As I was browsing for Valentine’s Day cards, I came across a cute card with two pandas snuggling on the front. I picked it up to get a closer look and on the front next to one of the pandas there was a thought bubble that said, “I understand you’ve got a headache, Sweety. But… [read more]
Use extreme caution when buying shell jewelry
At first, the title of this post was going to be “Don’t buy shell jewelry,” but that seemed a bit too dramatic, so I settled on “Use extreme caution when buying shell jewelry.” What’s the big deal you ask? Here’s the situation: A lot of shells are homes for animals, even tiny, tiny shells often… [read more]
Getting inside the dream just for fun
It just so happens that I’m taking a writing class to expand my skills and increase my creative repertoire. For class last night, my homework was to write the same story from three different points of view. I had no idea what to write at first and then I started thinking about that crazy dream… [read more]
Dreamt I was saved by a dolphin
A dolphin saved me in a dream! Having a dolphin rescue me was pretty cool, however the rest of the dream was not so cool. But before I get to the dream, I have to recap the events leading up to it. On Tuesday, March 13th, there were a lot of posts on facebook and… [read more]
Spawning endangered white abalone
Tomorrow, July 12th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (CMA) will attempt to spawn white abalone and members of the public are invited to watch! Why is this exciting? Because in the wild, white abalone are considered to be reproductively extinct; meaning there are too few living too far apart in the… [read more]
List of toothed whales (includes whales, dolphins and porpoises)
Since I recently posted a list of baleen whales, I decided it was time to post a list of toothed whales. Toothed whales make up the scientific suborder Ondontoceti, which includes an impressive list of species. Similar to the baleen whales, every list out there is slightly different. The list compiled below is based on… [read more]
Gray whale spotted near Israel!
Breaking news everyone, a gray whale was spotted off the coast of Israel! This is the first time a gray whale has been seen in the Atlantic Ocean in more than 200 years! At first researchers thought they had spotted a sperm whale. According to an email from Dr. Aviad Scheinin, “Size, coloration and a… [read more]
Dear IWC Commissioner Monica Medina
The International Whaling Commission is considering a proposal to legalize whaling. Please take time to send an email to IWC Commissioner Monica Medina before the next IWC meeting in June. For more information on how to contact Commissioner Medina and how else you can take action please visit: the ACS action alert page. According to… [read more]
Shark-toothed dolphin and other fossil curiosities
Ah yes Squalodon, a genus of shark-toothed dolphins that lived 20 million years ago and is now extinct. This is probably a good thing, a dolphin just wouldn’t be a dolphin if it had shark teeth. That just doesn’t seem right. Although shark teeth may have helped them avoid captivity down the road… According to the Encyclopedia… [read more]
Cetacean fossil record: whale and dolphin bones
When it comes to figuring out the ancient history of whales and dolphins, all we really have is their bones. Sometimes whole skeletons have been found, but more often it’s pieces or sections of bone here and there that provide clues to a larger puzzle. Most whale and dolphin fossils are found in sedimentary rock,… [read more]