Noyo Center for Marine Science

Sea otters rely on dense fur and on generating a lot of energy by eating to help them keep warm, instead of blubber like other marine mammals have. Consuming up to 50% of her body weight daily, a sea otter mom increases the amount she eats to keep her baby alive. Once they give birth, mother sea otters are weakened, but must forage for themselves and their ravenous young for the first 6 months of their offspring’s life. These adorable creatures can have a pup any time of th...e year, with newborn pups staying with their mother for 6 months until it develops survival skills through the constant attention from mom. Fun fact: newborn sea otter pups are so buoyant they can’t immediately dive for food, rather begin to dive and forage at about 2 months. While foraging for food, this makes it handy for mom to leave her pups safely floating on the water’s surface. Mom often wraps the babies in kelp to keep them in one place while she hunts. A sea otter mom carries and nurses her pup on her belly as she floats on her back. Mom holds her pup belly down so that it can nurse from two abdominal nipples. Sea otter milk is 20%-25% fat and pups are nursed for 6-8 months. In the first 3 month, mom spends a great deal of time grooming her pup. Pups may begin to swim and eat solid food at about 4 weeks, dive at 6 weeks and remain dependent on their mom for an average of 6 months. Grabbing the pup by the loose skin of the neck with her teeth, she can dive to safety if she sense danger. ____ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xf2VVB7boI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=via2ATI5Sok #noyocenter #marinescience #fortbragg #mendocinocoast #seaotter #seaottersareadorable #cutebabies #buoyant #sebastiankennerknecht #montereybayaquarium #baynature #marinemammalcenter #californiaacademyofsciences

Humpbacks are baleen whales, which means that they have a specialized filter feeding systems inside their mouths. They filter their food through baleen plates, ...which are made up of fringed brushes, which grow in rows from the upper jaw. They take huge gulps of water into their mouths then push the water out through the plates, trapping their prey inside. This prey is mainly made up of krill small crustaceans, as well as other small invertebrates, but may also include small schooling fishes such as anchovies, sardines, and mackerel. Some humpback whales use an ingenious cooperative method to trap fish called ‘bubble netting’. These whales will dive below a school of fish then spiral back upwards, blowing air bubbles as they go. As these bubbles rise they disorientate and trap the fish into a tight ball. The whales can then swim quickly upwards into the shoal and gulp down a concentrated mouthful of fish. This behavior is often performed in groups, and is thought to be learned rather than instinctive, as some groups know how to do it and others don’t. Learn more about bubble netting and the fascinating lives of these giant sirens of the sea when you join us for our upcoming science talk with Fred Sharpe. We’ll dive into the world of humpback whale communications systems this Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 6:30 PM PST. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us//tZUrdeyqqzgpGNYGCbpcb_tcCKqS83lY4 ____ #noyocenter #marinescience #fortbragg #mendocino #noyo #humpbackwhale #communication #mammalogy #science #understandingtheocean #savethewhales #bubblenetting #fredsharpe #baleen #discoverwildlife

Noyo Center Board Member Spotlight: A longtime resident of Elk and Anderson Valley, Robby Bruce joined the Noyo Center for Marine Science board of directors three years ago. Born in Maine, he migrated west in 1979 and has lived in Mendocino County for 30 years. As a commercial fisherman, Robby spends a good portion of the year based in Sitka Alaska. He has served as a member of the United Fishermen of Alaska, and participated in numerous negotiations regarding regulation of o...ur fisheries and creating sustainable harvest measures. Robby believes that education and awareness of the conditions of the oceans is critical to gaining the support necessary to protecting them. When he is not on the high seas, Robby and his wife Kira Brennan love traveling and exploring the watersheds and hot springs of Mendocino County and other beautiful places. A naturally gifted tinkerer and builder, Robby loves fixing up older model Volkswagens with some of his free time. He’s also quick to lend his expertise and building skills to help on the occasional project at the Discovery Center or Crow’s Nest. Thanks, Robby, for the perspective and support you bring to the Noyo Center! A few words to live by: The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea. Isak Dinesen, Seven Gothic Tales __ #noyocenter #marinescience #mendocino #fortbragg #noyo #protectouroceans #volunteering #sustainability #fisherman #migration #saltwater

Science Talk with Fred Sharpe: Join us on Zoom this Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 6:30 PM PST. Our speaker this week explores the world of humpback whale communications systems. The study of animal signals challenges our ideas of intelligence and informs our search for life in the universe. Whales are ancestrally remote to humans and resumed life in the oceans over 60 million years ago. Sound travels efficiently in marine environments, providing these low frequency, vocal special...ists with a global internet. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are of special interest, as they possess a large auditory cortex, upside down pyramidal cells and clusters of spindle neurons. These cognitive abilities are linked to the humpback’s altruistic tendencies, and their global recovery suggests considerable survival intelligence. Fred Sharpe Ph.D. (Simon Fraser University) has been investigating the behavior of humpback whales for over a quarter century. He specializes on the bubble-netting of Alaskan humpbacks which hunt in large teams that exhibit enduring social bonds, task specialization and communal tool use. Following the whales south to Hawaii Islands each winter, Sharpe and his colleagues have been investigating historical ecology of Hawaii’s ancient cetacean communities. He has been awarded the Fairfield Award for Innovative Marine Mammal Research and the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Communication. For more information and Zoom meeting registration visit our website: https://noyocenter.org//social-sounds-the-rosetta-stone-o/ ____ #noyocenter #marinescience #fortbragg #mendocino #noyo #humpbackwhale #communication #mammalogy #science #understandingtheocean #savethewhales

You're looking at the oldest, wild orca male on record, still alive today. Transient orca T087, is 60 years old and he ain't stoppin' yet! T087 spends his time... with friends and family, off the coast of British Columbia Canada. P.S. The average lifespan for captive orca, specifically at U.S. based SeaWorld, is just 16 years of age. Brendon Bissonette with Eagle Wing Whale Watching Tours .

Today, for the first time, we are making public some of the architectural concept designs we have spent the last year preparing with help and input from community members. Stay tuned over the coming months as we share more and more details. We are excited to kick off the unveiling process by highlighting one of the design's fundamental features, affectionately referred to as the "mama and baby whale." The design features two buildings, parallel to one another, with a passage ...between the two. This provides a functional delineation between the exhibition area and office/lab space, and cuts a unique and striking profile on the headlands. The larger building - the "mama whale" - will have plenty of space to present our dramatic blue whale specimen as well as other exhibitions. Note that these designs are still in the conceptual stage. That said, we are thrilled to be sharing, and check back soon for more! ____ #noyocenter #noyo #marinescience #mendocino #fortbragg #design #architecture #headlands #whales #mamaandbaby #staytuned #science #oceans #nature #exhibitions #museum #research

This Friday’s fabulous featured creature is called the Velcro Star (Stylasterias forreri). Stylasterias is a genus of starfish in the family Asteriidae. Stylasterias forreri, the velcro star, is the only species in the genus. It is found on the Pacific coast of Canada and the United States at depths of 20-1745 feet. The physical appearance of the velcro star includes many large spines surrounded by wreaths of tiny pincers, and while it has the potential to grow up to 101 cm (...40 in) across it is usually considerably smaller. The common name refers to the super-sticky surface of this marine invertebrate. The velcro sea star is usually grey, black and pale brown, although more rarely it could be a yellowish straw-color. A subtle but deadly predator, the velcro sea star is also known as the long-armed, black sea star or fish-eating star. Thanks to the hundreds of relentless grabbers covering its top (see the image below for a magnified view) this sea star’s usual prey includes snails and chitons but it can even capture vertebrates (animals with spines). These grabbers, called pedicellariae, are like barbed fish hooks that are remarkably powerful. Ready to snap shut the instant they are touched, the circle of pincers rises up around each spine. This creates an effect of whatever brushes up against them sticking to this sea star like flypaper. What makes these sea stars stronger than most others are these toothy, plier-like grabbers, giving the velcro star the ability to snare small fish and scallops that accidentally land on its top (aboral) side. The velcro star uses its flexible arms to pull the meal under and to its mouth once it has ‘snagged’ its prey. Similar to last week’s slime sea star, this incredible creature has another unusual defensive feature: the velcro sea star may readily release one or more arms when stressed (which can occur when it’s picked up). PC: Seattle Aquarium ____ #noyocenter #noyo #marinescience #mendocinocoast #fortbragg #velcrostar #starfish #stressed #seattleaquarium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etQWo6_8y_o&feature=emb_logo

Last week, Redwood Creek reached the Pacific Ocean and a few coho salmon began swimming upstream! .. Each year when the season’s rains flow into the Redwood C...reek watershed, the amount of water in the creek increases and breaches across the sand on Muir Beach to connect to the Pacific Ocean. Fish species like coho salmon gather around the shores and river mouths, waiting for access so that they can migrate up to their winter habitat to spawn, and start the next generation of fish. Long term efforts by the Parks Conservancy and NPS continue to restore riparian habitats around Muir Beach and Redwood Creek. https://www.parksconservancy.org/p/redwood-creek-muir-beach . . ( 1: Rik Hansen / Parks Conservancy) ( 2: Kirke Wrench / NPS) . . . #ParksConservancy #GGNRA #nationalpark #nationalparks #nationalparkgeek #goparks #findyourpark #nationalparksusa #usnationalparks #nationalparklife #pacificocean #pacificcoast #oceantherapy #muirbeach #redwoodcreek #redwoodcreekrestoration #habitatrestoration #ecologicalrestoration #cohosalmon #steelheadtrout #redleggedfrog #endangeredspecies #fish #anadromousfish #winter #rivers #estuaries

We are really proud of the beautiful work that Heather Brogan-Gealey, Sarah Grimes and Richard Millis have done on our newest exhibit - the Pacific White-Sided Dolphin. Thank you Peter O'Donohue for writing this article and Robin Epley with the Fort Bragg Advocate-News for your help. https://www.advocate-news.com//mendocino-graduate-brings-/

NEMO, developed in collaboration with the FBHS robotics club, gives us the ability to extend our senses underwater. Deployed at sea from a boat, NEMO transmits live video, sound and instrument data from up to 300 feet beneath the surface to a monitor above, giving those aboard a chance to discover the marine environment first hand as well as monitor data related to ocean health and climate change. ____ #noyocenter #noyo #marinescience #mendocino #fortbragg #NEMO #robotsareourfriends #robots #robotics #roboticsclub #underwaterrobots #deepseaexploration #science #scientistsofthefuture #oceans #nature