We recently published a short popular piece about humpback whales deliberately interfering with killer whale attacks on seals in Antarctica in an apparent effort to protect the seals (R. Pitman and J. Durban. 2009. Save the seal! Nat. Hist. Mag. Nov. 2009). We have come across some similar accounts involving humpbacks interceding on behalf of sea lions, minke whales and gray whales in the Northern Hemisphere and it seems to be a widespread behavior. If you have a detailed account(s) of this kind of behavior we are looking for collaborators to further document this phenomenon. A pdf of the article is available on request from robert.pitman@noaa.gov Bob -- ********************* Robert L. Pitman NOAA Fisheries Ecosystem Studies Program Southwest Fisheries Science Center 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive La Jolla, CA 92037 858-546-7092 phone 858-546-7003 fax Robert.Pitman@noaa.gov *********************