After performing a necropsy on the 70 foot female fin whale hit by a Princess Lines cruise ship last week, it was discovered that the whale had a thin layer of blubber and no food in her stomach. While this could be due to the whale having offspring, and therefore a thinner layer of blubber, it was unlikely that the mature whale was reproducing at her age.
There is no word on whether or not the whale was dead when hit, but that information may come out after more tests are done in the next several weeks.
Showing posts with label headlines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label headlines. Show all posts
Friday, July 31, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
"Have you read the NY Times article yet?"
The title of this post is the question I have gotten at least seven or eight times today. The article is Watching Whales Watching Us. The article begins...
"On the afternoon of Sept. 25, 2002, a group of marine biologists vacationing on Isla San José, in Baja California Sur, Mexico, came upon a couple of whales stranded along the beach."
It goes on to talk about the whales, beaked whales, that had stranded on Isla San José and how SONAR can have quite the impact on our marine mammal friends. Fascinating stuff that is also quite controversial.
Unfortunately, dear friends, the answer to the title question is, "No, I have not read the article yet." I have been working with a truly amazing and dedicated team of volunteers at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. We have been working on putting together an online bone atlas for the skeleton of a transient orca that was filled with PCBs and DDTs. I think I only have room in my life for one stranded whale at a time! So, I do hope to get to the article soon, but for now, it will just have to remain bookmarked.
"On the afternoon of Sept. 25, 2002, a group of marine biologists vacationing on Isla San José, in Baja California Sur, Mexico, came upon a couple of whales stranded along the beach."
It goes on to talk about the whales, beaked whales, that had stranded on Isla San José and how SONAR can have quite the impact on our marine mammal friends. Fascinating stuff that is also quite controversial.
Unfortunately, dear friends, the answer to the title question is, "No, I have not read the article yet." I have been working with a truly amazing and dedicated team of volunteers at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. We have been working on putting together an online bone atlas for the skeleton of a transient orca that was filled with PCBs and DDTs. I think I only have room in my life for one stranded whale at a time! So, I do hope to get to the article soon, but for now, it will just have to remain bookmarked.
Friday, April 10, 2009
I just read...
...this press release regarding the recent sonar near Haro Strait...
...and this article about sonar causing temporary deafness in dolphins...
...and this blog from the Marine Mammal Center, reporting a dead orca calf near Monterey Bay...
...which reminds me of the recent death of T44, a known transient orca. I wonder how that necropsy is going? It's quite rare to get a chance to study a transient in such detail. It wouldn't be surprising to discover that T44 was chock-full of PCBs, DDTs, and other toxins. I wonder how that will compare with the levels of toxins found in other transients and residents?
...and this article about sonar causing temporary deafness in dolphins...
...and this blog from the Marine Mammal Center, reporting a dead orca calf near Monterey Bay...
...which reminds me of the recent death of T44, a known transient orca. I wonder how that necropsy is going? It's quite rare to get a chance to study a transient in such detail. It wouldn't be surprising to discover that T44 was chock-full of PCBs, DDTs, and other toxins. I wonder how that will compare with the levels of toxins found in other transients and residents?
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Belyoga Whales
How's this for a headline: Whales serve as backdrop for aquarium yoga classes
Yep, the Georgia Aquarium is now offering yoga classes in the same space as their beluga tank. I can't decide whether this is cool or just plain weird. Having never tried yoga, I can't say whether this would enhance the relaxed environment or not, but their yoga instructor seems to think it adds "peace and calm" to the atmosphere. I wonder if practicing yoga in the shark tank area would have the same effect...
Yep, the Georgia Aquarium is now offering yoga classes in the same space as their beluga tank. I can't decide whether this is cool or just plain weird. Having never tried yoga, I can't say whether this would enhance the relaxed environment or not, but their yoga instructor seems to think it adds "peace and calm" to the atmosphere. I wonder if practicing yoga in the shark tank area would have the same effect...
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