Many apologies for the oddly lit photo, but this is the best I could do since I don’t own photoshop, much less know how to use it. So this photo will have to serve as the introduction to Tank, the California spiny lobster that lives at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. The first spiny lobster I… [read more]
Archives for August 2010
Seas the Day!
I just came across this really cool education and conservation project run by The Ocean Project in partnership with the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. It’s called Seas the Day and urges people to take the Seven C’s pledge, some very creative word play at work. Love it! Here’s the Seven C’s pledge: 1. Commit to making… [read more]
Jellyfish are now sea jellies
Starfish are now known as sea stars and jellyfish are now known as sea jellies. Sometimes jellyfish are referred to as just jellies, but I prefer sea jellies, this name better orients the mind. Why the switch? Jellyfish aren’t fish, making the name sea jellies more accurate, but the new term is having a tougher… [read more]
Black jellyfish what’s your story?
This is a photo of a black jellyfish that appeared close to shore near the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, California. Excited staff members trapped it in the hopes of better understanding this mysterious creature. Apparently, little is know about the black jellyfish and they are rarely seen by humans. According to Programs Director… [read more]
One more reason to hate balloons
Don’t think I’ve forgotten about balloons! The mylar balloon in the photo has been stuck in this poor tree for more than a week. Of course I want to pull it down and throw it in the trash like a good citizen, if only I could reach it. I’ve been monitoring the balloon because I… [read more]
Introducing the spider crab with gold eyes
Meet the spider crab with the creepy, cool gold eyes. When I met the spider crab I didn’t even notice the gold eyes because I was so enthralled by its small size. Then the next day when I was going through my photos I spotted the fabulous gold eyes highlighted by the glint from the… [read more]
Help ban plastic bags in California!
Heal the Bay launched this great video to raise awareness about the devastating impact plastic bags have on the ocean. This is a big deal right now because a vote on Assembly Bill 1998 is expected by the end of August and if passed this bill would ban annoying single use plastic carryout bags in… [read more]
Top 5 favorite scientific names
In general, scientific names drive me nuts because they are impossible to remember, impossible to spell and rarely make sense. But I have to admit there are some great ones. Every scientific name starts with the Genus the animal belongs to followed by the name of that particular species. As I’ve become more familiar with… [read more]
Pilot whale says cheese
This photo made my day so I had to pass it along. According to a story on Telegraph.co.uk, the photo was taken by marine biologist Rory Moore during a dive off the Strait of Gibraltar. It was Moore’s impression that this pod of pilot whales had little contact with humans and were extra curious. The… [read more]
Check out the flukes on this whale!
I was just perusing my photos from the last whale watching adventure and noticed this one. Somehow is slipped past me on the first run through. This is a shot of a humpback whale’s flukes and yes flukes is plural. I always found this strange because the word tail isn’t plural so why would flukes… [read more]