|
The Field School team just returned from a successful expedition to Abaco with the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organization. Despite windier than expected weather, we spent several days tracking sperm whales, including an overnight track! We were also able to retrieve and download data from the two underwater arrays we set with BMMRO during our November expedition (despite some challenging diving conditions). During the search for the western array, we were weathered in for two days at Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands, where Field School staff and participants had an amazing time exploring the island, including the beaches. We also went looking for (and found) a previously tagged manatee taking advantage of freshwater being released in the marina. On the final day, we encountered and collected data on an enormous pod of melon-headed whales (estimated to contain more than 100 individuals). It was the perfect way to end an incredible trip! Our thanks to the amazing BMMRO and our awesome participants for making even the roughest day spent at sea a ton of fun!
0 Comments
On the last day of our sperm whale expedition, Field School and Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organization were lucky enough to encounter a pod of over 100 melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra). These amazing animals, which despite their common name are part of family delphinidae—oceanic dolphins—are rarely seen by humans because they rely on deep water habitats. When they aren’t diving down to 500 m (1600+ feet!) looking for food, melon-headed whales spend a lot of the time resting on the surface in small social groups. Encountering this pod was the perfect way to wrap up our expedition!
During our recent expedition to the Bahamas, our team stopped over in Bimini, where we came across this amazing Caribbean reef octopus (Octopus briareus) doing some nighttime hunting. In the video you’ll see the octopus changing color using amazing specialized skin cells known as chromatophores, and expanding its tentacles into a “skirt” to trap small fish and invertebrates so it can eat them. These octopuses are cryptic (hard to see and find) and hunt mostly at night, so it was a rare treat for us to get to see it in action!
|
Field Notes
Archives
July 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed