Hvaldimir is a male beluga whale that fishermen near Hammerfest in northern Norway noticed in April 2019 wearing a camera harness. After being freed from the harness, the whale remained in the area and appeared used to humans. Speculation that he had been trained by Russia as a spy whale led to his being dubbed Hvaldimir, a portmanteau of Norwegian hval (whale) and Russian President Vladimir Putin. As of 2023, Hvaldimir's range appears to have expanded to include areas of the south-western coastline of Sweden.
Sign at Hammerfest Harbour in Norwegian and English warning against interfering with Hvaldimir
Hvaldimir spyhopping to inspect a boat at Hammerfest Harbour
A military marine mammal is a cetacean or pinniped that has been trained for military uses. Examples include bottlenose dolphins, seals, sea lions, and beluga whales. The United States and Soviet militaries have trained and employed oceanic dolphins for various uses. Military marine mammals have been trained to rescue lost naval swimmers, guard navy ships against enemy divers, locate mines for later clearance by divers, and aid in location and recovery of equipment lost on the seabed.
KDog, a common bottlenose dolphin of the United States Navy Marine Mammal Program, performs mine-clearance work while wearing a locating pinger in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq War.
A bottlenose dolphin responding to its trainer's hand gestures.