Whales just got an unlikely new ally in their fight to stay alive.

Activists from the group Anonymous have claimed responsibility for a cyber attack that brought down five Icelandic government websites last week - an action in protest of the nation's continued slaughter of the protected marine mammals.

The official page of Iceland's prime minister, as well as sites of the environment and interior ministries, were among those forced offline on Friday. They remained inaccessible until midday on Saturday.

Vincent Diamante / Flickr