Featured Image Credit: Blue Whale Study By: Sarah Sharkey Researchers were able to estimate that there were around 50 blue whales in the Great Australian Bight this past summer which is a record seen they started whale aerial surveys. Unfortunately, whale aerial surveys are expensive to conduct, so these scientists had to take another approach…
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Featured Image Credit: Joseph Tepper By: Sarah Sharkey Cuvier’s beaked whales are the deepest diving mammal in the world. In the past, researchers were more limited in their ability to study these animals based on their deep dives and short surface recovery. However, a recent study was able to take a closer look at these…
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Featured Image Credit: WWF By: Sarah Sharkey A recent study performed by the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science has shown that an ocean ecosystem can change dramatically when great white sharks disappear. The study was conducted off the coast of South Africa in an area where great white sharks have…
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Featured Image Credit: Photo provided by Marineland Right Whale Project/Ralph Bundy, under NOAA/NMFS permit No. 20626 By: Sarah Sharkey After a depressing 2018 season in which no calves were born, this season is offering hope for the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale population. The sixth calf was spotted on recently by Marineland’s Right Whale Project…
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Featured Image Credit: NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Science Foundation By: Sarah Sharkey It is no secret that the Southern Resident killer whale population is suffering. In fact, the dwindling pod of orcas seems to be slowly starving to death. These whales rely heavily on Chinook salmon as their primary food source. As salmon…
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Featured Image Credit: Gwen Filosa FLKeysNews.com By: Sarah Sharkey Coral reefs are suffering everywhere, including the Florida Keys. The warming oceans, intense storms, and constant human activity have left the sensitive coral vulnerable to diseases that are wiping out entire reefs. Most recently, a new disease called “White Spot” has been sweeping the reef the…
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Featured Image Credit: Marsha Englebrecht By: Sarah Sharkey Rare sharks are extremely hard to study. Researchers struggle to understand rare shark populations because they are so difficult to find. Without specimens, it can be close to impossible to draw conclusions about a species. Scientists struggle to study these sharks because they are difficult to catch….
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Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons By: Sarah Sharkey In California’s Point Reyes National Seashore, the rangers are in a constant battle with elephant seals. These large seals love to take up all the space on the beach right next to the visitor center. Typically, the rangers shoo these seals away by waving a tarp at…
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