Bycatch is the term used to describe animals caught in fishing nets that weren’t the target, but ended up being captured anyway. A real bummer. This issue really hit the scene in the 1980s when “dolphin-safe” canned tuna became part of the public’s consciousness, thanks to an excellent education campaign. According to the Encyclopedia of… [read more]
8 badass Burmeister’s porpoise facts
1. The name Burmeister’s porpoise can be traced back to Hermann Burmeister, who first described the porpoise in 1865. It’s great that he identified the porpoise, but it’s a bit of a bummer name for the porpoise, sounds like a beer name. But the scientific name makes up for it: Phocoena spinipinnis. 2. As with… [read more]
9 noteworthy Bryde’s whale tidbits
1. The name Bryde’s is actually pronounced in a way that sounds like “brutus,” so if you hear someone say the brutus whale, they are talking about the Bryde’s whale. 2. Bryde’s whales have the distinction of being the “least known of the large baleen whales,” according to the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. There is… [read more]
5 fun breathing facts about marine mammals
1. Marine mammals use 75% of their total lung capacity when breathing, while humans only use 10 to 15%. 2. To increase the amount of oxygen in their lungs compared to carbon dioxide, marine mammals intentionally hyperventilate. 3. Sea otters have lungs that are three times the average size for animals with similar body mass.… [read more]
Brain evolution in marine mammals
Well, as you can tell from the picture, whales have evolved quite a bit since the days of the Remingtonocetus. And so have their brains. But the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals discusses brain evolution in terms of the encephalization quotient. Apparently, this is a normal way to discuss brain evolution however arcane it may sound.… [read more]
Big brains in marine mammals
Brains, beautiful brains. The Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals has quite a bit to say about marine mammal brains, including a few fun facts. Did you know that a killer whale brain weighs five times as much as a human brain? And that baleen whales have the largest brains in the animal kingdom? Pretty interesting. And… [read more]
Bow-riding: dolphins catching waves
Bow-riding is one of my favorite things to see on a whale watching trip. If the boat happens to cross paths with dolphins, they almost always take time out to ride the pressure waves created at the front of the boat. It’s thrilling to watch, the dolphins are so close and clearly having so much… [read more]
Bowhead whales
Bowhead whales hang out most of the year in the Arctic and don’t seem to mind dealing with sea ice at all. They have become experts at dealing with an extreme environment and are able to break through close to two feet of ice and dive up to an hour, giving them time to find… [read more]
Ravens: practicing monogamy for now
Valentine’s Day has come and gone again…the day set aside for showering that special someone in your life with love, gifts, affection and maybe even an engagement ring. The first step in making the ultimate promise to spend the rest of your life with the person you love or “until death do us part” as… [read more]
Bottlenose whales
Bottlenose whales are members of the beaked whale family and are easily recognized by a large round bulging forehead sitting atop a very short beak. As males age, their head becomes even larger (in size not ego) and eventually forms a rectangle look with a steep rise and abrupt corner leading to the rest of… [read more]
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