Category: Ocean Critters
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This is how I feel about Mondays:
I woke up this morning to find a young elephant seal napping in front of Palmer Station. Yawning excessively, rolling around, drooling… he seemed to perfectly embody my early-Monday sentiments. View more polar posts for SeaMonster here!
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Best invertebrate porn I’ve seen all week
I mean, not that I go looking for it or anything . . . but you will see from the video why they call it (no I am not making this up) penis fencing. And watch carefully: they each have two. Not sure exactly where they put them but, well, let’s not go there. Truth,…
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Flying Penguins
I was perched behind a rock, trying to focus my camera on the blue-eyed shag swimming in our harbor, when this Chinstrap penguin leapt out of the water. He surprised me about as badly as I surprised him! Happy Monday, everyone. I’m in Antarctica! Find my polar posts for SeaMonster here, or check out xyzena.com…
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Breaking news – fish mimics the mimic octopus
This is so very awesome you better sit down and pay attention. A fish has been caught in the act of mimicking that master of disguise – the mimic octopus. We all know how clever octopus can be. And of all the brainy cephalopods, the mimic octopus stands out with it’s extraordinary repertoire of impersonations.…
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Newly evolved for 2012’s climate: world’s first hybrid shark
The changing climate that increasingly dominates the news is beginning to play its hand in some strange and unexpected ways. Creatures from algae to fishes are busting out of their old geographic ranges and striking out into new territories. A case in point: the microscopic phytoplankton species Neodenticula seminae, a dominant primary producer in North…
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‘Tis the season to be hatching…
Fa la la la la, la la la la! As a Northern Hemispherite, I found it odd to be decking the halls within a week of celebrating the Summer Solstice, but apparently the Antarctic locals know better. Perfectly-timed with the “warm” season came the arrival of a new generation – penguin chicks are hatching all…
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Penguin Seduction
GoPro HD Hero camera + fuzzy hat as “decoy” + curious penguin = He got especially involved when I started building a pebble nest for the camera. Male Adelie penguins woo the ladies by bringing pebbles for their nests… this one started picking up the pebbles close to the camera with his beak, and plopping…
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Jackson the elephant seal takes an 18000 mile stroll
Legend has it that back in ancient Greece, some guy named Pheidippides ran 27 miles (technically 26 miles and 385 yards) to alert his general that the Persians had been defeated at the battle of Marathon. Then he dropped dead from the exertion. He was of course considered a hero and the run is immortalized…
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Whale Falls: A Blubbery Oasis
In the spirit of the holiday season, let us consider the gift that really keeps on giving: dead whales! Okay, now before you get any big ideas, I’m talking about whales that have died naturally and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. These “whale falls” are a true oasis on the dark sea floor,…
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What a wonderful world
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8WHKRzkCOY[/youtube] Happy Holidays — from Planet Earth