One of our followers recommended we check out this paleontologist's excellent high energy videos for #fossilfriday. Let's meet a species of "beaked whale" today!
Source: instagram.com
Fossil hunting on the beaches of New Zealand. Original caption: "I head out early in the morning to go explore a beach that has some really good Miocene era fossils. My first find of the day is amazing, a large concretion containing some articulated vertebrae. I suspect it's cetacean, possible a large dolphin or juvenile whale. I try my hand at some acid prepping, I still have much to learn! It's a slow, careful process and I am waiting for my PH meter to arrive so I can be a bit more confident that I have the right strength acid at any time. The nice crab I found is now in the collection of a young fossil hunter I met on the beach, hopefully it's the first of many cool fossils he will collect."
jacintashackleton
Happy World Oceans Day! 🌏 Today is about celebrating our incredible underwater world which provides us with so much, including air and food which are pretty important! 🌬🍽 This is a clip from one of my all time favourite encounters last winter with incredible water clarity, a feeding Bottlenose dolphin and Humpback Whales singing in the background- it doesn’t get much better than this! 💯
Source: instagram.com
Original caption:
Our passengers say it’s impossible to describe the feeling of being on an expedition cruise in Svalbard. So we thought a video might work better. Here in all the sound, color, and motion modern technology can afford are just a few of the highlights you might encounter on one of our “North Spitsbergen, In Search of Polar Bear & Pack Ice” voyages. These polar adventures not only fully immerse you in the Arctic world of glaciers, tundra, and blazing white pack ice, but also give you the chance to encounter some of the region’s most exotic wildlife: whales, walruses, seabirds, seals, and the kings and queens of the Arctic, polar bears. We at Oceanwide Expeditions invite you to join us on one of these epic journeys. But until then, enjoy getting closer to the heart of the Arctic with this short video.
Original caption:
A Fascinating journey to this "land of Ice" on June 2019. The largest island nation in the world, yet the least densely populated. It is not for all travelers, but a haven for travel adventurers who enjoy artic wonders, such as the Disko bay, and also a haven for all kinds of whales. Greenland is a paradox as there's nothing "green" about it, since 80% of the land is covered by ice....Take a look, & enjoy the rugged natural beauty of Greenland.
52 Hertz: The World's Loneliest Whale? In 1989, 1990, and 1991, researchers detected what they identified as an off-tune, high frequency whale song. Affectionately name after its song, the whale became known as "52 Hertz." He has been dubbed the loneliest whale in the world because his high frequency song either cannot be heard by any other whales (whales typically communicate at 15-30 hertz), or is being ignore. Not only does 52 Hertz sing differently, but he also doesn't follow any common migratory patterns. Researchers have a few theories on who he is: 1) the last of an unknown species; 2) mutated/malformed; or 3) a hybrid of two species. Whether this whale does associate or communicate with other whales is unknown, so whether it is truly lonely or not is unknown, but it has been an interesting story for decades. A documentary of finding 52 Hertz was released in 2015. Go to lonelywhale.com to join the count of 52 Hertz's human friends! For more information, watch:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G-WVRSgxcY Image: http://bit.ly/1ziCz9R Reference: http://bit.ly/1A8I8To
Source: facebook.com
waterproject
I Feel truly blessed to have seen these majestic animals in person. To see them interact and communicate with each other from the drone is seriously one of the best uses of a drone I can think of. We were able to witness this pod work together to hunt, kill and eat a dolphin. The circle of life! Seeing this really made me fully understand how elite Orcas are!
Source: instagram.com
Exploding Whale Carcasses
A beached whale is a very big (no pun intended) safety hazard. There are pretty much no effective and safe ways to dispose of it, and if it is left to rot there is a risk of a hefty explosion. As a whale decomposes, methane, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia gas build up inside the carcass, the internal organs liquefy, and the whale begins to blow up like a balloon. The skin and blubber layers also decompose and become thinner and thinner. If the whale is left to decompose, one of two things will happen: either the gas will find a small leak in the skin and will gradually deflate, or the skin will suddenly rupture, causing a violent explosion.
Source: facebook.com
earthstory reblogged
Bought a fossilized whale ear bone at Earthly Elements in Fredrick, cant say I've seen these at any of the other gem stores in the area
Whale Watching: Who is it really good for?
Well, I can answer that in just a few words: NOT THE WHALES.
That's right. Not the whales. It's great for you. You, and the global economy. That's about it. And maybe for "whale awareness," but that just complicates this, because it's entirely ironic.
In 2008, Chen estimates global expenditures from "ecotourism" (whale/dolphin/porpoise watching) to be up around US$2.1 billion. Two billion American dollars is a lot of money. And with a ~4.2% global increase per year (assuming that growth remains steady), by 2019, it should be somewhere over #3 billion dollars. Which is fantastic for the economy, don't get me wrong. Plus, whale watching has provided the invaluable increase in awareness for whales' well-being. Since the business started booming in the 1980/90's, the general public has suddenly wanted to aid in stopping whaling, plus wanting to help protect the oceans. Which is also great.
But everything comes at a cost. And in this case, the cost is stress. Whale watching occurs on every continent across the globe. Tour guidelines vary between countries, with some more strict than others. Two rules tend to be somewhat constant: keep a minimum distance of 100m from the whales, and only track the boat parallel to the movement of the whales.
Various studies on orca whale ecotours in British Columbia, Canada, have found that motor noise disrupts echolocation (used for navigation and finding food), creates erratic and evasive swimming patterns, and reduces feeding time. Overall, whale watching simply equals stress.
~Rosie
PS I'm sorry for ranting. Also, if you want more details, there is a news article for anyone who wants a short version (first link in the references), but there's also links to multiple (long'ish) journal articles that go into explicit detail on the effects of ecotourism.
Image credit: http://www.ttv.is/en/summer/whale-watching-ttv-15
References: http://bit.ly/1AKJRy9
Source: facebook.com
Rainbow Whale Spout
This is a gray whale off the coast of Point Loma, California.. Within the spout is a well-known property of visible light: a rainbow.
Rainbows can only be seen if water droplets are present with a light source (such as sunlight) that strikes the water at a 42-degree angle. When the light enters the droplets it is refracted, or bent. It is then reflected back out of the droplet, where it is refracted again at multiple angles. This is what makes the color spectrum appear.
Rainbows formed in sea spray, such as this one, are slightly smaller than bows formed from rain or other freshwater sources because saltwater is better at refracting light. However, the difference is so small that it is not noticeable by the naked eye.
- RE Photo Credit: Jim Grant References:http://epod.usra.edu/blog/2015/03/spout-bow.html http://bit.ly/1CzVzSD
Source: facebook.com
nysdec
Being this close to large marine mammals can be very over-WHALE-ming! Humpback whales are a common sight off of New York’s coast, and being able to see these animals up-close is a once in a lifetime experience. This video was captured several miles off of Shinnecock Inlet, Suffolk County, NY.
Like many other whales, humpbacks have baleen plates instead of teeth. The baleens can be seen clearly in this video, and they allow whales to capture various types of marine life, from small baitfish to even smaller zooplankton in one giant gulp.
While boating on the ocean if you see a whale in the distance, please remember to stay at least 100 feet away from the animal at all times. If a whale approaches you, please remember to idle your engine and not to re-engage power until the whale has cleared your path, as the individual in this video demonstrates. Attempting to leave the area may interrupt natural behaviors such as feeding, nursing, resting, and traveling, or could result in a vessel strike causing harm to the whale and/or boat. 🐋 🎥:
@chris.spies.7
Source: instagram.com
Where do whales go when they die?
When light ocean-dwelling organisms die, their light weight will be carried by currents and kept in the upper levels of the ocean. There, other organisms, big and small, feed on the carcass until nothing is left but small particles which fall to the ocean floor as what is known as "marine snow." But, what happens when a whale dies? The answer is surprisingly beautiful. When a whale dies, the carcass sinks to the ocean floor. There, its presence creates a microhabitat which supports dozens of species for years. Known as "whale fall," these mini ecosystems gradually transform through various stages of decomposition. It begins with large scavengers such as hagfish, lamprey, and crabs, which consume the flesh. The scavengers drop small morsels of flesh, which are then consumed by small organisms (like starfish) and bacteria. The Osedax, also known as the zombie worm, takes root in the bones and digests the inner fat layers using bacteria.
Finally, sulphur-producing bacteria colonize the bones. The presence of sulphur supports chemosynthetic organisms (organisms which survive by converting sulphur into energy), which in turn produce a food chain that can survive for almost 50 years. Short time lapse video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQbGk4sHROg
~Rosie
Photo credit: Jen Christiansen; Catherine Wilson References: http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-news/marine-snow-staple-deep http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/features/story.aspx?id=137&cookieConsent=A http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/whale-death.htm http://www.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/hp/sasaki/p/028.pdf http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/~shulld/ESCI%20432/Lundsten_2010.pdf
Source: facebook.com
neohumanity
This Enormous Whale is taking one last breath before diving in 😱
I had so much fun whale watching this past weekend with @east_meets_west_excursions. Huge shoutout to captain Nicholas for the incredible experience!
Source: instagram.com
Source: instagram.com
Original caption;
Humpbacks photographed from an aerial view as they travel up the Sea of Cortez toward rich feeding grounds in the upper gulf. They breach as they travel in a group.