order Amphipoda) related to the familiar skeleton shrimp found in shallow marine habitats. Whale lice are external parasites that live on the body surface of such marine mammals as whales, dolphins,

whale oil, any oil derived from any species of whale, including sperm oil from sperm whales, train oil from baleen whales, and melon oil from small toothed whales. From the 16th century through the 19th century, whale oil was used principally as lamp fuel and for producing soap. Long utilized for

History of film: Australia, New Zealand, and Canada: …of note included Niki Caro’s Whale Rider (2002), Brad McGann’s In My Father’s Den (2004), and Roger Donaldson’s The World’s Fastest Indian (2005). Actor-turned-director Taika Waititi found success with Eagle vs Shark (2007), Boy (2010), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), and

Witi Ihimaera: In The Whale Rider (1987; film 2002), the dynamics of Māori society are examined through the eyes of a young girl who must overcome gender prejudices to assume her place as the next leader of her people. Nights in the Gardens of Spain (1995; television film…

whale shark, (Rhincodon typus), gigantic but harmless shark (family Rhincodontidae) that is the largest living fish. Whale sharks are found in marine environments worldwide but mainly in tropical oceans. They make up the only species of the genus Rhincodon and are classified within the order

whale vocalization, process used by whales that produces any of several vocal sounds that assist in communication and the collection of information about their environment. Whales vocalize primarily to navigate, share information with one another, find food, locate other whales, and compete (for

whale vocalization, process used by whales that produces any of several vocal sounds that assist in communication and the collection of information about their environment. Whales vocalize primarily to navigate, share information with one another, find food, locate other whales, and compete (for

Paul Watson: …efforts were also chronicled in Whale Wars, which first aired on the Animal Planet cable television network in 2008. In 2010 one of the society’s boats, the Ady Gil, sunk after colliding with a Japanese whaling boat. Patrolling the seas under a modified Jolly Roger pirate flag, Watson and his…

James Whale was a British-born American filmmaker whose stylish horror films marked him as one of the most distinctive filmmakers of the early 1930s. Born into a poor family in an English coal-mining town, Whale was eager to join the army when World War I broke out. Captured by the Germans, he

Moby Dick, novel by Herman Melville, published in London in October 1851 as The Whale and a month later in New York City as Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. It is dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne. Moby Dick is generally regarded as Melville’s magnum opus and one of the greatest American novels. Moby Dick

Ryan Reynolds: Charity and advocacy work: …narrated the eco-conscious Canadian documentary The Whale (2011). He worked with the environmental organization Natural Resources Defense Council to advocate for renewable energy and to bring attention to the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, he helped raise funds for relief efforts…

A24: Films: Garnering three nominations that year, The Whale (2022), directed by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, earned Brendan Fraser the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of a severely obese recluse who tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter. The film also won best achievement in makeup and hairstyling for the team’s…

Sir John Tavener: …his first significant mark with The Whale, an avant-garde cantata that received a popular debut at the London Sinfonietta in 1968. His music drew from Russian, Byzantine, and Greek influences and became more inwardly focused after he joined the Russian Orthodox church in 1977. At age 36 Tavener suffered a…

shoebill, (Balaeniceps rex), large African wading bird, a single species that constitutes the family Balaenicipitidae (order Balaenicipitiformes, Ciconiiformes, or Pelecaniformes). The species is named for its clog-shaped bill, which is an adaptation for catching and holding the large, slippery

procellariiform: Importance to humans: …slender-billed, or short-tailed, shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) are taken on the Bass Strait islands off Tasmania and sold fresh, salted, or deep-frozen as “muttonbirds.” In all likelihood, the name muttonbird was derived from the use of the flesh as a supplement for mutton by the early settlers of New South…

prion, any of several species of small Antarctic seabirds of the genus Pachyptila, in the family Procellariidae (order Procellariiformes). All are blue-gray above and whitish below. Among the broad-billed species, the bill, unique among petrels, is flattened, with the upper mandible fringed with

whaleboat, light, swift, rowing and sailing boat fitted with a centreboard (retractable keel), initially developed for use by whaling crews and now used more generally. Its double-ended, broad-beamed design is reminiscent of the old Viking boats; in time carvel-constructed whaleboats superseded

whalebone, series of stiff keratinous plates in the mouths of baleen whales, used to strain copepods and other zooplankton, fishes, and krill from seawater. Whalebone was once important in the production of corsets, brushes, and other

baleen whale, (suborder Mysticeti), any cetacean possessing unique epidermal modifications of the mouth called baleen, which is used to filter food from water. Baleen whales seek out concentrations of small planktonic animals. The whales then open their mouth and take in enormous quantities of

ostariophysan: Annotated classification: Family Cetopsidae (whalelike catfishes) Body naked, lacking bony plates. South America. 7 genera, 23 species. Family Callichthyidae (callichthyid armoured catfishes) 2 longitudinal series of overlapping bony plates. Herbivorous aquarium fishes. South and Central America. 8 genera, about 177 species.

Philip Whalen was an American poet who emerged from the Beat movement of the mid 20th century, known for his wry and innovative poetry. Whalen served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 and attended Reed College, Portland (B.A., 1951), before joining the West Coast’s nascent Beat movement. Like

Philip Whalen was an American poet who emerged from the Beat movement of the mid 20th century, known for his wry and innovative poetry. Whalen served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 and attended Reed College, Portland (B.A., 1951), before joining the West Coast’s nascent Beat movement. Like

carcharhinid: …classification of many, especially the gray sharks, or whalers (Carcharhinus), is uncertain and may be revised after further study.

Lindsay Anderson: … (1974), Britannia Hospital (1982), and The Whales of August (1987). His later stage productions included Storey’s The March on Russia (1989).

Bay of Whales, former indentation in the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. First seen by the British explorer Sir James Clark Ross in 1842 and visited by a fellow countryman, Ernest Henry (later Sir Ernest) Shackleton, in 1908, the Bay of Whales served as one of the most important centres of Antarctic

whaling, the hunting of whales for food and oil. Whaling was once conducted around the world by seafaring nations in pursuit of the giant animals that seemed as limitless as the oceans in which they swam. However, since the mid-20th century, when whale populations began to drop catastrophically,

Native American dance: Eskimo (Inuit): …held elaborate outdoor ceremonies for whale catches and similar events. In Alaska, preliminaries included the rhythmic mime of a successful whale catch, with a woman in the role of the whale. A sprinkling of ashes on the ice drove away evil spirits, and there were incantations and songs when leaving…

Val Kilmer: Personal life: …1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, his costar in Willow. They had two children, Jack and Mercedes Kilmer, before divorcing in 1996.

In the early 1980s, American fans of pop music found themselves in the midst of the Second British Invasion. British pop and new wave groups such as Culture Club, Duran Duran, the Police, Depeche Mode, Human League, and A Flock of Seagulls stormed American radio, the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and

Wham!: Legacy: … (2019), and the Netflix documentary Wham! (2023). That same year Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In an emotional induction speech during the ceremony, Ridgeley stated:

Wham!: China tour and Live Aid: …the basis of the documentary Wham! in China: Foreign Skies (1986). Wham! also had hits in 1985 with the jubilant “I’m Your Man” and the rueful “Everything She Wants,” which became its third single to reach number one. That summer Michael performed a duet with Elton John at the Live…

In the early 1980s, American fans of pop music found themselves in the midst of the Second British Invasion. British pop and new wave groups such as Culture Club, Duran Duran, the Police, Depeche Mode, Human League, and A Flock of Seagulls stormed American radio, the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and

Hula Hoop: …of the American toy company WHAM-O, purchased American rights. The company introduced the Hula Hoop to children in southern California in 1958. Seen on television news segments and variety shows, the Hula Hoop rapidly became a national and international fad. Sales of the original Hula-hoop were estimated to have reached…

Lin Biao: Early life and military career: The Whampoa Academy, headed by Sun’s successor, Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi), was to train the officers for the revolutionary army. Lin had been at the academy less than a year when Chiang launched the Northern Expedition in July 1926. Nevertheless, despite the brevity of his formal…

unequal treaty: …the United States and the Treaty of Whampoa with France (both 1844). Each additional treaty expanded upon the rights of extraterritoriality, and, as a result, the foreigners obtained an independent legal, judicial, police, and taxation system within the treaty ports.

Witi Ihimaera: The novel Whanau (1974; “Family”) presents a day in the life of a Māori village. The Matriarch (1986) and its sequel, The Dream Swimmer (1997), investigate the ramifications of European colonization of New Zealand over several generations of a Māori family. In The Whale Rider (1987; film…

dock: …of a quay wall, a wharf, consisting of a trestle-mounted rectangular platform running parallel to the shoreline, and with a connecting passageway to the shore, may be constructed. Normally only the front or seaward side of a wharf is used for berthing, because the water depth and accessibility on the…

brown rat, (Rattus norvegicus), species of rat found on every continent except Antarctica. The alternate name “Norway rat” came from a false hypothesis widely believed in 18th-century England that the rats were native to Norway. Research has confirmed, however, that the brown rat is native to Asia,

River Wharfe, river in the historic county of Yorkshire in north-central England. It rises in the Pennines in the administrative county of North Yorkshire and then flows 60 miles (97 km) southeast to become an important tributary of the River Ouse (which drains into the Humber, an estuary of the

Wharfedale, upper valley of the River Wharfe within the Pennine uplands, in the historic county of Yorkshire, England, noted for its scenic attractions. The valley descends from the western part of the administrative county of North Yorkshire across the northern part of the metropolitan county of

Lawrence R. Klein: The Wharton Models found wide use in forecasting gross national product, exports, investment, and consumption. A more ambitious effort, the LINK project, incorporated data gathered from a large number of industrialized, centrally planned, and developing countries to forecast trade and capital movements and to test the…

salivary gland: Submandibular glands: …major duct of each (Wharton’s duct) opens into the floor of the mouth at the point where the front of the tongue meets the floor of the mouth. The glands give off mixed secretions mostly serous in nature.

Edith Wharton was an American author best known for her stories and novels about the upper-class society into which she was born. Edith Jones came of a distinguished and long-established New York family. She was educated by private tutors and governesses at home and in Europe, where the family

Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton was a prominent English reforming peer from the English Civil Wars to the Glorious Revolution of 1688–89. Wharton succeeded his grandfather as Baron Wharton in March 1625 and then studied at Exeter College, Oxford. A committed Puritan, Wharton advocated reform in

Thomas, 1st Marquess Wharton was an English peer who was one of the principal Whig politicians after the Glorious Revolution (1688–89). The son of Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton, he became a member of the House of Commons in 1673 and remained an M.P. until he inherited his father’s title in

William Wharton was an American novelist and painter best known for his innovative first novel, Birdy (1979; filmed 1984), a critical and popular success. Wharton spent his youth in Philadelphia. He joined the army upon graduating from high school and was severely wounded in the Battle of the Bulge

Michael McDonald: Awards and personal life: …arrangement accompanying vocals for “What a Fool Believes.” McDonald and the Doobie Brothers also won a Grammy for best pop vocal performance by a duo, group, or chorus for the song “Minute by Minute.” In 1985 he shared a Grammy with Ingram for best R&B performance by a duo…

Katy Perry: Later music projects, American Idol, and Blue Origin spaceflight: …sang Louis Armstrong’s classic “What a Wonderful World” to her fellow space tourists, which included journalist Gayle King and former National Aeronautics and Space Administration rocket scientist Aisha Bowe.

Richard Dreyfuss: 1990s and beyond: …and Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), What About Bob? (1991), and Once Around (1991)—were more critical favorites than box-office successes. His sensitive multilayered performance as a musician who foregoes dreams of a composing career to teach high school in Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) earned Dreyfuss another Oscar nomination.

Liane Moriarty: Novels: What Alice Forgot tells the story of a woman who wakes up after an accident with no memory of the past 10 years. Forced to put her life back together, which includes a family, a crumbling marriage, and strained relationships, she makes peace with her…

This infographic offers a description of the obstacles Allied forces faced on a typical section of Omaha Beach during the Normandy Invasion. In the ocean below the low-tide line were a line of log posts (some with mines affixed) followed by a line of hedgehogs, five-foot-tall obstacles made of

Bruce Chatwin: What Am I Doing Here?, a collection of Chatwin’s essays, was published posthumously.

The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is the longest-lived vertebrate animal known to science. Radiocarbon dating of proteins in the shark’s eye-lens nuclei suggests that some individuals may be more than 500 years old. Primarily inhabiting the frigid and deep waters of the Arctic Ocean and

Baby koalas are called joeys. The term joey is widely used for the young of all marsupials such as kangaroos, opossums, and wallabies. Koala mothers only give birth to one baby at a time. A joey is born in a highly undeveloped state after a short gestation period of about 34 to 36 days. This tiny,

Looking to invest in a fund that offers high yields and a chance for capital appreciation? You might like to consider closed-end mutual funds. Closed-end funds share some similarities with open-end mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and unit investment trusts; however, there are some

Commodities such as copper, crude oil, natural gas, soybeans, and sugar are the raw ingredients that feed and power the global economy. Commodities are also an investment category, traded every day on markets worldwide, with implications for every individual and business. You may never have set

Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that rely on an encrypted network to execute, verify, and record transactions, independent of a centralized authority such as a government or bank. This is a complicated concept, so let’s break it down: Bitcoin & CryptocurrenciesNew asset class rising.© ryuichi

Elephants use their trunks as multifunctional appendages for a variety of tasks essential to their survival and daily life. Much like human hands, an elephant’s trunk serves as a tool for grasping and manipulating objects. This includes picking up food, such as grasses, leaves, and fruits, and

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are ready-made collections of stocks, bonds, and/or other assets that trade throughout the day on an exchange. You might buy an ETF as a way to invest in an index, market sector, or other specific strategy. With ETFs, you can trade in or out of the market at a moment’s

If you’ve ever tuned into the financial news on a regular basis, you’ve probably heard the term junk bonds now and then. On the surface, it doesn’t sound very attractive. If they’re junk, why would anyone be interested in them? Junk bonds may get a bad rap based on their name, but in reality

A matrix is a set of numbers arranged in rows and columns so as to form a compact rectangular array. It contains a set of specific elements, often numbers or equations. The values of each element depend on the nature of the application (such as population data, the price of a purchased good, power

Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private health insurers and provide an alternative to traditional Medicare. During the annual enrollment period each fall, major companies like UnitedHealthcare (UHC), Humana (HUM), Aetna, and Cigna (CI) promote a wide array of plans, each with different

Neobanks are financial services companies that may offer you a better return on your savings than you get at a traditional bank. They often advertise high-yield accounts that pay attractive interest rates, but neobanks come with important limitations. Although some of their products resemble those

Do you remember, as a kid, coloring with a blue crayon and then going over it with a red crayon? Voilà: Purple. In U.S. politics, the same principle holds. You take some blue voters (Democrats) and mix in a similar number of red voters (Republicans), and you have a purple state, also sometimes

A self-directed individual retirement account might sound like the ultimate empowerment tool for your nest egg, but it’s a bit more complex than that. Self-directed IRAs, sometimes known as SDIRAs, are trusts that allow holders to place alternative assets into a retirement account—things that

Regardless of whether you’ve committed to a close reading of the actual text of William Shakespeare’s play, you very likely think of Romeo and Juliet as the representative story of star-crossed love. A common fixation on the passion between Romeo and Juliet—almost separate from their tragic,

In 19th-century Australia, squatters were people who occupied grazing land that was owned by the crown and beyond the official limits of settlement. Initially, this occupation was illegal, but it contributed significantly to the growth of the wool industry and the development of a powerful social

When you fill out your annual tax return and figure how much you owe Uncle Sam, tax credits are your best friend, as they’re deducted right from the bottom line. Tax credits are matched dollar for dollar against the amount you owe. Individuals and families can benefit from dozens of tax credits,

The biological effects of marijuana vary, depending on the strength and amount consumed and depending on how and why it is used. Psychological effects, such as mild euphoria and alterations in vision and judgment, are common, regardless of whether marijuana is taken for recreational or medical

Anacondas and boa constrictors differ in size, habitat, and hunting strategies. Anacondas, especially green anacondas, are among the largest snakes in the world, stretching up to 9 meters (about 30 feet) and weighing as much as 250 kg (about 550 pounds). Boa constrictors, by comparison, are

Murder is the act of causing the death of another person without legal justification or excuse. The U.S. federal code and most state codes distinguish between different degrees of murder, though state codes differ in how many degrees are recognized (one, two, or three) and how the degrees are

Hawks and falcons, while both being birds of prey, belong to different taxonomic families, and, according to a growing number of classifications, even different orders. Hawks are primarily part of the family Accipitridae, which includes a variety of birds such as kites, buzzards, and harriers.

The differences between pythons and anacondas lie in their geographical distribution, physical characteristics, and reproductive habits. Pythons and anacondas live worlds apart. Most pythons roam the Old World tropics and subtropics, with species distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, India,

The key differences between pythons and boa constrictors lie in their physical traits, geographical distribution, and reproductive methods. Both are large, muscular snakes, but pythons tend to be larger, with some species such as the reticulated python reaching lengths of up to 10 meters (33 feet).

Pollution can be described as a nutrient or substance that is out of place. More specifically, however, it is the addition of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or any form of energy (such as heat, sound, or radioactivity) to the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed, diluted,

The Moon goes through a cycle of eight distinct phases as it orbits Earth, each offering a unique view of its illuminated surface. The cycle kicks off with the new moon, when the Moon is positioned between Earth and the Sun, leaving its illuminated side hidden from our view. As it moves along its

Wolves hold a unique place in nature and in the human psyche. The precursor to “man’s best friend” but also evil predators in fairy tales, wolves have an ability to fascinate and induce fear that is hard to dismiss. But there are also some that have faced extinction, including the red wolf, the

Saturn’s rings are made of billions of particles, chiefly composed of water ice and small amounts of rock and dust. These icy particles vary in size, from minuscule dust grains to larger chunks that can measure kilometers in length. Although Saturn’s major rings—separated by gaps and divisions—span

The onset of stroke can manifest in different ways. In many instances, the affected person may experience sudden weakness and numbness of an arm or a leg on one side of the body, or a side of the face. There may be temporary difficulty in speech, confusion, severe headache, or visual disturbances,

The torpedo bat, also called the bowling pin bat, is a new baseball bat design that became widely known during Major League Baseball’s opening weekend in March 2025 when the New York Yankees hit a franchise-record nine home runs in a single game. Fans quickly learned that six of those homers came

Turtle shells are made of bone and cartilage, but it is the form and function of the shells that make them unique in the animal kingdom. The top part of the shell is called the carapace while the underside is known as the plastron. Both parts are formed from two types of bone: dermal bones, which

Marilynne Robinson: Later nonfiction and other works: …and in 2018 she published What Are We Doing Here?, a collection of essays based on lectures that address the cost of ceding critical thought to flat ideologies and orthodox principles. In 2024 Robinson published Reading Genesis, a learned, riveting interpretation of the first book of the Bible.

Sigrid Nunez: What Are You Going Through and The Vulnerables: …suicide, ethics, and friendship in What Are You Going Through (2020). The book focuses on a narrator who helps a friend, a writer who is dying of cancer, terminate her own life. She followed this work with The Vulnerables (2023), which examines the cross-generational relationship between two strangers brought together…

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s campaign to run the biggest city in the United States revolved largely around one simple fact: It costs too much to live in New York. But Mamdani, who will be the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in more than a century, has attracted a lot of

Droughts occur when evaporation and transpiration rates consistently exceed precipitation over an extended period of time. This prolonged imbalance results in water shortages, crop damage, and reduced streamflow. The primary causes of drought are insufficient rainfall or inadequate snowpack. There

What Causes a Rainbow?, The formation of a rainbow begins with the refraction of sunlight as it enters a raindrop. Refraction is the change in direction of a wave (in this case of lightwaves) as it passes from one medium to another caused by its change in speed. Because light travels at different

Volcanic eruptions are among the most stunning phenomena in the natural world. Volcanoes erupt because of the way heat moves beneath Earth’s surface. Heat is conveyed from the planet’s interior to its surface largely by convection—the transfer of heat by movement of a heated fluid. In this case,

The main contributors to acid rain are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx; the combination of NO and NO2), which are released into the air primarily through the combustion of such fossil fuels as coal, oil, and natural gas. These pollutants are emitted by power plants, vehicles, and

Allergic reactions are caused by substances known as allergens. These substances can be found in a variety of sources such as pollen, mold spores, dust, animal dander, and certain foods. These substances induce the hypersensitive state of allergy and stimulate the formation of reaginic antibodies,

We all know what money is. It’s what we use to buy and sell goods and services and, from a savings and investing standpoint, it’s how we keep score of (i.e., place a value on) the assets we own. But how much does money cost? That might sound like a strange question, because we typically associate

An eclipse happens when one astronomical body blocks light from or to another. In a lunar eclipse, the Moon moves into the shadow of Earth cast by the Sun. When the Moon passes through the outer part of Earth’s shadow—the penumbra, where the light of the Sun is only partly extinguished—the Moon

While it is commonly thought that mirages result from people’s imagination, the phenomenon is actually caused by mere optics. Mirages are optical illusions that appear when light rays bend, or refract, through layers of air with varying temperature and density. Light refraction occurs due to

Sinkholes are depressions that form when the underlying limestone bedrock is eroded or dissolved by groundwater. Water, especially when it is slightly acidic, can dissolve soluble rocks like limestone over time (see also acid rain). The wearing away of limestone in contact with the water creates

Soil erosion, like rock erosion, is caused by the movement of water and wind, and glaciers. Since soil (whether loose of compact) is less resistant to these forces, soil erosion tends to occur more rapidly than rock erosion. This article will consider the causes of soil erosion that humans are more