Photo credit: Sstasi

It just so happens that this week is Sea Otter Awareness Week, so I wanted to take a moment and give a shout out to arguably the cutest animal to ever live on earth. (The key word is “arguably,” but seriously did you look at the photo?)

The sea otter is much more than cute, it happens to be a member of the weasel family, an endangered species and is also frequently referred to as a “keystone species” for playing such a big role role in California’s kelp forest ecosystem despite it’s relatively small size.

In California, the Southern sea otter has a long tragic history. (The Northern sea otter lives along the coast of Oregon, Washington, Canada and Alaska and has a separate, but similar tragic history.) Sea otters used to live along California’s entire coast until they were mercilessly hunted for their beautiful fur.

Without any blubber, sea otters rely on their extremely think fur to keep warm in cold ocean water with one million hairs per square inch! Of course, this luxurious fur fetched a pretty price back in the day leading to a quick demise of the Southern sea otter, which was thought to be close to extinction long before 1850. (For a more detailed description of their demise check out the Wikipedia Sea Otter page.)

All sea otter hunting was banned in 1911, but at that point there were no sea otters living along California. Then low and behold about 50 Southern sea otters were discovered living near Big Sur in 1938. Today, all sea otters in California are descendants from this lone group of survivors and the population hovers around 2,500 to 3,000, which is still very low compared to original populations estimates of 16,000.

Alas, sea otters are considered “locally extinct” in Southern California. The absence of sea otters has taken its toll on Southern California’s kelp forests because there just isn’t any species quite as good at eating sea urchins. Without an excellent top predator to keep them in check, urchins eat kelp and reproduce without abandon, which is a big problem for local kelp forests.

Every once in awhile a lone sea otter is spotted in Southern California giving hope that they might return. In the meantime, check out the cool exhibit at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and expand your sea otter knowledge during Sea Otter Awareness Week. Because the more we know about sea otters, the better off they are.

Male elephant seal

TOPP is another great website I recently discovered that I wanted to share. TOPP actually stands for Tagging of Pacific Predators. On the home page you can see where tagged animals have traveled including a white shark, a tuna, a male elephant seal and a leatherback turtle to name a few.

There is so much information on this website that it takes some time to find it all. In the bottom right corner there is a great ocean news section with links to recent news stories. Not all the pages are up to date, for example the “Ask A Researcher” page hasn’t been updated since 2009, but the coolest website function is!

On the left hand side just under the header, there’s a box that says TOPP Near Real-Time Animal Tracks. Clicking on that box takes you to the most up to date information on Pacific predators being tracked. Here you can see colorful lines showing where tagged Pacific predators have traveled and scrolling over the lines reveals the time frame. Thanks to this website I learned about the salmon shark, an animal I wasn’t familiar with before.

So take some time to check out TOPP, the information is excellent and even the less up to date information is still fascinating.

False killer whale porpoising

Since writing about the plight of Hawaii’s false killer whales, I can’t stop thinking about the importance of a good name. The name false killer whale really isn’t doing these whales any favors. This bummer common name stems from the genus part of the scientific name Pseudorca, which means, you guessed it, false killer whale.

According to the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, the scientific name comes from the similarity in “skull morphology” between killer whales and false killer whales. It’s rare for a scientific name to literally translate into the common name, so too bad that it did in this case.

But people change their names all the time, so why not change the name of the false killer whale?! Before rushing to judgment think about this…during Robin Baird’s presentation at the American Cetacean Society (ACS) Conference he explained that the Cascadia Research team has been trying to raise awareness and garner support for Hawaii’s false killer whales plight, but it has been so tough to get people to care. Even with good press for supporting false killer whales, people remain obsessed with the much more popular and famous humpback whales and spinner dolphins.

Of course it’s tough to compete with the acrobats of the sea, humpbacks breaching and spinner dolphins, well spinning. But they also have way better names! Spinner, that’s a great name and while humpback maybe isn’t the coolest name, it’s fitting based on the way humpbacks dive and it’s memorable. However, false killer whale, what? Upon hearing that name it’s easy to think “oh a fake killer whale” or “oh that must be a reference to a whale that’s not real” or “that must be the ancestor of the killer whale” or “that sounds like a killer whale with false teeth.”

But false killer whales are real and Hawaii’s false killer whales are in real trouble with less than 150 left. It’s time to give false killer whales a real name so they have a fighting chance, a name that people can rally around and get behind…stay tuned for my suggestions tomorrow.

Photo credit: Carla Mitroff

Blue whale watching off the coast of Los Angeles has brought much excitement, but also much craziness. As with all things where humans get into the mix, some whale watching off the coast of Southern California has gotten out of control. I was appalled to learn from Captain Brad Sawyer, who expertly steers the Voyager out of Redondo Beach for whale watching excursions, that he witnessed a jet skier zoom up the side of one of the blue whales, using the whale as a joy ride ramp. This is just sick and possibly the most disgraceful way to treat the most magnificent and largest animal to ever live on earth.

But when life throws you lemons, make lemonade. This is the perfect opportunity to remind everyone about the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This law was passed in 1972 to protect marine mammals of all kinds from potentially harmful human behavior including hunting, harassment, using marine mammals to make products and importing marine mammals.

Since the jet skier incident falls within the category of harassment, here’s a more detailed definition of what that includes: “The term ‘harassment’ means any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which has the potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild; or has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.”

What does this mean for the jet skier if caught? “Any person who violates any provision of this title or of any permit or regulation issued thereunder, except as provided in section 118, may be assessed a civil penalty by the Secretary of not more than $10,000 for each such violation.”

That’s right, if caught and charged, the jet skier could face a fine of up to 10 grand!

The other big rule outlined by the MMPA is to maintain a 100 yard distance from marine mammals at all times. Never try to get closer than 100 yards. Now of course there are exceptions for example if the whale suddenly starts swimming towards you then there’s not much you can do about it, but you can’t approach the whale.

If you see any illegal activities when you are out whale watching or watching from shore please call NOAA’s law enforcement hotline at (800) 980-3232. Help protect the endangered blue whale from human craziness!

Grampus griseus

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 marine mammals and whales and dolphins in particular, there are a few worth sharing. Mostly I just like the way the name sounds or what the name conjures up in my mind, which usually has nothing to do with the actual meaning of the word. Here’s the list:

1. Grampus griseus: This is the scientific name for Risso’s dolphins. I love this one because Grampus sounds similar to grandpa and to me this is the perfect name for Risso’s dolphins. They start life dark gray, but scars from the teeth of fellow Risso’s dolphins and marks left by the squid they eat heal to become white. The oldest Risso’s dolphins are almost all white, just like the hair of a grandpa. This is the only way I can remember the scientific name.

2. Mesoplodon perrini: The scientific name for a Perrin’s beaked whale. All the beaked whales have really weird scientific and common names, so double bummer for them. But Mesoplodon perrini brings to mind an Italian dinosaur in great need of a pepperoni pizza.

3. Eschrichtius robustus: The classic scientific name for the gray whale. According to the Guide to Marine Mammals of the World robustus is Latin for strong. But I like this one because robustus contains the word robust and this is a great description of a gray whale. The way Eschrichtius is pronounced it sounds like strict is part of the word and gray whales are very strict when it comes to their migration schedule.

4. Orcinus orca: A marine biologist told me he loves this one because it’s the easiest one to remember and I love it for the same reason. It’s one of the few scientific names to overlap with the common name orca, also commonly referred to as killer whales. But if you can remember orca you already know the last half of the scientific name. Plus, Orcinus orca just has a nice ring to it, love the alliteration.

5. Megaptera novaeangliae: This name sounds so romantic and rolls off the tongue. It is the one scientific name I love for the meaning of the word. Megaptera is Greek for “big wing” and a fitting for describing the 15 foot long pectoral fins of humpback whales. The second word novaeangliae is Latin for New England, where the whale used to describe the species was found. This is a scientific name that makes sense on both accounts, wow.

Monk seal hanging out

Climate change in warmer parts of the globe could also mean a loss of habit. It’s the reverse of losing ice habitat because where is all that excess water going to go? Three words…sea level rise. All that excess water has to go somewhere and it’s quite possible that it could end up flooding crucial coastal habitat for marine mammals across the globe.

One such victim could be the Hawaiian monk seal. According to the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals: “In the case of endangered and endemic fauna, such as Hawaiian monk seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, an evaluation of potential effects of seal level rise by 2100 found that maximum projected habitat loss ranged from 65% to 75% under median and maximum scenarios of sea level rise, respectively.” I want to believe that Hawaiian monk seals would play it safe and move to higher ground. But then again humans don’t bother to do the same, rebuilding homes on the edge of cliffs in Southern California again and again. Any change is scary though since Hawaiian monk seals are one of the most endangered seals in the world.

The article on climate change by Sue Moore also discusses the possibility of increased storms. This could be a good thing in some areas where storms can “deepen the mixed layer” increasing nutrients in the upper ocean. On the other hand storms could reduce the survival of baby seals and sea lions on land or ice.

Overall, climate change sounds like a no win…but only time will tell.

Photo credit: Ansgar Walk

Well, I have been seriously neglecting my project to blog through the entire Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, so it’s time to revisit the “C” section, which brings us to climate change. The concept of climate change has become so political that it’s easy to ignore sometimes. But based on all the numbers I’ve seen something is definitely happening, whether you want to refer to it as climate change or weird weather or vanishing ice, it’s time to start paying attention because things on earth are changing.

And changes are taking place much faster at the poles than anywhere else. According to author Sue Moore, marine mammals that rely on ice as part of their existence will have to adapt the fastest. Check out this line: “In the Arctic, polar basin multiyear sea ice has disappeared at a rate of 9% per decade over the past 30 years.” Unless polar bears, walruses, bearded seals and ringed seals are able to make serious changes to their survival strategies they could be in big trouble. The polar bear is already facing great challenges, having to swim further and further for food since the ice doesn’t extend as far as it used to.

Moore also explains a link between the amount of sea ice and krill. The more sea ice there is, the more krill and the reverse seems to be true too. The less sea ice there is, the less krill. This could be more bad news to ocean animals that rely on krill for a large part of their diet.

Any issues related to ice will play out first during the climate change saga. Stay tuned for the next post to find out what could happen closer to the equator.

Blue shark attacking fish bait

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 my strength, hence the reason for all the details about the timing. For me, getting up at 4:15 is a true achievement in and of itself. But I love the ocean and the trip turned out to be well worth any early morning discomfort.

The day before the trip, Cabrillo Aquarium staff members placed traps on the ocean floor closer to Catalina. As a research institution, the aquarium has permits to do so and everyone on the boat had the opportunity to see what was caught. So many cool ocean creatures! There were hagfish, market squid, kelp bass, garibaldis, sea stars, moray eels, pink urchins, sheephead fish, California spiny lobsters, scorpion fish, long-spine urchins, California sea cucumbers, sardines, rock wrasse and many more.

It was great because many scientists and experts from the Cabrillo Aquarium were on board and explained what all the various animals were, details about them and allowed passengers to touch a few. Most of the animals were released back to the ocean, but a few were kept for the aquarium.

The trip also turned out to include some amazing dolphin and whale watching opportunities. We spotted one fin whale, a super big pod of common dolphins, off-shore bottlenose dolphins and Risso’s dolphins. That was my first time seeing Risso’s! Thrilling!

This exciting day ended with a visit from a blue shark. The aquarium placed ground up fish in the water called chum to attract sharks. After an hour and a half of waiting, everyone started thinking the sharks would be a no show. But then at the last minute an eight to nine foot long blue shark showed up. It was absolutely beautiful. Showcasing a perfectly mixed blue back and white underneath, it fearlessly circled the bait near the boat. It’s hard to tell in the photo, but it’s actually smiling for the camera.

Needless to say there will be more posts coming up soon on all these fabulous ocean creatures. And I highly recommend this trip to anyone interested in the ocean. The Cabrillo Aquarium does this trip every year in June and their staff members know so much and are all very friendly.

Photo credit: Bryant Austin

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 their flair for fun, their characteristic bright white coloring along the pectoral fins and flukes offset by deep navy blue-black on their bodies and their extra-long flippers (aka pectoral fins). According to the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, the flippers average “one-third the length of the body” and inspired the first part of the humpback’s scientific name Megaptera, which is Greek for big wing.

“With their ‘stovebolt’ bumps and record long pectoral fins, humpback whales are quite distinctive looking and are rarely confused with any other species of cetacean,” said Bernardo Alps, president of the American Cetacean Society’s Los Angeles Chapter (ACS/LA). “The coloration is also highly variable from all black to almost half white. Southern hemisphere populations tend to have more white than their counterparts in the Northern hemisphere. The pectoral fins can be all black, all white, black on top and white on the bottom and several gradations in between.”

Members of the family Balaenopteridae (aka the rorquals), humpbacks are considered to be average sized baleen whales usually measuring 46 to 50 feet and weighing up to 45 tons. Of course, it’s all relative when one of your family members is the blue whale; suddenly average isn’t really all that average after all.

But average sized isn’t what drives the libido of the male humpback whale. Apparently there’s no stigma associated with mating longer and heftier females; in fact that’s what males prefer. Fortunately, female humpbacks are usually three to five feet longer than males making it easy for males to find their preferred big mate. Males fight aggressively to mate with their chosen large lady and often hang around breeding areas competing for the chance to mate with more large ladies. These epic battles can last for hours and include “tail slashing, ramming or head butting,” according to the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals.

Humpback whales are “found in all oceans of the world” and migrate every year from feeding areas in productive cold high-latitude waters in both hemispheres to warm tropical waters during winter to give birth and mate. This makes male humpbacks’ marathon pre-mating mêlées even more impressive since scuffles take place after migrating thousands of miles.

Like Las Vegas, what happens at the breeding grounds stays on the breeding grounds. Once humpback whales return to their preferred feeding areas cooperation is a much better survival strategy. Many humpback whales use the unique technique of bubble feeding to trap fish. Here’s the description from the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals: “Whales blow nets, clouds, or curtains of bubbles around or below schools of fish, then lunge with mouths open into the center of the bubble structure.”

Somehow humpback whales team up to make this work without any obvious pre-game huddle. For the “bubble net feeding play,” some members of the team blow the bubbles while a second line of humpback whales swims deep to drive the fish to the surface while a third group of whales sings to scare the fish together into the bubble net. Once the fish are huddled together the team lunges with mouths open and dinner is served. (This was all caught on a crittercam by Fred Sharpe of the Alaska Whale Foundation.)

“Humpback whales feed on a relatively wide variety of schooling prey like krill, anchovies, sardines, herring and squid and can therefore switch prey species rather than switching locations,” said Alps. With such a varied diet, this makes finding breakfast, lunch and dinner much easier for humpback whales, compared to picky eaters like the blue whale that feeds almost exclusively on krill.

And while humpback whales transition from complicated teamwork feeding strategies to bold aggressive breeding behavior, they still delight whale watchers with their fun loving nature. “Humpback whales regularly exhibit behaviors that make them fun to observe, like breaching, lob tailing, tail throwing, pec slapping, playing with kelp, spyhopping, approaching boats, interacting with other species of marine mammals, trumpet blowing and lunge feeding on the surface,” said Alps.

Yet, despite all this playful behavior, there is still one thing you never want to do when it comes to humpback whales and that’s end up in between a mom and her calf. Bryant Austin, president of Marine Mammal Conservation Through The Arts (MMCTA), accidentally did just that. He was diving and photographing humpback whales off Ha’apai in the Tonga Islands when a mom and calf surfaced around him.

“The mom swam behind me and the calf swam in front of me and the calf was literally four feet away from me and he curved and moved his fluke,” said Austin. “I saw his fluke coming for me and I put the camera down gently because I was worried that he would touch the camera with his fluke and his fluke went probably eight inches in front of my mask.”

“I didn’t move and by not moving he was able to move with that kind of precision and just as I put the camera down and just as he swam by I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was very firm. It almost felt like I had pushed up against the boat, the hull, because it felt so solid,” said Austin. “But it felt so gentle and I turned and looked and I saw it was the mom. She had reached out her 15 foot long pec fin and touched my shoulder to get my attention and she looked at me and I knew she was displeased about me being in between her and her calf. And I felt very humbled.”

Can you imagine being tapped on the shoulder, only to turn around and see a humpback whale eying you? Unbelievable. The intelligence and dexterity required to make such a move with a 15-foot long, one ton pectoral fin is astounding.

Needless to say, this was a life altering moment for Austin. When he locked eyes with the mother humpback whale it created an emotional connection between species. Now by creating and displaying life-size photographs of whales, he hopes to bring that emotional connection with whales to others, especially people living in whaling nations to inspire them to end whaling once and for all. (For more information visit www.mmcta.org.)

If only whaling was a thing of the past. A recent scientific study called SPLASH estimates there are 20,000 humpback whales in the north Pacific, this is a great improvement from the estimated 1,400 left after whaling. But could this all change? Right now, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) is considering a proposal to legalize whaling at their next meeting on June 21st. To find out how you can help stop this visit www.acsonline.org.

And now is the perfect time to get fired-up by taking action to stop whaling and by getting your humpback whale groove on because the humpback whales that traverse Southern California waters are here. “They arrive from their wintering grounds off Central America pretty quickly at the beginning of March and can be found in dense feeding aggregations mainly in the Santa Barbara Channel until the blue whales arrive, usually near the end of June,” said Alps. “The humpbacks then slowly move up the coast to other feeding areas like Monterey Bay and the Gulf of the Faralones.”

So buy a whale watching ticket, head for the Santa Barbara Channel and get ready to be on your feet with your arms in the air shouting for joy as the motivational leapers share their enthusiasm for life.

What better way to start the week than by watching a heart warming video of two northern elephant seals heading back to the ocean. The two stars of this video were rescued as pups by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, rehabilitated and just released on the beach. One of the seals is pretty gun ho and starts making a move for the ocean right away, while the other hangs back a bit. Maybe she’s thinking, hhmm those rescue digs were pretty nice and I didn’t have to dive all the time for food.

But then after a couple of sneezes, a clearer head prevails and the call of the ocean takes hold and she heads back to sea. At one point both seals look at each other, almost as if the gun ho seal is making sure the other is coming. Once reassured and after a moment of bonding, they both hit the water ready for their next adventure.

For more information about rescuing pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) check out the Pacific Marine Mammal Center website.