Category Archives: Marine Mammals

10 Cool Facts about Narwhals

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Cherilyn Jose

1. Narwhals are often called the “Unicorns of the Sea” because of their tusk, which is actually a long tooth. 2. Most male narwhals have a tusk, while only some females have one. Some narwhals even have two tusks! Their … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Manatee Rescue by Nicola Davies

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Cherilyn Jose

“Manatee Rescue” by Nicola Davies (Candlewick Press, 2015) is a middle grade (grades 4-8) children’s book about a rescued baby manatee in the Amazon. In the backmatter, we find out that this book is based on a true-life story. There … Continue reading →

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10 Fascinating Facts About Manatees

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Cherilyn Jose

10 Fascinating Facts About Manatees 1. Manatees, despite being called “sea cows” are related to elephants! 2. Besides weighing a lot (1000 pounds or 454 kilograms, more or less), both elephants and manatees have fingernails. 3. Manatees like warm water … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Tilikum’s Dream by Tracey Lynn Coryell

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Cherilyn Jose

Tilikum’s Dream (Eifrig Publishing, 2015) is a rhyming children’s book about Tilikum, a killer whale, who recently died (January 6, 2017) in his concrete pool of 21 years at Sea World. It is written by Tracey Lynn Coryell and illustrated … Continue reading →

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Humpback Whales Exhibit Altruistic Behavior Towards Other Animal Species

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Cherilyn Jose

My name is Hunter, and I’m a Humpback Whale. One day I was feeding on krill in Antarctica. I noticed a pod of Orcas on the hunt. They had a poor Weddell Seal trapped on an ice floe. All they … Continue reading →

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The Real Animals (and Fish!) of Finding Dory

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Cherilyn Jose

Finding Dory came out June 17, 2016. The following was a sneak preview with some corrections now that the movie is out. Dory is back! Her Mom’s name is Jenny and her Dad’s name is Charlie. She is a Yellow … Continue reading →

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Elephant Seals, El Nino & Domoic Acid Poisoning

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Cherilyn Jose

Hello, my name is Ellie, and I’m an Elephant Seal. I’m excited because I’ll become a mother soon. I’ve been pregnant for eleven months. I’ve come to Ano Nuevo, off the central coast of California, USA. Here there’s what we … Continue reading →

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10 Cool Facts About Blue Whales

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Cherilyn Jose

1. Blue Whales are the largest animal to have ever lived on Earth. They are larger than any dinosaurs were. 2. Blue Whales can grow to 100 feet long (30.5 meters) long. That’s as long as 20 school children laying … Continue reading →

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Guest Post-Whale Watching: Southern California Style!

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Cherilyn Jose

My name is Vaishali Shah and I am a volunteer Naturalist for the Cabrillo Whalewatch Program sponsored by the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and American Cetacean Society Los Angeles Chapter. I have been a volunteer for 5 years and it has … Continue reading →

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Meet the Endangered Vaquita Porpoise

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Cherilyn Jose

Hello, my name is Vance, and I am a Vaquita. I am also known as the Gulf of California Harbor Porpoise. I live off of Mexico in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). There are only 30 of us … Continue reading →

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10 Cool Facts About Dolphins

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Cherilyn Jose

1. Dolphins are mammals and breathe air through the blowhole at the top of their head. Their blowhole doesn’t shoot out water, only air. 2. Killer Whales, or Orcas, are the largest dolphin and grow up to 23 feet (7 … Continue reading →

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The Fastest, Heaviest, Largest, Longest, & Oldest Ocean Animals

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Cherilyn Jose

Now that the Winter Olympics are over, I thought I’d list some record-breaking ocean animals: 1. The fastest fish in the ocean is a sailfish clocked at 68.18 mph (miles per hour)or 109.73 kph (kilometers per hour). 2. The fastest … Continue reading →

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Florida Manatees in 2013: Deadliest Year on Record

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Cherilyn Jose

Hi, my name is Flo and I’m a manatee. It’s nice that manatees are now respected by humans. Other than (hopefully) accidental boat strikes, humans are no longer trying to kill Florida’s manatees like when we were hunted pre-twentieth century. … Continue reading →

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How Do Whales Avoid Sunburn?

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Cherilyn Jose

Ahh, I love basking in the sun! Up to six hours a day in between dives. Hello, I’m a sperm whale, and my name is Enigma. Scientists took a sample of my skin using a modified crossbow and arrowhead, and … Continue reading →

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10 Interesting Facts About Killer Whales, or Orcas

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Cherilyn Jose

With the documentary out about captive Killer Whales (referred below as Orcas) called “Blackfish,” I thought I would list 10 Interesting Facts About Orca Whales: 1. Orcas are found in all the world’s oceans. 2. Orcas are apex predators and … Continue reading →

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