Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary is not accessible to most people, but its importance in the marine ecosystem is emphasized through education and outreach programs!
The sanctuary staff works to get ocean literacy based programs into schools and informal programs, hosts radio programs, runs teacher workshops, and creates education exhibits to help teach the public about this special place.
This beautiful large subadult female (measured with stereo cameras @ 4.17m) preferred to cruise up at the surface, while other sharks we experience seem to hug the ocean floor and are seen better with our deep submersible cage.
Posted @withregram • @northern.naturalist Breaching! It’s the most spectacular behavior one can observe from a whale. One of the most common questions asked on a whale watching trip is “Why do whales breach?”
Like many other behaviors, there are multiple reasons why a whale might breach. Heavy loads of barnacles and other parasites might be quite itchy—breaching can help shake these off and even remove them. Often, breaching occurs in social situations or when other whales are nearby; breaches may be a way of communicating to other whales. They also can be used to communicate to humans—whales sometimes breach in response to boats that get too close. This is essentially a whale saying “Back off!” Of course, breaching can also be part of play. Breaches are a great way to exercise and burn off a little energy, and calves are especially prone to bouts of playful breaching.
This is not an exhaustive list—breaching is a very interesting behavior that can be prompted by many different things, and the reason for a breach depends on the context.
