All About Harbor Seals!

Harbor seals are likely my favorite animal. Just look at them:

Adorable, right? Harbor seals are a true seal. They swim using their rear flippers and caudal spine. This is different from a fur seal or sea lion. These animals primarily use their front flippers to propel themselves in water. Fur seals and sea lions also can rotate their rear limbs to walk on land. Harbor seals do not have this ability, and watching them crawl around on land is pretty hilarious. 

Harbor seals can be found on both the west and east coasts of the United States. Populations are on the rise, and in the Puget Sound they are even reaching their carrying capacity, meaning the maximum number of animals their environment can sustain. Unlike other true seals, harbor seals go on foraging trips during pup weaning, leaving their pups behind on the beach. 'Tis the season for pups, so don't be alarmed if you see a pup alone on the beach! However, if you are concerned about a potential marine mammal stranding, the best thing to do would be to call the Marine Mammal Stranding Network (if you live in Washington) or a similar organization in your region. The following link is from NOAA and has stranding networks to contact by state: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/report.htm. 

Here are some fun facts about harbor seals:

• A typical dive is about 3 minutes, but they can dive for as long as 30 minutes and as deep as 600 feet!
• While you or I might take in a big breath of air before going underwater, harbor seals (and many other diving marine mammals) breathe out before going underwater. This way they are not as buoyant, and a lot of oxygen is stored in their blood and tissues that they can use during the dive.
• Their whiskers (also known as vibrissae) are extremely sensitive, and are used to sense pressure differences and find their prey. 

What a Changing Arctic Means for Polar Bears

www.telegraph.co.uk

Polar bears seem to be the poster child for climate change. Likely because they are so lovable and iconic of the Arctic. But what exactly will happen to polar bears if the Arctic continues to change so drastically?

First of all, the Arctic is warming at 2X the rate of the rest of the planet. This will only accelerate the melting of summer sea ice, which is seeing the lowest amounts of ice ever recorded. Polar bears rely on sea ice in order to capture their prey, which is mainly ringed seals. They use the ice to hunt their prey, while the seals haul out on the ice.

This changing environment will cause polar bears to rely on land much more heavily, which will significantly alter their prey. An article I read claims polar bears were recently seen eating dolphins for the first time (http://www.livescience.com/51195-polar-bears-eat-dolphins.html). What is surprising is not the fact that a polar bear can take down a dolphin. Polar bears are opportunistic predators and have been known to prey on many organisms, including belugas, narwhals, and even their own cubs if food is scarce enough. What is most surprising is that dolphins were that far in the Arctic during this time of year. The white beaked dolphin spotted being devoured by the polar bear generally only ventures into the Arctic during the end of summer when sea ice is at its minimum, and they generally stay in sub-arctic waters where the water is warmer and free of ice.

nsidc.org

Sea ice is on a steady decline. While there is less sea ice in the winter months as well, what is most troubling is the amount of summer sea ice. An ice free summer in the Arctic is likely to be seen by the year 2040. This opens up opportunities for drilling oil, which the consumption of will not only accelerate climate change, but the chance of oil spills in the Arctic will increase, their effects, devastating the ecosystem. This is a problem that has to be taken seriously, we don't have much time to act. 

I didn't mean for this to be such a depressing post! But I do want to raise awareness to what the Arctic will be facing in the next couple of decades. The problem will not simply go away. Not only polar bears, but the whole Arctic ecosystem will be effected by a changing Arctic. 

Leu the Northern Fur Seal

First for some context. I have been volunteering at the Seattle Aquarium for a little over a year. We recently acquired two young northern fur seals from the New England Aquarium- Leu and Flaherty. Leu is blind in one eye (but that's not really relevant to the rest of the story). Previously on exhibit, we had a much older fur seal named Chewbacca. He was much more sedentary than the two new boys, and spent most of his time hauling out. Leu and Flaherty love to swim and take advantage of the whole exhibit!

On Memorial Day, a small child threw a "lavender lovie" sold at Pike Place Market into his exhibit. This is some sort of therapuetic ball (and only Pike Place would sell something called a "lavender lovie") filled with flax seeds. Leu was seen by guests playing with the ball and staff was notified immediately. As quickly as possible, a dive team was sent into the exhibit, but the ball was gone. Leu swallowed it.

Veterinary staff did some research on the ball that Leu swallowed to find what it was made of and if Leu would be able to pass it without surgery. After Leu was clearly distressed and becoming unresponsive, he underwent a procedure to have the ball removed. Leu is still recovering, but getting better everyday!

I wanted to share this story because I think its a great reminder for people who may be visiting beaches this summer to pick up your trash or any trash you may see on the beach. Marine mammals have to deal with a lot of trash in their environment, but most of them do not have a team of vets ready to take care of them if something goes wrong. Almost all pinnipeds utilize the land at some point, so lets try to keep it trash free! Plus a clean beach is helpful towards a clean ocean!

You can read the full story on the Seattle Aquarium's blog here: http://blog.seattleaquarium.org/conservation/close-call-for-leu-the-fur-seal/

It all started with the Kardashians...

Its true. I had been thinking about starting a blog for awhile, but I wasn't really sure how to start, what I should write about, and most importantly, who would even want to read it! Then one day in my intro to oceanography class, my professor showed this image:

Needless to say, I was extremely bothered. Ocean acidification has been described as the number one threat to marine ecosystems by a number of scientists. And yet, the media has chosen to highlight other trivial stories. I'm not saying if you love the Kardashians you're a terrible person and don't care about the ocean. If you love celebrity gossip, by all means, read celebrity gossip! But I think it is completely necessary to put things like this into perspective. I really care about ocean acidification. I hope a lot of you reading already do too! But to elicit global change, some major societal shifts will have to be imposed. 

Through these informal blog posts, I hope to do a number of things:

1. Educate you! Maybe you don't really understand ocean acidification or other threats to ocean environments, and that's okay! Perhaps you will learn a thing or two from me.
2. Share relevant news stories pertaining to the ocean. Hopefully I can keep you updated on recent scientific findings, policies, etc.
3. Inspire. Everyone comes from a different background and a different connection to the ocean. I hope that my own passions for protecting marine environments will shine through this blog. I don't want to focus on doom and gloom because that can get depressing. There are so many actions already being taken to ensure our oceans can thrive for generations to come, and I want you to know about them! Maybe you will even want to get involved!

It would mean a lot to me if you share this with friends, family, coworkers- anyone really! And thanks for taking the time to read this!