Rice’s Whale: New to the Scene, Dangerously Close to Extinction.
Full body photograph of a Rice’s whale from above via drone. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Ocean Alliance (Permit # 21938)
The Silent Killers of the Sea: Ghost Gear
Ghost fishing gear is turning into one of the oceans most devastating threats. Year after year, hundreds of thousands of…
Gentle Giants; the Beluga Whale
This past week, our marine biology lab had the pleasure of going to the Mystic aquarium. I got to see…
Should we mine the sea floor for polymetallic nodules?
What are polymetallic nodules? Polymetallic nodules are a newfound hot spot for economists around the globe at the moment. Why?…
How do a hundred separate animals form one that can be larger than a whale – meet the giant siphonophore – the deep seas highly specialized cluster.
Siphonophores are large clusters of small zooids – which is an individual animal that needs to live in a cluster…
Ocean Ooze
When you go to the beach, getting sand in your shoes is a common problem. But besides being a nuisance,…
Help! My Iguanas Are Shrinking!
It’s fairly common for animals to slow their metabolic rate or decrease their activity (and thus their need to eat)…
Listening for Survival: Tracking the Critically Endangered Rice’s Whale in the Gulf of Mexico
Rice’s whales (Balaenoptera ricei) are a relatively newly distinguished species of baleen whale. Previously thought to be a subpopulation of…
Wandering Albatross: The World’s Longest Bird
The wandering albatross, or snowy albatross (Diomedea exulans) is a species of seabird residing in the Southern Ocean. Characterized by…
The Role of Bacteria in Bioluminescence: Tiny Organisms, Big Glow!
Bioluminescent bacteria are tiny organisms that can produce their own light. They create this glow through a chemical reaction involving…