Meet the shovelnose guitarfish or Rhinobatos productus, a common resident off California’s southern coast. This was another cool creature caught by the trap set in Long Beach Harbor near the breakwall on Cabrillo Aquarium’s See the Sea trip. According to Probably More Than You Want to Know About the Fishes of the Pacific Coast by… [read more]
Archives for June 2010
Me and the rock crab
This is my new friend Rockie the rock crab or to be more specific the Pacific rock crab or you could call him by his scientific name Cancer antennarius. He was picked up by a trap set by the Cabrillo Aquarium on their “See the Sea” trip on Saturday. The rock crab is in the… [read more]
California spiny lobster carting her eggs
Now that I have graphic photos of a female California spiny lobster carrying her eggs, I thought it was the perfect time to do a quick recap of her fascinating role in the cycle of life. Okay, so the photos aren’t exactly graphic, but you get to see her glorious fluorescent orange eggs. That orange… [read more]
Hands across the sand
For those of you feeling completely helpless and depressed by the BP oil spill, never fear there is something you can do! This Saturday, June 26th, is “Hands Across The Sand,” an event taking place on beaches across the world to say “NO to Offshore Oil Drilling, YES to Clean Energy.” To participate, all you… [read more]
Hagfish: things that make you go eew
I was recently introduced to the Pacific hagfish, a little known creature that inhabits mud on the ocean floor near Baja California all the way up the coast to Alaska. This was one of the many creatures caught on the Cabrillo Aquarium’s “Catalina Above and Below” trip off Los Angeles’ coast. As you can tell… [read more]
What if the BP oil spill happened here?
On June 12th, I spent the most amazing day out on the ocean. The water was a magical blue, so blue that it almost didn’t seem real. How can the ocean be such an amazing blue I kept wondering. My eyes were riveted, I just kept staring into the beautiful blue depths. The boat was… [read more]
Cheryl McCormick ran 55 miles for the Dolphin Dash!
Cheryl McCormick, executive director of the American Cetacean Society, ran 55 miles yesterday, she really did it! As a member of the support team I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The concept of running 55 miles reaches beyond the limits of my imagination. I’m capable of knowing such a feat would be tough, pain… [read more]
Tomorrow is the Dolphin Dash!
Tomorrow is the big day for the Dolphin Dash! Cheryl McCormick, executive director of ACS, will be running “a grueling 50 miles” starting at 5:30 a.m. And I will be there to catch it all on video tape and/or camera and post updates to facebook and Cheryl’s blog. So if you want to follow along… [read more]
A blue shark, Risso’s dolphins and much more
On Saturday, I went on the coolest ocean adventure. It was the Cabrillo Aquarium‘s annual “Catalina Above and Below” trip. After waking up at 4:15 in the morning, I managed to arrive in San Pedro by 5:30 to board the First String, which left at 6:00. Getting up early and mornings in general are not… [read more]
Humpback whale: the ocean’s motivational leapers
If you have been feeling down or have lost touch with the fun side of life, then it’s time to purchase a ticket to see the famous motivational speakers, I mean the famous motivational leapers…humpback whales. The ocean’s merriment masters, thrill seekers and acrobatic all-stars. Humpback whales or Megaptera novaeangliae are easy to spot with… [read more]