Researchers who look closely at whales see white spots in photographs that look like smiley faces. The circles actually are shark bites. On a given whale there may be 30 or more in various stages of healing. The sharks get a bit of dinner. The whales, unharmed by the bites over time, have one more feature that makes them unique on earth (or rather in the sea).

THIS IS THE FIRST OF DAILY REPORTS, SOME FULL LENGTH STORIES, BASED ON TALKS AT THE FEB.25-26, BASED ON TALKS BY THE WORLD’S LEADING RESEARCHERS GATHERED TOGETHER BY WHALE TRUST MAUI, the premier group supporting whale research in the Hawaiian Islands. Three researchers are the subject of a profile in my new book.