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Ocean Wild Things

What Humpback Whales Can Teach Us About Compassion

June 18, 2018 by Emily Folk Leave a Comment

Research and observations have discovered that animals might have compassion. Our world is a complicated and strange place. When we humans think we’ve learned all we can about the planet, something new and amazing emerges to challenge our thinking and give us deeper insight into this place we call home. Understanding nature helps us understand… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: baleen, breaching, compassion, humpback whale, intelligence, science, whale, whales, wildlife

Whale watching wonder – enjoying the experience!

October 4, 2015 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

Yesterday I went whale watching for the first time in ages and couldn’t believe I had let so many months slip by since the last time. There’s just nothing like it, the anticipation of what you might see, the fresh ocean air and the wind on your face all makes for a magical combination. My… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: Harbor Breeze Cruises, humpback whale, nature photography, photography, whale, whale watching, wildlife photography

Always ask naturalists questions

February 21, 2015 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

Some friends went on a cruise to Alaska and were excited to tell me about all the ocean wildlife they saw and all the interesting facts they learned. In particular, they were very eager to discuss whale evolution. My friend exclaimed, “We learned from the naturalist on board that whales descended from kangaroos!” My reaction,… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: artiodactyl, cetacean, dolphin, evolution, fact checking, mammal, Mesonychid, naturalists, porpoise, whale, whale evolution

Happy heart day gray whale style!

February 14, 2015 by Carolyn Kraft 2 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day! While we celebrate heart day only once a year, gray whales celebrate heart day every day. Well, maybe not intentionally, but every time they surface and exhale a heart-shaped mist appears. This heart-shaped blow is a special attribute of gray whales and a key way of identifying them out on the water… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: gray whale, heart day, heart-shaped blow, Valentine's Day, whale exhale

War of the Whales is a must read!

August 10, 2014 by Carolyn Kraft 2 Comments

“War of the Whales” is a must read! This is one ocean journey that everyone should take, and that’s the beauty of reading…you can traverse the depths of the ocean and the hallways of the Supreme Court all without leaving the comforts of your living room. The story centers around marine biologist Ken Balcomb and… [read more]

Filed Under: Do Something, Whales Tagged With: beaked whales, books, Cuvier's beaked whale, Joel Reynolds, Joshua Horwitz, Ken Balcomb, mass stranding, Navy sonar, NRDC, War of the Whales, whale book, whale stranding

Summer Reading: War of the Whales

July 13, 2014 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

It’s that time of year when bookstores everywhere showcase “summer reading” options. But take a pass on the books touted as easy reading and pick up “War of the Whales” by Joshua Horwitz instead. Just released on July 1, 2014 by Simon & Schuster, this book takes you behind-the-scenes during the battle to protect whales… [read more]

Filed Under: Do Something, Whales Tagged With: beaked whales, books, Cuvier's beaked whale, Joshua Horwitz, Ken Balcomb, mass stranding, Navy sonar, ocean books, War of the Whales, whale book, whale stranding, wildlife books

Hawaii humpback heaven

February 25, 2014 by Carolyn Kraft 2 Comments

I was in Hawaii humpback heaven and it was amazing! One of the best places to access humpback whale heaven is off the island of Maui from the city of Lahaina. This is where you can find tons of whale watching boats to take you out to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: baleen, breach, endangered, Hawaii, humpback whale, Lahaina, Maui, nature photography, whale watching, wildlife photography

Look at the size of that gray whale penis!

February 1, 2014 by Carolyn Kraft Leave a Comment

On Sunday, January 26, 2014, a lucky group of whale watchers got to witness gray whales mating just off the backside of Catalina Island. This exciting encounter included a great flash of a gray whale’s penis. Suddenly a male’s privates were not so private if you know what I mean. It’s not super common to… [read more]

Filed Under: Whales Tagged With: cetacean, gray whale, gray whales mating, nature photography, whale, whale penis, whale watching, wildlife photography

Gray whale inspiration for New Year’s resolutions

January 18, 2014 by Carolyn Kraft 2 Comments

Gray whales migrate past Southern California every year and of course 2014 is no exception. In fact, gray whale sightings recorded by the ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project during December were the highest in 30 years! On January 14th they spotted 37 gray whales in one day. If one of your New Year’s… [read more]

Filed Under: Earth musings, Whales Tagged With: baleen, cetacean, gray whale, migration, whale, whale watching

Blue whale watching part 2

August 31, 2013 by Carolyn Kraft 1 Comment

On Saturday, August 24th, I had the chance to go whale watching a second time on Harbor Breeze Cruises in Long Beach and had another great trip. The boat left at 9am and headed out into a foggy soup. Once we got out of the harbor we couldn’t see anything for a hundred yards, no… [read more]

Filed Under: Turtles, Whales Tagged With: baleen, barnacle, blue whale, cetacean, endangered, green sea turtle, whale, wildlife photography

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