Paulagic Birding 12hr Pelagic Trip; Cape May, New Jersey
02/08/2016 Our pelagic out of Cape May on Sat, Feb 6, 2016 was a resounding success with the best bird of the trip being, hands down, a GREAT SKUA. The last accepted record for New Jersey was in 2000. Great Skua by Thomas Gleason This was not the only highlight, though. We had a gull…
The Blue Whale
The Blue Whale General Facts: The Blue Whale is the largest animal in the world, growing up to 110 feet long (33 meters), they are larger than the biggest dinosaur. The blue Whale is a baleen whale, like the humpback whale we see in Cape May, New Jersey, it has no teeth but it has baleen plates at the top of its mouth. The baleen plates allow the blue whale to eat up to 2,200 pounds of food a day, keeping their weight consistent at 330,000 pounds. How many blue whales are there? At one time blue whales were hunted for their blubber to make oil for clocks and lamps. They were almost hunted to the point of extinction but due to the U.S Endangered species Act it became illegal to hunt blue whales around the world. Over time, blue…
Scalloped Hammerhead Conservation Efforts
Figure 1; Credit to Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center Database; Photo taken by Victoria Reader Throughout the summer, I have been researching the patterns of the Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) in the waters of Cape May and Wildwood from this year compared to last year’s data. Last year the American and Atlantic Star…
Portuguese Man o’ War and Current Displacement
Portuguese Man o’War seen by Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center The Portuguese Man o’ War is one of the most infamous jelly fish in the world. People who may know only the most simplistic facts about the ocean will be able to tell you that it is one of the most deadly jelly…
Frequency and Correlation of Surface Observed Behaviors of the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in Cape May, New Jersey.
Credit to Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center Database Introduction Collection of opportunistic data during whale watching trips can offer a wide range of insights into cetacean behavior. In addition to spatial information and long term tracking of individuals through photographic methods, notable short-term behaviors of individuals are recorded during sightings (Hauser 2007). Feeding…
OUT OF THE DEPTHS: MYSTERIES OF OUR OFFSHORE DEEP-DIVING WHALES
Photo credit: Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center Database Far out in the Atlantic lurk strange creatures considered to be the deepest diving of all mammals. These record setting animals are Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris). Normally found far from shore, the Research Center has encountered and photographed individuals of this species during pelagic…