The Blue Whale of Catoosa (Classic)

The story of a stork, a spear and a scientific mystery that led to breakthroughs in the way we understand bird migration.All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite unu ... Show More

Atlas Obscura’s resident food and death reporter Sam O’Brien takes us to Smithfield, Virginia, where we meet a 120-year-old ham, and the people who love it. All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to ... Show More

We visit the world’s oldest rose, which is so tough that it survived being bombed in World War II. All week, we’re featuring the stories behind a few of our favorite things – from ancient hams to mummified fingers. Want to tell us about your own favorite unusual object? Give us a ... Show More

After half-a-century in a tank, a beloved orca named Tokitae was about to be freed. Then her life ended, and a moment of reckoning began. Read more: Most of the nearly 50 southern resident orcas taken from the Pacific Northwest during the 1960s and ’70s died within the first year ... Show More

Whaling was, in the words of one scholar, “early capitalism unleashed on the high seas.” How did the U.S. come to dominate the whale market? Why did whale hunting die out here — and continue to grow elsewhere? And is that whale vomit in your perfume? (Part 1 of “Everything You Ne ... Show More

The Whale of a Tale dynamic due, Atlas and Zavia, head back to the bottom of the Pflugerville Ocean in search of answers about a pirate submarine and the mysterious machine it seems to be guarding. 

We are going on a different kind of adventure today. Join Birdie as she goes on an adventure with twins Zavia and Atlas in the Whale of a Tale submarine! 

For years, whale oil was used as lighting fuel, industrial lubricant, and the main ingredient in (yum!) margarine. Whale meat was also on a few menus. But today, demand for whale products is at a historic low. And yet some countries still have a whaling industry. We find out why. ... Show More

Investigating the black-and-white apex predator of the sea – the killer whale! Able to predate even great white sharks, this marine mammal is the largest member of the dolphin family. From tropical seas, to the Arctic and Antarctic, killer whales (or orcas) are found across the w ... Show More

Swimming with Whales off Tonga 

Join us for a special preview episode of our new show, Whale of a Tale! Join Atlas and Zavia as they go on their first big adventure to the bottom of the Pflugerville Ocean! What kind of hidden secrets and deep sea adventures will they find themselves in? Only one way to find out ... Show More

Less than 0.001% of the deep ocean has been explored. Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to two women from South Africa and the US who have dedicated their careers to finding out more about our planet's most uncharted depths.Dr Katy Croff Bell is an American ocean explorer and deep-sea techn ... Show More