Fins for Fingerprints
If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, you may have noticed that we often mention dolphins by name. Have you ever wondered how we can tell which dolphin is which? Today, we’re going to give you a crash course…
A Bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) is cleaning the gill of a Blue angelfish (Pomcanthus semicirculatus). This photo was taken in marine protection area in Green island. Photo Credit: Vincent C. Chen.
Not Your Typical Fish Market
Obviously, we here at GDEP have a lot of love for big, charismatic, marine animals. Marine mammals such as orcas and dolphins are known for their intelligence, complex social structure, and beauty. We could go on and on about the…
Rescue crew helps stranded dolphins. Credit: International Fund for Animal Welfare
Sick and Stranded: The Story of Cetacean Morbillivirus
Do dolphins get measles? Not exactly, but the disease that’s been ravaging whale and dolphin populations worldwide, called cetacean morbillivirus (CMV), is in the same family of viruses (Paramyxoviridae) that causes measles in humans. Morbillivirus has strains that affect non-cetacean…
Sei whale washed up at Elliot Links beach, Arbroath. 40 foot long. Photo credit to Toxic Web on Flickr.com
Patagonian Graveyard
This blog entry highlights Claudia Gleib's article "Death by Killer Algae" in Hakai Magazine. Read the full article at https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/death-killer-algae/. Stumbling upon a beached whale the size of a semi-truck is a startling sight, but not a wholly unusual one…
And Then There Were 30
The vaquita—the “panda of the ocean”—has garnered much attention over the past few years having earned the unfortunate title of most-endangered marine mammal. Vaquitas are small porpoises whose numbers have plunged by 90% in the last 5 years alone. Some…
There’s Mercury in My Mackerel?
The FDA and EPA have posted advisories for expectant mothers and infants, cautioning them to avoid eating certain fish in high—or in extreme cases, any—quantities. Why the cause for such concern? Mounting scientific evidence has found that the high levels…
The Year of the Monk Seal
This post is part of the Endangered Marine Mammals Series. On May 25th of this year, Ha`aheo returned to the sea. After diving in, she whimsically explored her old home; blowing bubbles, digging in the sand, splashing about. Her friend,…