DAILY MAIL - HUMPBACK WHALES FEEDING OFF SOUTH AFRICAN COAST go to this link to see videos of film taken from the sky of 60 plus eating fur seals and anything else in their path. The seals look tiny next to their predator.
The pod was composed of humpbacks that came for miles...
12/23/15
HUNDREDS OF THE WORLDS LARGEST FISH - BASKING SHARKS - FEEDING OFF SCOTLAND
BBC NEWS SCOTLAND's BASKING SHARK - HUNDREDS Worlds second largest fish...
They have no teeth and feed on microscopic plankton by opening wide their huge mouths.... 700 plus sightings in the last few months!
They have no teeth and feed on microscopic plankton by opening wide their huge mouths.... 700 plus sightings in the last few months!
12/21/15
KELLY SLATER SURF CHAMP and HIS PERFECT WAVE MACHINE
SLASHGEAR - KELLY SLATER BUILDS PERFECT WAVE MACHINE
Eleven time world champ... and now a great wave machine to practice surfing in.... First thing, the wave isn't blue, it's black...
Eleven time world champ... and now a great wave machine to practice surfing in.... First thing, the wave isn't blue, it's black...
12/16/15
SHARKATHON : CHEAT SHEET (YOU ALREADY TRIED THE PUZZLES RIGHT?)
See the puzzles posted earlier this year.
11/25/15
10/28/15
SEA MONSTER OFF COAST OF GREECE? CAN YOU IDENTIFY THIS?
FOX NEWS - SEA MONSTER OFF GRECIAN COASTLINE go to this link to see the picture!
Some say it could be a Cuvier’s beaked whale, which have been known to frequent the Mediterranean, others have speculated that it could be the “love child of a hippo and crocodile”—but so far, even scientists are baffled.
*****
Siren here! It's possible that this is a carcass - dead not alive - that's bobbing around. I thought of a horse, a hippo...
Some say it could be a Cuvier’s beaked whale, which have been known to frequent the Mediterranean, others have speculated that it could be the “love child of a hippo and crocodile”—but so far, even scientists are baffled.
*****
Siren here! It's possible that this is a carcass - dead not alive - that's bobbing around. I thought of a horse, a hippo...
10/22/15
YOU EAT FISH? ARE YOU CONTRIBUTING TO THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES?
According to SEAFOOD FOR THE FUTURE ORG, which is part of the nonprofit, AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/seafoodfuture THE WORLD HUMAN POPULATION IS EXPECTED TO EXCEED 9.5 BILLION by 2050. Seafood is among the healthiest sources of protein on the planet. Wild capture seafood harvests have LEVELED OFF and CANNOT MEAN THE DEMAND.... More than # BILLION people on the planet DEPEND ON SEAFOOD as their primary source of protein...
and WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY and SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE to PRODUCE
ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE FARMED FISH.
It's called AQUACULTURE!
Go to this link and read about eating jelly fish, and the smallest porpoise on earth that is about to go extinct...the VAQUITA.
Fishing practices DO effect all ocean life.
and WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY and SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE to PRODUCE
ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE FARMED FISH.
It's called AQUACULTURE!
Go to this link and read about eating jelly fish, and the smallest porpoise on earth that is about to go extinct...the VAQUITA.
Fishing practices DO effect all ocean life.
10/18/15
10/15/15
10/11/15
10/9/15
10/6/15
SEVERAL PUZZLES ON THE SHARK THEME COMING UP
Dover Publishing is the source of many of the sea-life and oceanic images that you see here on SIRENS LINK TO SEA BlogSpot. These images are free to use provided that your use is NOT FOR PROFIT. Coming up are several puzzles surrounding SHARKS.
We recently went to the AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC in Long Beach California, which is a non profit, and a place that has large and impressive tanks. Let's just say that if you are not one to travel and go snorkeling or scuba diving, an aquarium like this is your only opportunity to see what it's like to be under the ocean with the coral, starfish, octopus, lobsters, and so very many fish - including SHARKS look like, and there are also places where you can safely TOUCH the animals.
We recently went to the AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC in Long Beach California, which is a non profit, and a place that has large and impressive tanks. Let's just say that if you are not one to travel and go snorkeling or scuba diving, an aquarium like this is your only opportunity to see what it's like to be under the ocean with the coral, starfish, octopus, lobsters, and so very many fish - including SHARKS look like, and there are also places where you can safely TOUCH the animals.
9/4/15
SHARKS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN - THEY MAKE THEIR WAYS UP THE COAST AND INTO RIVERS
You've been reading more and more about SHARKS, shark attacks (chomping surfboards and surfers), sharks swimming north along the Pacific Coast, sharks making their way into rivers.
Sharks are survivors, we have drought on land and extremely hot temperatures that are effecting ocean currents -so -
so read about SHARKS! SHARK RESEARCH COMMITTEE - INDIGENOUS
50 years of SHARK INFORMATION!
Sharks are survivors, we have drought on land and extremely hot temperatures that are effecting ocean currents -so -
so read about SHARKS! SHARK RESEARCH COMMITTEE - INDIGENOUS
50 years of SHARK INFORMATION!
9/1/15
8/31/15
BLOOD DRIPPED AND THE SEA TURTLE AS IN ANGUISH AS DRINKING STRAW WAS PULLED FROM HIS NOSTRIL
DAILY MAIL - AGONY OF SEA TURTLE AS DRINKING STRAW IS PULLED OUT OF NOSE!
"Blood drips from the turtle's nose and the sea creature appears to be in a lot of pain throughout the entire ordeal..."
"Blood drips from the turtle's nose and the sea creature appears to be in a lot of pain throughout the entire ordeal..."
8/11/15
BLACK WAVE - A GRIPPING TRUE STORY ABOUT A FAMILY THAT TOOK TO THE SEAS and ENDED IN DISASTER : SIREN's BOOK REVIEW
John and Jean Silverwood loved the ocean and sailing, and so they worked hard, saved money, bought a fifty-five foot catamaran they named Emerald Jane, took their four children out of school for a two year sailing adventure. Their true adventure story is wonderfully written, an exciting page turner, but as the cover says, it ended in a disaster. Their catamaran was broken apart on a coral reef, and when the mast fell across John's legs, and almost severed one of them, he would beat death due to a rescue by isolated island people, but would loose his leg. In their very modern story is also enter twinned the story of the last ship that the same coral reef claimed in the 19th century and the 21st century invention that signaled to satellites in space to a rescue station in San Diego, even though they were in such an isolated area near French Polynesia that they were 250 miles away from the nearest island.
Part of my summer reading this year, you still have time before school starts to pick up this one and take the adventure with them.
8/4/15
BOYAN SLAT - FIRST INVENTOR OF THE 21ST CENTURY TO INVENT A PLASTIC DEBRIS CLEANING MACHINE THAT USES THE OCEAN'S OWN CURRENT
21 YEAR OLD INVENTS CLEAN UP SHIP - PACIFIC PLASTIC PATCH - HAWAII
Can a 21-Year-Old Eliminate Plastic Debris from the Pacific Ocean? by Nick Yee GO TO THE LINK TO SEE VIDEOS and information on Boyan Slat's invention.
*****
FOCUS ALSO ON PREVENTION - THROW YOUR PLASTIC CONTAINERS IN THE RECYLCING BIN BEFORE IT GOES DOWN THE SEWERS INTO THE RIVERS AND OCEANS!
Can a 21-Year-Old Eliminate Plastic Debris from the Pacific Ocean? by Nick Yee GO TO THE LINK TO SEE VIDEOS and information on Boyan Slat's invention.
*****
FOCUS ALSO ON PREVENTION - THROW YOUR PLASTIC CONTAINERS IN THE RECYLCING BIN BEFORE IT GOES DOWN THE SEWERS INTO THE RIVERS AND OCEANS!
7/29/15
PUBLIC LEGAL NOTICE - SIRENS LINK TO SEA BLOGSPOT has no afficiation with the same named YOUTUBE STATION
AND I THINK THE OWNER OF THAT SITE IS A REAL STINK POT TO USE THE TERM BLOGSPOT, and may be actually be legally in the wrong for thereby publically leaning on years of my hard work and hurting my reputation.
I think you and your videos STINK.
How about that from SIREN!?
I think YOUTUBE/GOOGLE should shut you down!
I think you and your videos STINK.
How about that from SIREN!?
I think YOUTUBE/GOOGLE should shut you down!
7/25/15
7/11/15
SUMMER SEA SHORE FUN? CLEAN UP THE BEACHES!
If you're lucky enough to go to the beach this summer, maybe on a vacation if you don't live nearby, you'll probably enjoy going into the water to swim, splash in the waves, or ride the surf and on the beach you may be creating sand sculptures, laying around to rest or get a tan (though wearing sun screen in more popular), or looking for shells that have come in with the tide.
You may have also brought a lot of stuff along with you to the beach. Bottled water. Soda. Possibly food, even food to be barbecued at the beaches that allow it. Towels, flip flops and sandals, plastic bottles with lotions and oils, swim suits and extra clothes. Books, sunglasses, and more.
If you're like me, when you get to the beach you often find things other people left behind, either because they were ignorant, lazy, or lost stuff. Then there is the garbage, a lot of plastic, that has been dumped at sea or scattered from garbage cans.
This stuff really needs to be trashed in the right cans and dumpsters!
So do your part to KEEP THE BEACH CLEAN.
When you keep the BEACH clean you also help with the effort to keep THE LAKE or OCEAN CLEAN! And that means that the sea creatures that live there have a better chance of survival!
One of the activities that can be fun is collecting the recycled cans and bottles that others leave behind, taking them to a recycling center and earning a little money from your effort.
But whatever you find, get it off the beach and into the trash where it belongs!
-Siren
You may have also brought a lot of stuff along with you to the beach. Bottled water. Soda. Possibly food, even food to be barbecued at the beaches that allow it. Towels, flip flops and sandals, plastic bottles with lotions and oils, swim suits and extra clothes. Books, sunglasses, and more.
If you're like me, when you get to the beach you often find things other people left behind, either because they were ignorant, lazy, or lost stuff. Then there is the garbage, a lot of plastic, that has been dumped at sea or scattered from garbage cans.
This stuff really needs to be trashed in the right cans and dumpsters!
So do your part to KEEP THE BEACH CLEAN.
When you keep the BEACH clean you also help with the effort to keep THE LAKE or OCEAN CLEAN! And that means that the sea creatures that live there have a better chance of survival!
One of the activities that can be fun is collecting the recycled cans and bottles that others leave behind, taking them to a recycling center and earning a little money from your effort.
But whatever you find, get it off the beach and into the trash where it belongs!
-Siren
5/23/15
5/20/15
GLOBAL SEA FLOOR A "VOLCANIC WONDERLAND"
NBC SCIENCE - SEAFLOOR SURVEY - VOLCANIC WONDERLAND full article including color map and video!
Compared with the previous map, from 1997, the resolution is twice as accurate overall and four times as better in coastal areas and the Arctic, said lead study author David Sandwell, a marine geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California.
The seafloor topography comes from a gravity model of the ocean, which is in turn based on altimetry from the Jason-1 and Cryosat-2 satellites.
Compared with the previous map, from 1997, the resolution is twice as accurate overall and four times as better in coastal areas and the Arctic, said lead study author David Sandwell, a marine geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California.
The seafloor topography comes from a gravity model of the ocean, which is in turn based on altimetry from the Jason-1 and Cryosat-2 satellites.
5/12/15
BALEEN WHALE HEARING - MYSTERY SOLVED!
DISCOVERY - BALEEN WHALES HEARING MAY BE SOLVED by Richard Farrell full article
EXCERPT:
San Diego State University biologist Ted W. Cranford and University of California, San Diego engineer Petr Krysl created a three-dimensional computer model of a baleen whale's head, one that would include the skin, skull, eyes, ears, tongue, brain, muscles, and jaws.
For their test subject, the pair obtained the head of a fin whale that beached in 2003 and then ran it through an X-ray CT scanner.
Once they had the head scan, Cranford and Krysl ran simulations of how sound travels through the whale's brain. To get the detail they needed, they used a technique called finite element modeling, in which the data representing the head parts and skull were separated out into tiny elements by the millions, the relationships between the elements tracked.
Sound can reach a baleen whale's ear bones on its skull in two ways: the sound's pressure waves can go through the animal's soft tissue; or the sounds can vibrate along the skull itself, in a process called "bone induction."
The problem with the soft-tissue, pressure, route, the researchers said, is that it's ineffective when sound waves are longer than the whale's body. But with the bone induction process, those longer waves become amplified as they vibrate in the creature's skull.
The scientists' computer modeling showed that the bone induction process was about four times more sensitive to low-frequency sounds than the soft-tissue, pressure mechanism.
What's more, their modeling predicted that bone induction is 10 times more sensitive to the lowest frequencies used by fin whales (10 Hz-130 Hz).
EXCERPT:
San Diego State University biologist Ted W. Cranford and University of California, San Diego engineer Petr Krysl created a three-dimensional computer model of a baleen whale's head, one that would include the skin, skull, eyes, ears, tongue, brain, muscles, and jaws.
For their test subject, the pair obtained the head of a fin whale that beached in 2003 and then ran it through an X-ray CT scanner.
Once they had the head scan, Cranford and Krysl ran simulations of how sound travels through the whale's brain. To get the detail they needed, they used a technique called finite element modeling, in which the data representing the head parts and skull were separated out into tiny elements by the millions, the relationships between the elements tracked.
Sound can reach a baleen whale's ear bones on its skull in two ways: the sound's pressure waves can go through the animal's soft tissue; or the sounds can vibrate along the skull itself, in a process called "bone induction."
The problem with the soft-tissue, pressure, route, the researchers said, is that it's ineffective when sound waves are longer than the whale's body. But with the bone induction process, those longer waves become amplified as they vibrate in the creature's skull.
The scientists' computer modeling showed that the bone induction process was about four times more sensitive to low-frequency sounds than the soft-tissue, pressure mechanism.
What's more, their modeling predicted that bone induction is 10 times more sensitive to the lowest frequencies used by fin whales (10 Hz-130 Hz).
4/21/15
ANCIENT SEASHELLS UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT PROVE TO BE STRIKINGLY COLORED - NOT DRAB AT ALL!
DISCOVERY - ANCIENT SEASHELLS SPORTED FLASHY COLORS by Jennifer Viegas
Hendricks cleverly placed the drab-looking old shells under ultraviolet light. In doing so, the organic matter remaining in the shells, which date to 6.6–4.8 million years ago, became visible. It revealed the original coloration patterns of the shells that encased the large marine snails.
Using this technique, Hendricks was able to view and document the coloration patterns of 28 different cone shells, 13 of which are now suspected to be new species. One of the most striking examples was a polka-dotted shell. This unmistakable pattern is thought to be extinct among modern cone snails.
(Hendricks is a geologist)
Hendricks cleverly placed the drab-looking old shells under ultraviolet light. In doing so, the organic matter remaining in the shells, which date to 6.6–4.8 million years ago, became visible. It revealed the original coloration patterns of the shells that encased the large marine snails.
Using this technique, Hendricks was able to view and document the coloration patterns of 28 different cone shells, 13 of which are now suspected to be new species. One of the most striking examples was a polka-dotted shell. This unmistakable pattern is thought to be extinct among modern cone snails.
(Hendricks is a geologist)
4/1/15
SEA SHORE LIFE - SEA SHELLS - CAN YOU COLOR THESE A DIFFERENT WAY?
CAN YOU COLOR THESE SHELLS A DIFFERENT WAY?
3/21/15
NOAA DOUBLING SIZE OF CORDELL BANK NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY and FARALLONES NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
NATIONAL MONITOR - NOAA TO DOUBLE SIZE OF MARINE RESERVE AREA IN SAN FRANCISO BAY full article
Excerpt:
The Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, originally designated in 1989, is located north of San Francisco will increase to 1,286 square miles from its present 529 square miles. The Culf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, designated in 1981, located due west of San Francisco will expand to 3,295 from its current 1,282 square miles. ...
According to a statement from the White House, “NOAA’s action today reflects President Obama’s strong commitment to protecting our oceans and coasts. The ocean provides food, jobs, and opportunities for tourism and recreation for Americans all over the country. But the ocean is in trouble, facing serious threats from carbon pollution to overfishing. That’s why the President has taken action throughout his Administration to promote marine conservation and give Americans a voice in protecting areas of the sea that matter most to them.”
Excerpt:
The Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, originally designated in 1989, is located north of San Francisco will increase to 1,286 square miles from its present 529 square miles. The Culf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, designated in 1981, located due west of San Francisco will expand to 3,295 from its current 1,282 square miles. ...
According to a statement from the White House, “NOAA’s action today reflects President Obama’s strong commitment to protecting our oceans and coasts. The ocean provides food, jobs, and opportunities for tourism and recreation for Americans all over the country. But the ocean is in trouble, facing serious threats from carbon pollution to overfishing. That’s why the President has taken action throughout his Administration to promote marine conservation and give Americans a voice in protecting areas of the sea that matter most to them.”
3/18/15
3/15/15
AFTER MENOPAUSE FEMALE KILLER SHARKS BECOME LEADERS
NBC - LEADERSHIP ROLES OF KILLER SHARKS AFTER MEMOPAUSE full article by
Linda Carroll.
EXCERPTS: After observing 102 killer whales in the wild, British researchers have determined that female killer whales become key leaders in their pods only after they age out of fertility...
EXCERPTS: After observing 102 killer whales in the wild, British researchers have determined that female killer whales become key leaders in their pods only after they age out of fertility...
Menopause, it turns out, is quite rare in the animal kingdom: human women and only two whale species outlive their reproductive lives in a major way, says the study's lead author, Lauren Brent, an associate research fellow in animal behavior at the University of Exeter. Female killer whales typically become mothers between the ages of 12 and 40, but they can live for more than 90 years as compared to the males who rarely make it past 50.
The evolutionary reason, Brent says, is probably similar across the species. Older females become valued for their accumulated knowledge and wisdom. ...
3/12/15
3/8/15
SEA LION EMERGENCY - VOLUNTEER? -THOUSANDS WASHING ASHORE SICK AND DYING - THOUSANDS MORE DEAD ON CHANNEL ISLANDS
SACBEE - ENVIRONMENTAL - SICK STARVING SEA LION PUPS WASH UP IN RECORD NUMBERS full intense article by Peter Hecht
EXCERPTS:
Along the length of the California coastline, an extraordinary rescue effort is underway. In January and February alone, 1,450 malnourished or dying sea lion pups have washed up on shore – compared with just 68 in the same period last year.
“These are pups that should be nursing on their mothers,” said Dr. Shawn Johnson, director of the veterinary science department at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. “They’re (arriving) extremely emaciated. They have no energy stores. They’re just skin and bones, wasting away and on the brink of death.”
From Sea World in San Diego to the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center in Del Norte County, seven California marine rescue facilities are tube-feeding fish gruel to skeletal pups, helping them learn to catch and digest whole fish and administering vitamins and medication to ward off pneumonia and skin infections....
EXCERPTS:
Along the length of the California coastline, an extraordinary rescue effort is underway. In January and February alone, 1,450 malnourished or dying sea lion pups have washed up on shore – compared with just 68 in the same period last year.
“These are pups that should be nursing on their mothers,” said Dr. Shawn Johnson, director of the veterinary science department at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. “They’re (arriving) extremely emaciated. They have no energy stores. They’re just skin and bones, wasting away and on the brink of death.”
From Sea World in San Diego to the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center in Del Norte County, seven California marine rescue facilities are tube-feeding fish gruel to skeletal pups, helping them learn to catch and digest whole fish and administering vitamins and medication to ward off pneumonia and skin infections....
3/5/15
HUNDREDS OF STARVING BABY SEA LIONS ABANDONED AND ON SHORE - OVERWHELMING RESCUE
SCIENCE WORLD REPORT - PUPS WASHED ASHORE by Catherine Griffin
Excerpts:
"While sea lion pups are usually weaned from their mothers in April, it seems that many of the young mammals have been separated from their parents earlier this year. In fact, it's estimated that about 45 percent of the pups that were born in June at island rookeries off the Southern California coast have now died...
The pups that have washed ashore tend to be extremely underweight and dehydrated. It's a miracle that they make it to the coast at all. That said, experts believe that the pups are using a combination of ocean currents and swimming to make the arduous journey...
Currently, the sea lion strandings are nearly three times higher than the historical average, and two weeks ago, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center declared a state of emergency due how many sick and stranded sea lions were being brought in.
Excerpts:
"While sea lion pups are usually weaned from their mothers in April, it seems that many of the young mammals have been separated from their parents earlier this year. In fact, it's estimated that about 45 percent of the pups that were born in June at island rookeries off the Southern California coast have now died...
The pups that have washed ashore tend to be extremely underweight and dehydrated. It's a miracle that they make it to the coast at all. That said, experts believe that the pups are using a combination of ocean currents and swimming to make the arduous journey...
Currently, the sea lion strandings are nearly three times higher than the historical average, and two weeks ago, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center declared a state of emergency due how many sick and stranded sea lions were being brought in.
3/3/15
EVOLUTION FAVORS THE BIGGER SEA ANIMALS - PALEOBIOLOGY
FrontLine Desk - EVOLUTION LIKES BIGGER SEA ANIMALS by Robert Anderson
"The research is a strong support for Cope’s rule. The rule is named after the famous paleontologist Edward Cope. It states that that sizes of animals increase over time.
Earlier, scientists were not certain whether the rule is applicable to marine life or not. They believe that land mammals are the only one to observe the cope’s rule.
Jonathan Payne, Standford University Paleobiologists, discussed the study in detail. He informs that scientists were already aware of the fact that sea animals are growing bigger day by day. The current size of the Blue Whale is nearly 1000 times larger as compared to when it was first evolved..."
"The research is a strong support for Cope’s rule. The rule is named after the famous paleontologist Edward Cope. It states that that sizes of animals increase over time.
Earlier, scientists were not certain whether the rule is applicable to marine life or not. They believe that land mammals are the only one to observe the cope’s rule.
Jonathan Payne, Standford University Paleobiologists, discussed the study in detail. He informs that scientists were already aware of the fact that sea animals are growing bigger day by day. The current size of the Blue Whale is nearly 1000 times larger as compared to when it was first evolved..."
3/1/15
2/26/15
REAL TIME OCEAN ACIDIFICATION WATCH - GO TO THE LINK TO SEE!
Scientific American - Watch ocean acidification in Real Time By Brian Kahn and Climate Central
"Oceans are taking in about 90 percent of the excess heat created by human greenhouse gas emissions, but they’re also absorbing some of the carbon dioxide (CO2) itself. According to the European Space Agency, about a quarter of all human CO2 emissions are being taken in by the world’s oceans.
"Oceans are taking in about 90 percent of the excess heat created by human greenhouse gas emissions, but they’re also absorbing some of the carbon dioxide (CO2) itself. According to the European Space Agency, about a quarter of all human CO2 emissions are being taken in by the world’s oceans.
A complex set of chemical processes dissolves that CO2 and turns it into carbonic acid, which dissolves shells and coral, creating a cascade effect that could disrupt entire marine ecosystems. The current rate at which oceans are acidifying has been unseen in 300 million years and the consequences could be costly..."
2/24/15
ALBINO DOLPHIN SPOTTENED IN ESTUARY OFF FLORIDA COAST
NATURE WORLD NEWS - FIRST ALBINO DOLPHIN IN HALF CENTURY full article
Biologists have confirmed instances of albinism among 20 species of dolphins, whales and porpoises, with only 14 previous sightings of albino bottlenose dolphins. But Danielle Carter, a volunteer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), shot video of what is now number 15 on Dec. 10 in an estuary off Florida's east coast.
Biologists have confirmed instances of albinism among 20 species of dolphins, whales and porpoises, with only 14 previous sightings of albino bottlenose dolphins. But Danielle Carter, a volunteer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), shot video of what is now number 15 on Dec. 10 in an estuary off Florida's east coast.
2/21/15
ENDANGERED POD IN PUGET SOUND - FIRST BIRTH OF BABY ORCA IN 2 YEARS
SCIENCE RECORDER - RARE NEWBORN BABY ORCA OFF WASHINGTON COAST full article from early January 2015...
This is good news for the pod, which has not seen a new addition to its community in more than two years.
Balcomb was monitoring the pod, known as J-pod, in the Puget Sound when he noticed the just-born baby orca, dubbed J-50 for now.
According to Brad Hanson, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the birth of the baby whale is an encouraging sign for the pod, which was listed as endangered in 2005, a report by Live Science said. This is especially true since the pod lost a pregnant female earlier in December, probably caused by a bacterial infection following the death of her fetus.
“The loss of J-32 was a disturbing setback,” Hanson told Live Science. “We lost a lot of reproductive material.”
Balcomb does not yet know which whale is the calf’s mother—it could be an older 43-year-old female called J-16, who has given birth to three other surviving calves, or a younger whale, J-36, according to the Live Science report. Sadly, deaths among newborn killer whales are not uncommon. About 35 to 45 percent of all newborn orcas fail to survive past their first year, according to NOAA.
This is good news for the pod, which has not seen a new addition to its community in more than two years.
Balcomb was monitoring the pod, known as J-pod, in the Puget Sound when he noticed the just-born baby orca, dubbed J-50 for now.
According to Brad Hanson, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the birth of the baby whale is an encouraging sign for the pod, which was listed as endangered in 2005, a report by Live Science said. This is especially true since the pod lost a pregnant female earlier in December, probably caused by a bacterial infection following the death of her fetus.
“The loss of J-32 was a disturbing setback,” Hanson told Live Science. “We lost a lot of reproductive material.”
Balcomb does not yet know which whale is the calf’s mother—it could be an older 43-year-old female called J-16, who has given birth to three other surviving calves, or a younger whale, J-36, according to the Live Science report. Sadly, deaths among newborn killer whales are not uncommon. About 35 to 45 percent of all newborn orcas fail to survive past their first year, according to NOAA.
2/18/15
2/16/15
RICK GERMAN'S ENCOUNTER WITH FIVE KILLER WHALES NEAR LAGUNA NIGEL
KTLA - PADDLE BOARDER AND FIVE KILLER WHALES video
EXCERPT:
A man paddle boarding off the coast of Laguna Beach captured amazing video of his close encounter with killer whales.
Through the years, Rich German said he has had several interactions with animals while paddle boarding, but always wanted to see killer whales upclose.
The avid paddle boarder heard about the orca pod swimming along the Southern California coast and tracked their location. By using his GoPro camera, German took video of the whales playing around whale watching tour boats. They even swam underneath his board.
German said he was “too excited to be scared.” He kneeled down at one point because he was worried one of the whales...
EXCERPT:
A man paddle boarding off the coast of Laguna Beach captured amazing video of his close encounter with killer whales.
Through the years, Rich German said he has had several interactions with animals while paddle boarding, but always wanted to see killer whales upclose.
The avid paddle boarder heard about the orca pod swimming along the Southern California coast and tracked their location. By using his GoPro camera, German took video of the whales playing around whale watching tour boats. They even swam underneath his board.
German said he was “too excited to be scared.” He kneeled down at one point because he was worried one of the whales...
2/14/15
2/12/15
SIX FOOT LONG EEL LIKE FRILL SHARK CALLED "A LIVING FOSSIL"
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC - SHARK THAT INSPIRED SEA MONSTER MYTHS
EXCERPT:
With its gaping, tooth-filled mouth and its slender, eel-like body, it’s not hard to see why scientists think the frilled shark may have inspired ancient tales of sea monsters. Looking like something out of a nightmare, the deep-sea creature is rarely seen. But fishers in Australia pulled one up this week.
EXCERPT:
With its gaping, tooth-filled mouth and its slender, eel-like body, it’s not hard to see why scientists think the frilled shark may have inspired ancient tales of sea monsters. Looking like something out of a nightmare, the deep-sea creature is rarely seen. But fishers in Australia pulled one up this week.
2/11/15
FRILL SHARK LIVING FOSSIL TURNS UP IN AUSTRALIAN FISHERMENS NET
HUFFINGTON POST - LIVING FOSSIL SHARK CAUGHT OFF AUSTRALIA
This link has photos and videos!
EXCERPT:
Fishermen in Australia were stunned last month when they hauled up a shark so strange-looking that it's been called a "living fossil"--300 teeth and all (scroll down for photos).
The super-rare frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) showed up in the nets of a trawler operating near in waters off Victoria, Australia, The Telegraph reported.
This link has photos and videos!
EXCERPT:
Fishermen in Australia were stunned last month when they hauled up a shark so strange-looking that it's been called a "living fossil"--300 teeth and all (scroll down for photos).
The super-rare frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus) showed up in the nets of a trawler operating near in waters off Victoria, Australia, The Telegraph reported.
2/9/15
SUB GLACIAL LAKES OF GREENLAND ARE MISSING BILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER
ABC - MYSTERY OF GREENLANDS DISAPPEARING LAKES
EXCERPT: Scientists are baffled after two lakes in Greenland were mysteriously drained of billions of gallons of water.
EXCERPT: Scientists are baffled after two lakes in Greenland were mysteriously drained of billions of gallons of water.
One lake was so large that a mile-wide crater was left behind after it was drained in the span of a few weeks. Another sub-glacial lake has been filled and emptied twice in the last two years. ... Ian Howat, a professor at Ohio State University, who studied the lake that left behind a mile-wide crater, said the findings of the study were "catastrophic."
Siren here!
.... TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SITE WITH MAPS OF THE MISSING LAKES!
2/4/15
HOW ROSE COLORED SEA SLUGS CAN HELP PREDICT EL NINO RAINS
INDEPENDENT : SEA SLUGS AS EL NINO FORCASTERS
EXCERPT:
Hopkins’ rose nudibranchs , as the sea slugs are known, travel as larvae at the whim of warm ocean currents, floating to the bottom as they grow during their first couple months. There they feed exclusively on a pink-colored bryozoan — a diminutive aquatic organism known as a “moss animal” that clusters in colonies — which grows all the way up to British Columbia and imparts the Okenia rosacea‘s remarkable color. Goddard knew that spotting the nudibranchs in high numbers near Morro Bay in mid-January was significant, since they usually hunt down in Southern California. They reminded him of the flourishing pink populations he’d seen near Santa Cruz during 1977’s weak El Niño.
After Morro, Goddard headed up to Monterey to check the tidepools. Along with reports from researchers at UC Santa Cruz, the Bodega Marine Laboratory, and San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences, his hypothesis was confirmed: The little creatures were everywhere, as far north as Humboldt — sometimes by the dozens per square meter....
EXCERPT:
Hopkins’ rose nudibranchs , as the sea slugs are known, travel as larvae at the whim of warm ocean currents, floating to the bottom as they grow during their first couple months. There they feed exclusively on a pink-colored bryozoan — a diminutive aquatic organism known as a “moss animal” that clusters in colonies — which grows all the way up to British Columbia and imparts the Okenia rosacea‘s remarkable color. Goddard knew that spotting the nudibranchs in high numbers near Morro Bay in mid-January was significant, since they usually hunt down in Southern California. They reminded him of the flourishing pink populations he’d seen near Santa Cruz during 1977’s weak El Niño.
After Morro, Goddard headed up to Monterey to check the tidepools. Along with reports from researchers at UC Santa Cruz, the Bodega Marine Laboratory, and San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences, his hypothesis was confirmed: The little creatures were everywhere, as far north as Humboldt — sometimes by the dozens per square meter....
2/1/15
1/12/15
WATER RUNNING DOWN THE STREET - PLASTIC AND GLASS BOTTLES EVERYWHERE
This morning I saw water running down the street. I walked a couple blocks to try and find its source and then called the local water company to report a leakage. The water seemed to be coming from inside a warehouse that was locked up so maybe a broken pipe. A leak like this can mean the loss of thousands of gallons of much needed water and massive bills for the owner of the pipe.
When I walk down the street I also pick up any bottles and cans, plastic, aluminum, and glass, that are laying around. I wonder about people who litter. Don't they care? Are they ignorant or do they really intend to leave a mess?
I've noticed that if I don't pick up a glass bottle it will be broken the next time I walk past it, meaning it has become a real hazard, especially for the dogs!
WATER CONSERVATION is important and thinking about it I think about all the creatures that live in a water environment.
When I walk down the street I also pick up any bottles and cans, plastic, aluminum, and glass, that are laying around. I wonder about people who litter. Don't they care? Are they ignorant or do they really intend to leave a mess?
I've noticed that if I don't pick up a glass bottle it will be broken the next time I walk past it, meaning it has become a real hazard, especially for the dogs!
WATER CONSERVATION is important and thinking about it I think about all the creatures that live in a water environment.
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