#marine mammal

Webcam Model(Pied_De_Bichee) is live
LIVE

damp puppies

A Risso’s dolphin caught up in fishing line. Dolphin numbers in the Indian Ocean may have dropped by

A Risso’s dolphin caught up in fishing line. Dolphin numbers in the Indian Ocean may have dropped by more than 80% in recent decades, with an estimated 4 million small cetaceans caught as “by-catch” in commercial tuna fishing nets since 1950, according to a study

Photograph: Andrew Sutton/Central Studio

(viaThe week in wildlife – in pictures | Environment | The Guardian)


Post link
blondebrainpower:Soapstone carving of a whale. California, United States, Chumash culture HH: He see

blondebrainpower:

Soapstone carving of a whale. California, United States, Chumash culture

HH: He seems a happy lil fellow


Post link
While the vaquita is not deliberately hunted by humans, its downfall has been the extensive fishing While the vaquita is not deliberately hunted by humans, its downfall has been the extensive fishing

While the vaquita is not deliberately hunted by humans, its downfall has been the extensive fishing of the totoaba, a fish whose swim bladder is a delicacy in China.  Gill nets used to catch totoaba have quite literally massacred the vaquita - over 80% of their population disappeared between 2008 and 2015.

Government efforts to preserve the species were perfunctory - “vaquita-safe” nets proved nowhere near as effective as the old gill nets, fishermen rioted when a related fishery was shut down for fear of it being used as a cover for tatoaba poaching (ironic, as that fishery used safer nets), and compensatory monthly checks to men losing their livelihood were meager, sometimes less than a man could make in a single day’s fishing.  The export of tataobas was banned and a marine reserve established, but poaching and smuggling is rampant, and there is little incentive to stop it.  A single tatoaba bladder can bring in $20 000, while the fine for being caught poaching is about $500.  Even now, the controversial Sea Shepherd is one of the few ships patrolling for poachers, and they can do little but film and report them.  In the meantime, dead vaquita continue to be pulled from the waters.

The latest estimates say there may be only 12 vaquita left in the world.  If the vaquita goes extinct, it will be the first extinction of a marine mammal since the loss of the baijiin 2006.


Post link
 The vaquita has the most restricted range of any marine cetacean, as they are endemic to the northe The vaquita has the most restricted range of any marine cetacean, as they are endemic to the northe

Thevaquita has the most restricted range of any marine cetacean, as they are endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California.  They have evolved to live in shallow, murky water, sometimes so shallow that their backs protrude from the water.  Unlike many other marine animals, they can also cope with the rapid and extreme temperature changes that can occur in shallow water.


Post link
Because of the vaquita’s low numbers,  the National Marine Mammal Foundation attempted to start a caBecause of the vaquita’s low numbers,  the National Marine Mammal Foundation attempted to start a ca

Because of the vaquita’s low numbers,  the National Marine Mammal Foundation attempted to start a captive breeding program.  However, after a female vaquita died of stress shortly after being captured, the program was abandoned.  It is unlikely a similar program will be attempted in the future.


Post link
The vaquita is Mexico’s only endemic marine mammal.  The name vaquita is Spanish for “little cow”, aThe vaquita is Mexico’s only endemic marine mammal.  The name vaquita is Spanish for “little cow”, a

Thevaquita is Mexico’s only endemic marine mammal.  The name vaquita is Spanish for “little cow”, and other names for the species include cochito (Spanish for “little pig”), desert porpoise, vaquita porpoise, Gulf of California harbor porpoise, Gulf of California porpoise, and gulf porpoise.


Post link
 The vaquita is the world’s smallest cetacean, growing only about 141 centimetres in length.  They a The vaquita is the world’s smallest cetacean, growing only about 141 centimetres in length.  They a

Thevaquita is the world’s smallest cetacean, growing only about 141 centimetres in length.  They are also the most endangered cetacean on the planet, with some marine biologists believing there are as few as 12 individuals left alive.


Post link
Humpback whale calf fly-by

Humpback Whale calf | Megaptera novaeangliae

#humpback whale    #humpback    #megaptera novaeangliae    #saltwater    #marine    #underwater    #undersea    #nature    #aquatic    #aquaria    #aquablr    #marine mammal    #mammal    #marine biology    #scuba diving    #underwater photography    #cetacea    #cetacean    #cetaceans    
Bottlenose Dolphin - Tursiops truncatus

Bottlenose Dolphin|Tursiops truncatus

#bottlenose dolphin    #bottlenose    #dolphin    #tursiops    #delphinidae    #oceanic dolphin    #saltwater    #marine    #underwater    #undersea    #nature    #aquatic    #aquaria    #aquablr    #common bottlenose    #marine biology    #scuba diving    #marine mammal    

A sad end for such an amazing creature. Common dolphin washed up on the coast of Belfast Lough

When people hear ocean pollution, they immediately think of the visible ones like plastic pollution, oil spills or sewage run-offs. But sound pollution, this invisible threat, is just as devastating to numerous marine animals, especially whales. Remember ‘The Silent World’ from Jacques Cousteau? Well, our oceans aren’t so silent anymore.

image

Historically, noise levels in the oceans were low enough that whales were able to use their sonar to communicate with each other or to hunt for food. Increased ship traffic, acoustical seismic testing for oil exploration, the use of military sonar, and even small boats in high concentrations have all contributed to the growing sound pollution in the oceans. 

Sound travels farther and about five times faster in water than in air. All these high intensity sounds also travel at a higher energy level so they are louder than they would be above the surface. This increased cacophony has made the use of sonar, echolocation and underwater communication between whales extremely difficult. Imagine basically walking around on the airport runway with airplanes landing and taking off every minute or so trying to have a conversation with a friend….except that it’s even louder, and it never stops. 

image

(Source)

Susan Parks, a biology professor at Syracuse University, compared right whale calls recorded off Martha’s Vineyard in 1956 and off Argentina in the 1977, with those in the North Atlantic in 2000. Parks and her team were astonished with the results. They discovered that North Atlantic right whales actually shifted their calls up an entire octave over the past half century in an attempt to be heard over the unending and increasing low-frequency sounds of commercial shipping. Furthermore, right whale songs used to carry off 20 to 100 miles, but now those calls travel only five miles or so. 

Another interesting tidbit of Park’s research came after 9/11. With the commotions and confusion following the attacks, ship traffic drastically dropped for a while. Her team continued recording whale calls during that time, and they could not believe what they heard. Actually, they didn’t hear much. The acoustic fog that had settled on the oceans for decades had suddenly lifted. Furthermore, they analyzed stress hormones found in collected whale poop, and they found that they had considerably dropped. It was obvious that during that brief period of time, whales had finally relaxed. 

If whales can’t hear each other as well, they need to spend more time and energy moving around and travelling to ‘quieter’ places in the oceans in order to feed or mate. This seems small, but a prolonged exposure to excessive noise can lead to permanent behavioral changes and thus a long-term impact on population numbers and mortality rates. Additionally, loud sounds have direct impacts on whale hearing, stress levels as we have seen above, and in some extreme cases may cause internal bleeding and death. 

image

(Source: National Geographic. Click for full size.)

Astudy published in 2014 in the journal PLOS One found that manmade noise pollution can literally make whales go insane. Moreover, scientists have also found that beaked whales are extremely sensitive to sound pollution. They tend to dive too deep when they hear loud noises, then resurface too quickly and can die from the bends. Other studies have blamed military sonar and mapping sonar by oil companies for mass strandings of marine mammals.

What can we do about it? Governments are slowly starting to become conscious of the problem, and some are trying to slow ships down or to re-direct traffic to areas not ecologically significant to marine mammals, but of course this comes with a lot of opposition from the companies, as even a detour of five miles off course can increase costs and time. Many NGOs like Oceana and Greenpeace are also campaigning against the use of seismic blasts for exploration drilling. Technologies are also being developed to drastically reduce the noise from ships and geological surveying. We still need to continue raising awareness on the problem so further political action can occur and some international standards can be set.

You can check out this interesting interview with Christopher Clark, a prominent bioacoustics researcher. Clark goes into more details about seismic blasts and the precise impacts noise pollution may have on whale populations. It’s a great read.

Star GirlI’m having a difficult time trying to upload multiple images from yesterday to Tumblr.Pleas

Star Girl

I’m having a difficult time trying to upload multiple images from yesterday to Tumblr.

Please check out my FB page for more pictures!


Post link
KILLING THE PLANET AND ITS BEAUTIFUL LIFE FORMS. Vaquita, a small porpoise is the world’s most

KILLING THE PLANET AND ITS BEAUTIFUL LIFE FORMS.
Vaquita, a small porpoise is the world’s most rare marine mammal, and is on the edge of extinction. … Vaquita are often caught and drowned in gillnets used by illegal fishing operations in marine protected areas within Mexico’s Gulf of California. The population has dropped drastically in the last few years.


Post link

Little Torre coming to say hello!


Australian Sea Lion, Taronga Zoo Sydney

Walrus bun

Walrus bun


Post link

Common Facts:

Scientific Name: Enhydra lutris

Average size – 4 ft.

Average life span – 23 yrs.

Protection status – Threatened

Average weight – 45-65 pounds

Diet – urchins, abalone, mussels, clams, crabs, snails and about 40 other marine species

Sea otters can be found along the Pacific coasts of Asia and North America. These fun fuzzy creatures spend most of their time in the water, but on the rare occasion they’ll come ashore to take a nap.

Sea otters like to float on their backs and even eat their food off of their stomachs while they float. They are known to utilize rocks to break open shellfish to eat and to pry them off the ocean floor. (They also can dive up to 330 feet while they are scavenging for food!) Female sea otters care for their babies while floating on their backs—they nurse them on their chest and teach them to hunt and swim at a very young age.

In the past, the population of sea otters was close to a million. Unfortunately, due to the fur trade and other human activities, their population made a drastic drop to 1,000-2,000 at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, thanks to preservation efforts, that number has once again risen to over 100,000.

“As predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of the near-shore kelp ecosystems. Without sea otters, the undersea animals they prey on would devour the kelp forests off the coast that provide cover and food for many other marine animals.”

So next time you see a sea otter, give it it’s space but take the time to admire it! Sea otters are a threatened and important species to our ocean’s ecosystem.

Sources:http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/sea-otter/

Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) mother with nursing pup in the Morro Bay harbor, Morro Bay, CA. 27 Oct. 2008. Michael “Mike” L. Baird, Canon 1D Mark III, 600mm f/4 IS with circular polarizer, on tripod.

http://www.defenders.org/sea-otter/basic-facts

Written by: Kari Shirley, intern

What is that? Is that this weeks Creature Feature? AND IT’S ABOUT ME!! Common Facts: Scientific Name: Enhydra lutris Average size - 4 ft. Average life span - 23 yrs.
I’ve finally made a proper painting of nettle to help nail down her different details and text

I’ve finally made a proper painting of nettle to help nail down her different details and textures. Also sorry if you’ve seen this post twice today I was trying to update the original image and accidentally deleted the entire post instead.


Post link
loading