Archive for the 'Creatures' Category

Marine critters that keep us safe (?)

Some of the nation’s most sophisticated military submarines are based in the chilly waters of Puget Sound, an inlet of islands, peninsulas and harbors that is worryingly vulnerable to terrorist attack from a furtive diver or brazen suicide swimmer.

But the Navy’s plan to use a squadron of highly trained dolphins and sea lions to patrol and protect the submarine fleet is running into opposition from those who fear the glacier-fed waters of the sound are too frigid for warm-water dolphins.

Full story, via Navagear

I, for one, welcome our new jellyfish overlords

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The Turritopsis Nutricula is able to revert back to a juvenile form once it mates after becoming sexually mature.

Marine biologists say the jellyfish numbers are rocketing because they need not die.

Dr Maria Miglietta of the Smithsonian Tropical Marine Institute said: “We are looking at a worldwide silent invasion.”

The jellyfish are originally from the Caribbean but have spread all over the world.

full story via Dilbert blog

Dolphin video


Very nice video clip of dolphins, apparently engaged in cooperative hunting/feeding.  Via S/A.

The life aquatic on flickr

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The Life Aquatic group is a tribute to ocean life and marine biology. Marine Biology is the scientific study of animals, plants and other organisms that live in or near the ocean and other saltwater environments such as estuaries and wetlands. One of the most important reasons for the study of sea life is simply to understand and preserve the world we live in.

15,045 pictures.  That’ll keep you busy.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/50619606@N00/pool/

Orca plays with dog!


Luna / L98 the solitary killer whale socializes with dog. Please note that Luna was a southern resident (fish eating orca) and was not hunting the dog for food.

vimeo.com/1270981 a composite video of Luna

To learn more about Luna please go to lunastewardship.blogspot.com

Gallery of whales

Mostly orcas.

Continue reading ‘Gallery of whales’

Gallery of jellies and undersea life

  Continue reading ‘Gallery of jellies and undersea life’

Dolphin gallery

A big gallery of wallpaper-sized pics of our friendly buddies.

Continue reading ‘Dolphin gallery’

Right whale listening network/collision avoidance system

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The world’s last 350 North Atlantic right whales live along the East Coast. Collisions with ships are a deadly hazard, but new listening buoys are helping. Here’s how.

The green dots on this map show locations of buoys listening for endangered right whales. If you see a red whale icon instead, it means a buoy at that location has heard a right whale within the last 24 hours. This information is made available to ship captains, who can slow to 10 knots and post a lookout to avoid a collision.

http://listenforwhales.org/ via SA

Teh anatomy of a sharxor

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Oh, the huge manatee!

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Unknown blue whale population discovered off southern Chile

Some good news for a change…

MELINKA, Chile (17 Mar 2008) — Three scientists stand on a hillside on the remote island of Melinka in Southern Chile. In the distance, across the shimmering waters of the Gulf of Corcovado, are the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Andes mountains.

All three are peering through high-powered binoculars, scanning the horizon methodically.

Suddenly, biologist Yacquiline Montecinos spots a spray of water piercing the horizon, six miles or so off shore.

“There … whale. Blue whale,” she says excitedly. Montecinos has seen hundreds of these spouts, but she still gets excited when she finds one.

And why not? She is part of a team researching a previously unknown population of blue whales, the biggest mammal on the planet, bigger than the biggest dinosaur. They can be up to 100 feet long and 100 tons.

full story

Moby Orca

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The white killer whale spotted in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands sent researchers and the ship’s crew scrambling for their cameras.

The nearly mythic creature was real after all.

“I had heard about this whale, but we had never been able to find it,” said Holly Fearnbach, a research biologist with the National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle who photographed the rarity. “It was quite neat to find it.”

full story

HORSESURFING

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Horsesurfing: The British-invented sport combines the technical skill of surfing with the raw power of horse riding

This daredevil duo were onto a shore winner yesterday when they hit the beach for the latest extreme sports craze – HORSESURFING.  The British-invented sport combines the technical skill of surfing with the raw power of horse riding.   A towing rope is attached to a special saddle so the surfer can be pulled through the water as the horse and its rider gallop alongside.   As speed picks up the boarder hits waves and is thrown into the air – where they can pull flips and tricks before landing back down and racing on.   Horsesurfing is the brainchild of stuntman Daniel Fowler-Prime who thought up the idea with friends when they grew bored of their existing hobbies.

Link

Hey, I beat out Joe in posting this!

Surf kitty

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The surf kitty pics have been all over the Interweb, you can see the original story here.  Our own cats, Avery and Capt. Blood, are not to be found doing watersports.