April 30, 2007
Episode #17: Wild Sea Otters
There are less than 3,000 California sea otters left in the world and they are one of our most adorable and poster-friendly endangered species. Incredibly agile in the water, sea otter once spent significant time on land. Now, with their protected status and lack of land-based predators, they are venturing onto the beaches once again to rest and play.
Click Here To Download: Episode #17: Wild Sea Otters.
Show Notes
Album Art
Segment: Wild Sea Otters
Learn More
For now, you can check out some of my other blog postings and such on this topic here:
Blog: California Sea Otters Haul Out On Land
Special Assignment: California Sea Otters of Monterey Bay
More Photos & Info: The Monterey Bay Aquarium
If you have any problems with this video, please email me at the address listed below in the housekeeping section.
Housekeeping Stuffage
All video footage taken with: Canon PowerShot SD900
Music By: Zach Ashton, Ocean
Music Provided By: PodShow Podsafe Music Network
Email Comments & Questions: led AT perlgurl DOT org
Posted by sorsha at 6:52 AM | Comments (1)
April 23, 2007
Episode #16: Marine Ecosystems
Over seventy percent of the Earth's surface is covered with water and clean water is essential to life. Today we highlight some of the vastly different ecosystems that thrive beneath the water, both fresh and salty, by taking a little trip through some of the exhibits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Click Here To Download: Episode #16: Marine Ecosystems.
Show Notes
Album Art
Segment: Marine Ecosystems
Freshwater
Upsidedown fish, I think it's an upsidedown catfish but I heard someone call it Butterfly (although there is a tropic fish called Butterflyfish, so I'm not sure).
Ocean Shoreline
This is one of the touch tanks at the aquarium, where you can feel starfish, urchins, and sea cucumbers (my favorite!).
Tropical Reef
All the kids love this exhibit because it has the fish species from Finding Nemo. Every kid points at says Dory! Lots of different coral species in here, too.
Pelagic
Pelagic fish live deep, open water habitat. The aquarium has a fantastic exhibit called Outer Bay which features all sorts of marine species that live way out there in a gigantic 1 million gallon tank. Schools of Pacific bluefin and Yellowfin tuna cruise by while Dolphinfish and California barracuda, along with a Black Sea Turtle, hang out towards the top of the exhibit. Several smaller sharks like Scalloped hammerheads patrol the tank, and there is occasionally a young Great White Shark in the tank. They recently released the latest one though, and now there is a monstrous Ocean Sunfish.
Sandy Bottom
Tube Anemones wait for something to hit its tentacles and then quickly bring it to their mouth as you can see if you watch closely. I'm pretty sure that's a Spiny King Crab shoveling food into its mouth.
Learn More
For now, you can check out some of my other blog postings and such on this topic here:
More on Marine Biology: Hawaiian Honu: The Green Sea Turtle and other posts on Our Oceans
Marine Ecosystems: Isolated Ecosystems: The Farallons Are California’s Galapagos
Special Assignment: California Sea Otters of Monterey Bay
Special Assignment: Elephant Seals of Año Nuevo
Our Take on the Aquarium: The Zoo Report Card
More Photos & Info: The Monterey Bay Aquarium
If you have any problems with this video, please email me at the address listed below in the housekeeping section.
Housekeeping Stuffage
All video footage taken with: Canon PowerShot SD900
Music By: 2012, Liberta
Music Provided By: PodShow Podsafe Music Network
Email Comments & Questions: led AT perlgurl DOT org
Posted by sorsha at 8:10 AM | Comments (0)
April 16, 2007
Episode #15: Monterey Bay Kelp Forests
All the diving we've done in the Monterey Bay has been in Kelp Forests. The kelp can grow more than 4 inches per day, and is an ecosystem unto itself. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has the best kelp exhibit in the world - showcasing leopard sharks, rockfish and a wolf eel.
Click Here To Download: Episode #15: Monterey Bay Kelp Forests.
Show Notes
Album Art
Segment: Monterey Bay Kelp Forests
Some background Info on this video:
We are members of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and go there often. This past weekend, we went down to see some new exhibits. This is some of our footage from the kelp forest and Monterey Bay marine life tanks. It's also exactly what you see when you go diving in the Monterey Bay area.
Learn More
For now, you can check out some of my other blog postings and such on this topic here:
Sea Otters In Kelp Beds: Otter Says: I Was Here First and other posts on Our Oceans
Special Assignment: California Sea Otters of Monterey Bay
Special Assignment: Elephant Seals of Año Nuevo
Our Take on the Aquarium: The Zoo Report Card
More Photos & Info: The Monterey Bay Aquarium Kelp Forest Exhibit
If you have any problems with this video, please email me at the address listed below in the housekeeping section.
Housekeeping Stuffage
All video footage taken with: Canon PowerShot SD900
Music By: The Gorskys, I Like Fish
Music Provided By: PodShow Podsafe Music Network
Email Comments & Questions: led AT perlgurl DOT org
Posted by sorsha at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)
April 9, 2007
Episode #14: Wild About Otters
Mamlambo, Inc. donated a portion of Go Fish! Monterey Bay profits to marine conservation causes like the Wild About Otters exhibit that just opened at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This exhibit showcases all sorts of freshwater otters, like African Spotted-Neck Otters and Asian Small-Clawed Otters.
Click Here To Download: Episode #14: Wild About Otters.
Show Notes
Album Art
Segment: Wild About Otters
If you watch the single otter eating and swimming in his tank, you'll catch his white spotted neck. Kipenzi is an African Spotted-Neck Otter and his mate Kamili was removed from the exhibit just recently as she's pregnant.
The four otters playing together in the hammock are Asian Small-Clawed Otters. My husband Shane and I were commenting on how the otter habitats didn't have much in the way of vegetation and soon we saw why. The otters tore apart the one plant in their exhibit over the course of about 2 minutes. That video was taken from within the kid's bubble view that pops up inside the exhibit. We happened to be there when no kids were around ;) but watch your head.
Learn More
For now, you can check out some of my other blog postings and such on this topic here:
Special Assignment: California Sea Otters
African Spotted-Neck Otter Info: The Monterey Bay Aquarium: Discover the Freshwater Otters of Africa
Asian Small-Clawed Otter Info: The Monterey Bay Aquarium: Explore the Freshwater Otters of Asia
If you have any problems with this video, please email me at the address listed below in the housekeeping section.
Housekeeping Stuffage
All video footage taken with: Canon PowerShot SD900
Music By: Psykosoul , Freaky Circus Sex
Music Provided By: PodShow Podsafe Music Network
Email Comments & Questions: led AT perlgurl DOT org
Posted by sorsha at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)
April 6, 2007
Episode #13: Jellies
I've only been stung by a jellyfish once, and it's not something I'm eager to repeat. I prefer to look at these ungulating invertebrates from behind glass, liek at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Jellies: Living Art exhibit.
Click Here To Download: Episode #13: Jellies.
Show Notes
Album Art
Segment: Jellies
Some background Info on this video:
Jellyfish are an indicator of a healthy or unhealthy ecosystem.
Jellyfish blooms (outbreaks) can cause all sorts of problems. Researchers believe these events are caused by overfishing and warming oceans, since jellies natural predators are on the decline.
Jellies can also be invasive species. It gets sucked into ships, transported in the ballast water, and expelled near the ship's destination, far from the jellies' native habitat. The rainbow-like comb jelly was transported into the Black Sea this way in the early 1980's, with catastrophic results.
Learn More
For now, you can check out some of my other blog postings and such on this topic here:
Jellyfish: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Barracuda?
Invasive Species: Sudden Oak Death & The Invasion of the Mud Snails
Our Take on the Aquarium: The Zoo Report Card
More Photos & Info: The Monterey Bay Aquarium Jellies: Living Art Exhibit
If you have any problems with this video, please email me at the address listed below in the housekeeping section.
Housekeeping Stuffage
All video footage taken with: Canon PowerShot SD900
Music By: David Kempers, Aquarium
Music Provided By: PodShow Podsafe Music Network
Email Comments & Questions: led AT perlgurl DOT org
Posted by sorsha at 12:46 PM | Comments (0)
April 5, 2007
Episode #12: Autumn In The Sierras
We have a lovely little campsite we like to visit in the fall when the aspens turn yellow and it gets chilly and wood smoke is on the breeze. It's five hours from home, but it's the closest we can get to real autumn weather and foliage in California. Enjoy!
Click Here To Download: Episode #12: Autumn In The Sierras.
Show Notes
Album Art
Segment: Autumn In The Sierras
Some background Info on this video:
You can see some great fall foliage just south of Mono Lake, on the June Lake Loop, as well as up 120 towards Yosemite in Lee Vining Canyon. There are some nice National Forest campgrounds along this route and that's where these videos were taken.
Learn More
For now, you can check out some of my other blog postings and such on this topic here:
Photos & Info: Autumn In The High Sierra
If you have any problems with this video, please email me at the address listed below in the housekeeping section.
Housekeeping Stuffage
Sorry that the quality of this video is so bad, but I am working on that!!!!
Email Comments & Questions: led AT perlgurl DOT org
Posted by sorsha at 1:11 AM | Comments (0)
