This month, we will talk about the sirenians: manatees and dugongs. These slow and peaceful “herbivores”, also called sea cows, have elephants as their closest land relatives. In this post, we highlight some mostly unknown facts about the sirenian family and hope to raise awareness about the threats they face today. They are not strict …
We are wrapping this year with a lesser-known, but very well studied ziphiid, or beaked whale, the northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus). The northern bottlenose whale is the largest member of the beaked family found in the North Atlantic Ocean. They have a bottle-shaped beak and a hooked dorsal fin, hence the “bottlenose” in their …
Whalecome to our new whale of the month, the sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis! This mysterious baleen whale is the third largest of the rorqual family. It is also an endangered species that was hunted to near extinction and is now slowly recovering. Here are a couple of cool facts about the sei whale. Sonic whale …
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, Basilosaurus, “The King of Lizards”, or Zeuglodon. Following the bone trail… 1834 in Louisiana, American naturalist, and paleontologist, Richard Harlan (September 19, 1796 – September 30, 1843) received a single …
Basilosaurus, the “King of Lizards” – October 2020 Read More »
This little (2m – 2.8m / 6-9 feet) dolphin looks like a baby beluga whale. Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) have a super cute and expressive face. In this post, we list a couple of interesting facts about these shy and endangered dolphins. 1 — Small geographical range Irrawaddy dolphins live in coastal areas in South …
Did you know you could encounter free dolphins outside of the ocean? Did you know these dolphins are pink and have whiskers?! This month’s we travel deep into the Amazon’s (and the Orinoco) forest and river basins, where we find the elusive Amazon River Dolphin or Boto (Inia geoffrensis). Just Around the River Bend… The …
Whalecome to the July 2020 whale of the month: The Pilot Whale. The pilot whale genus “Globicephalus” means round head. I had the chance to watch these lovely creatures during a trip to the Canary Islands seven years ago. I have found them super cute ever since! In this post, I list a couple of …
This month we will be discussing a baleen whale. Baleen whales are typically large in size, use low-frequency vocalizations, and have baleen plates. They are made up of keratin that continuously grow and wear down, just like our hair and fingernails. More specifically, this month, we will discuss the North Atlantic Right Whale. Who is …
The sperm whale or Physeter macrocephalus is one of our favorite animals on earth. This fascinating whale is one of the most recognizable with its square-shaped head. It looks like it comes from another world. First, the name, “sperm whale,” resulted from whalers misinterpreting the function of the “spermaceti” oil in the forehead of the …
