What species are out there in the big blue ocean? How many individuals are there? These are some of the biggest questions scientists face when studying populations. Specifically, when a particular species is in danger of becoming extinct. In marine science, visual tracking alone is not always practical. Our first post on the vaquita was massively popular, and our readers asked for more content on the vaquita, especially on how to track their population. This…

Continue reading

Few things are more relaxing than floating in a pool, hearing the sound of water, and resting your eyes for just a little while. For whales and dolphins, however, sleeping in the water is a bit more complicated. Indeed, whales do not have the luxury of floating on pool beds, and the sea is pretty dangerous when predators lurk in the dark. Unlike us humans, whales lack an unconscious breathing system. Cetaceans are voluntary breathers,…

Continue reading

In brief: Female bottlenose dolphins in Australia use tools such as sponges for hunting fish. They teach their daughters this unique technique and create a new culture. The presence of standard behavior is considered indicative of the culture. Scientists have long-questioned the existence of culture in non-human species. Culture is a reason for uniformity within groups and differences between groups. And this uniformity usually arises from social learning (observation and mimicking). In humans, culture is…

Continue reading

The Moskva was the largest and most powerful non-nuclear icebreaker at her delivery time. She got international attention in 1985 when she herded around 2000 ice-entrapped belugas back to the open sea … by playing classical music. Yes, you read that right! Credit: Hanna Michel What is an icebreaker? An icebreaker is a class of...

Continue reading

Have you ever looked at a seal or a sea lion and wondered about their voluptuous whiskers? Those fine hairs, called whiskers or vibrissae, have a crucial role in their lives. Studies have shown that blindfolded captive harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) can easily follow other seals underwater, using only their whiskers. Yet, that was just the tip of the iceberg; what are these fine hairs really do? Seal have long and voluptuous whiskers – photo…

Continue reading

If you want to study marine mammals but don’t know which courses to take, this post is for you. Multiple times I have found myself confronted with the typical student dilemma of which courses to take. Do you want to work within the marine mammal sector? Then most people will respond with “you need to study marine biology.”. However, neither my bachelor nor my master was focused on marine biology, and here I am, studying…

Continue reading

Whales, dolphins, and porpoise occupy a wide variety of habitats. They range from the small harbor porpoise found in shallow coastal waters to massive sperm whales diving below 1000 meters to catch the perfect squid! The underwater world can be like a labyrinth, and at times can have limited visibility-, especially below 200m, in the dark and murky waters. And so, how does a hungry dolphin locate a nearby school of fish? The answer: Echolocation!…

Continue reading

Meghan Sutton is a 24-year-old marine mammologist who works with Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida, USA. She is one of their rescue biologists. Meghan responds to marine mammal and sea turtle strandings and assists in their rehabilitation. Here is her story… Meghan’s Education I got my Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, USA. Though landlocked, I already knew I wanted to do marine science. I rationalized that it…

Continue reading

Vaquita porpoises have puzzled scientists since their discovery in 1958. Regrettably, their populations have gotten much smaller over time due to illegal fishing practices. In this post, we highlight that while these “little cows” may be difficult to protect, we should try everything we can to save them.  Image credit: Puerto Vallarta Daily News The Mysterious Nature of the Vaquita Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is the most endangered marine mammal on Earth. Vaquita means “little cow”…

Continue reading

Basilosaurus skeleton at the Museum of nation History in Washington DC/CC Gini Let’s travel back in time this month to visit our scary “scaley” friend, or so scientists thought! Get ready to meet our prehistoric predatory whale, Basilosoaurus, “The King of Lizards”, or Zeuglodon. Following the bone trail… Basilosaurus skull from Alabama 1834 in Louisiana, American naturalist, and paleontologist, Richard Harlan (September 19, 1796 – September 30, 1843) received a single vertebra. He thought it…

Continue reading