fursealfan
they/he | 17 marine mammal enthusiast
29 posts
Latest Posts by fursealfan
let’s swim with mama
lets kissy mama
kissy from mama
lets be muddy with mama
i love this "with mama" meme. mm yes give me more baby animals with mmama.
lets lean on a pipe with mama (x)
Today's Seal Is: My Watchful Mama
please stop calling the california sea lions that are acting abnormally “demonic”. they are experiencing domoic acid toxicosis. domoic acid (DA) is a neurotoxin that is made by an algae called pseudo-nitzschia australis. fish eat the algae and the sea lions eat the fish. this buildup of DA in their system is what causes the behaviours we’re seeing. symptoms of DA toxicosis include: lethargy, disorientation, unpredictable behaviour, seizures, brain damage, and eventually death.
as far as we know, there have only been two unprovoked sea lion attacks on beaches. the vast majority of sea lions with DA toxicosis are not aggressive unless provoked. they are disoriented and they are acting out of fear.
DA is naturally occurring, but the algal blooms of pseudo-nitzschia australis have been increasing due to rising temperatures from climate change and water pollution. we are doing this to them.
affected sea lions seem to have pretty much a 50% chance of survival with treatment. they need IV fluids to flush out the toxin and some will need seizure medication as well. the marine mammal care center is completely overwhelmed with the amount of sick sea lions they are taking in and they need funding to keep up. you can donate to them here.
always stay at least 45 meters / 50 yards away from marine mammals! it protects both them and us!
Animal welfare advocacy should be about the animals, not an agenda
J63 is the first southern resident calf born in 2025 and likely the first calf of J40 “Suttles”!
unfortunately, southern resident calves have around a 50% mortality rate within their first year of life. a lot of this seems to be from a lack of food availability due to overfishing and disturbances from boats.
right now, under the trump administration, FWS and NOAA are trying to change the definition of “harm” in the endangered species act in a way that would weaken environmental protections. this will severely impact the already endangered and struggling southern resident population. calves like J63 will have even lower chance of survival if this proposed rule goes through. public comments to oppose this decision are open until may 19th.
more information + suggested talking points for public comments here
submit a public comment here
source: center for whale research
tsuki oh how i love you
"Eavesdropping on whale songs over the last six years is providing new information vital to answering questions about these giants of the ocean.
The number of whale songs detected is associated with shifting food sources, according to the California scientists—and the number of days humpbacks have been singing has nearly doubled.
When monitoring baleen whale songs in the Pacific Ocean, researchers found year-to-year variations correlated with changes in the availability of the species they forage on.
In vast oceans, monitoring populations of large marine animals can be a “major challenge” for ecologists, explained Dr. John Ryan, a biological oceanographer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California (MBARI).
Their team deployed underwater microphones called hydrophones to study and track baleen whales, which communicate over long distances through sound.
“Surprisingly, the acoustic behavior of baleen whales provides insights about which species can better adapt to changing ocean conditions,” said Dr. Ryan, a lead author of the study.
They also monitored songs from blue, fin, and humpback whales off the West Coast of the U.S. to see what the song data could reveal about the health of their ecosystem.
The findings, published in the journal PLOS One, showed “large” year-to-year variations in whale song detection.
“The amount of humpback whale song continually increased, with their songs being detected on 34% of days at the beginning of the study and rising to 76% of days after six years,” said Dr. Ryan.
“These increases consistently tracked improved foraging conditions for humpback whales across all study years—large increases in krill abundance, followed by large increases in anchovy abundance.
“In contrast, blue and fin whale song rose primarily during the years of increasing krill abundance.
“This distinction of humpback whales is consistent with their ability to switch between dominant prey. An analysis of skin biopsy samples confirmed that changes had occurred in the whales’ diets.”
He explained that other factors, including the local abundance of whales, may have contributed to patterns in song detections observed in some years, but changes in foraging conditions were the most consistent factor.
“Overall, the study indicates that seasonal and annual changes in the amount of baleen whale song detected may mirror shifts in the local food web.”
WHALES ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL: • Gray Whale, Extinct for Centuries in Atlantic, Is Spotted in Cape Cod • Sighting of Many Blue Whales Around Seychelles is First in Decades – ‘Phenomenal’ • Majestic Sei Whales Reappear in Argentine Waters After Nearly a Century
“The results suggest that an understanding of the relationship between whale song detection and food availability may help researchers to interpret future hydrophone data, both for scientific research and whale management efforts”, which could better protect endangered species."
-via Good News Network, March 1, 2025
“The Navigator”
this picture is so beautiful to me, the colours brothers
Wildlife tourism isn’t always a more ethical choice.
I often see people who are under the assumption that wildlife tourism is free from ethical concerns, or that it’s inherently a more ethical choice than visiting a zoo/aquarium.
Wildlife tourism encompasses a wide variety of activities that involves watching wildlife in engage with their natural habitat. This includes safaris, whale watching, birding, photography tours, and a host of other activities. Wildlife tourism by itself can be an ethical way to see wildlife, however that is not always the case. There’s actively many harmful parts of wildlife tourism, that people may overlook since the animals are “free.”
So.. what would be some examples of unethical wildlife tourism?
- Whale petting in Baja Mexico. This activity actively contributes to the habituation of whales and disrupts their natural behaviors. Habituated whales are at a higher risk of encountering boat strikes - which can lead to physical injury or even death.
- Fake/bad acting sanctuaries. Sanctuaries are not always ethical, and many advertise activities such as elephant rides, elephant bathing, and advocate for people to touch/hold animals. The training methods they often utilize use fear or coercion, this is often actively stressful to the animals, and can be particularly dangerous to the tourists engaging with these animals.
- Swimming with whales. Studies show that commercial swim with whale tours can negatively impact the behaviors of some baleen whale species. These behaviors include avoidance and decreased rest time.
Spoiler: Injured wildlife
Is there ethical wildlife tourism?
Absolutely! Wildlife tourism should be done with respect for the animals. There should be careful steps taken to avoid habituation and harassment of wildlife.
Some of my favorite options include visiting a national park, bird watching, and doing careful research to find ethical whale watching companies. Additionally, many AZA accredited zoos offer animal interactions that are done in a safe & non-stressful manner for the animals. These may even include giraffe feedings and up close educational encounters.
Japanese Sea Lion
Gone before we could truly know them.
Zalophus japonicus memorial • extinct
Last confirmed sighting 1951
Declared extinct by ICUN 1994.
Originally considered a subspecies of Californian sea lions, later were confirmed to be a separate species in 2003.
Extinction due to over hunting & habitat destruction.
The Japanese sea lion was a species of pinniped found in the western North Pacific, including Japan and the Korean Peninsula. They typically resided on open beaches, and occasionally in rocky areas. They also often would rest in caves.
Rare footage of Japanese Sea Lions
Japanese sea lions were victims of both over hunting and habitat destruction. They were primarily hunted for oil, with other parts being used for medicine and other goods. The commercial harvest of them is considered to be a primary factor in their extinction.
Habitat destruction, particularly destruction brought on by WW2 submarines is also believed to have played a role in their extinction.
Along with the Caribbean Monk Seal, these two make up the only pinnipeds to go extinct in modern times.
potato chip’s old man groan…
via
welcome to my blubbery blog!!! 🦭🦦🐋🐬🫧
i’m currently a volunteer at an AZA accredited aquarium, i hope to study marine environmental science in the future and work in conservation and education! my primary interests are in northern fur seal biology and southern resident killer whale behaviour, but i love all marine mammals!
i support accredited* zoos and aquariums! i do however hope that we can move away from them in the future. i think that conversations about the ethics of captivity are important and should always be centered around the wellbeing of the captive animals. i encourage caution and use of critical thinking around both anti and pro captivity arguments. i’m always happy to answer any questions about the practices of AZA accredited zoos and aquariums!
*there are some accredited zoos and aquariums (such as seaworld) that i am heavily critical of, but it’s unfortunately a complicated issue that isn’t realistic to have black and white opinions on.
marine mammal rescue, conservation, and research organisations:
alaska sealife is center
vancouver aquarium marine mammal rescue society
center for whale research
SR3
marine mammal care center
Today's Seals Are: MAMA, LOOK!
sealed with a kiss 💋
casey and hogan - seattle aquarium
Today's Seals Are: Robot Uprising
Don’t make me put your ass in the sealbarrow
Since many facilities already successfully keep bottlenose dolphins in sea pens, would it be that much harder to build one for killer whales? Just curious.
In theory no… it would just need to be quite a bit larger! In practice, though, it would be more difficult. Bottlenose are right at home in warm coastal tropical and subtropical waters, like Florida, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. These places also draw tourists year round, which means constant income. Cetaceans are expensive to house, and sea pens require constant upkeep to prevent them from succumbing to the inevitable wear and tear of tides and salt.
A sea pen for orcas would need to be in much colder waters (which is why Sea Shepherd’s proposal to build a pen in the Mediterranean was ridiculous), which don’t tend to draw as crowds quite as big as tropical destinations. So you have much larger animals that need much more space, much more food, therefore much more money… but much less income. And that’s not even getting into the issues of staffing.
Since I’m assuming you’re referring to the idea of a sea pen for the orcas currently in captivity, I’ll touch on that briefly. Cetaceans that have spent their whole lives in highly filtered environments tend to have weaker immune systems than those in natural ocean water—one of the valid complaints about artificial tank habitats in my opinion. They just aren’t getting much antigenic stimulation. Some still do okay transitioning to sea pens, but others don’t, and it’s hard to predict how they’ll respond. And for some of the older individuals, like Katina and Corky, the stress alone of such a massive change might be too much.
So yeah, in theory, nothing wrong with a sea pen! In practice though, might be more difficult than many make it out to be.
California sea lion
// full illustration for @seaunseenzine vol.3 // this piece is on Inprnt
J62!!!
source: center for whale research
Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut, also known as “Tokitae” or “Lolita”, was a Southern Resident killer whale likely from L-pod. She was born around the mid-1960s. Many suspect her mother is L25 “Ocean Sun”, but there has never been confirmation.
In August 1970, Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut was one of around 80 killer whales rounded up for capture in Penn Cove, Washington. Based on her size, she was between 2-7 years old at the time. In the capture, led by Ted Griffin and Don Golsberry, 5 whales drowned and 7 whales, including Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut, were taken away.
Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut was purchased by a veterinarian at Miami Seaquarium named Jesse White for $20,000. She was transported to Miami Seaquarium in September 1970. White named her “Tokitae”, a Coast Salish word that roughly translates to “nice day” or “pretty colours” in English.
She was originally kept separately from the other orca, a male Southern Resident called Hugo. Hugo had been captured 2 years prior from Vaughn Bay, Washington.
Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut and Hugo would often talk to each other between tanks, Southern Residents have a unique language which includes specific dialects within their pods, meaning that the two of them were able to communicate in ways that they could not with any other population. Miami Seaquarium eventually placed them together in a single 80-by-35 ft tank. The they mated often, but never had any living calves. Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut was given the stage name “Lolita”.
Hugo experienced severe stress due to his situation. In March 1980, he died after ramming his head into the wall of the tank.
Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut was housed with other cetaceans, but remained the only orca at the aquarium for the rest of her life. Despite her isolation, she held on to her home. She was heard multiple times throughout her decades in captivity singing a song that is only heard within L-pod.
In 2015, NOAA removed the exclusion of captive whales from the Endangered Species Act and included Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut in the listing of Southern Residents. NOAA stated there was a “strong case” that she was a Southern Resident after analysing her mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA. However, because she was captured 2 years before the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut was considered “pre-Act”, meaning she did not qualify under it.
The Lummi Nation never stopped fighting for Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut to be brought home. They consider her a relative. In July 2019, two Lummi women, Squil-le-he-le and Tah-mahs, invoked the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in an attempt to bring Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut home. NAGPRA gave them legal grounds to sue Miami Seaquarium if they refused to return Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut to the Salish Sea.
In August 2019, the Lummi gave her the name “Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut”, which roughly translates to “member of Sk’aliCh’elh” in English. Sk’aliCh’elh being a family of orcas in the Salish sea.
Squil-le-he-le visited Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut in Miami and performed healing songs for her. Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut was very receptive to this. Squil-le-he-le was quoted saying “She was singing with me. She was vocalizing with me,” in an interview with The Planet.
In March 2023, the Miami Seaquarium (now owned by The Dolphin Company) partnered with Friends of Toki and began the process of transferring Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut to a sea pen in her home waters.
This decision was controversial given Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut’s age (around her late 50s) and her chronic health conditions. She hadn’t been transported anywhere in over 50 years, causing concern for the stress that transport to Washington could cause her. There were also concerns that she might not be able to survive the re-exposure to the bacteria in the ocean after living in a tank of clorinated water for so long, or that she could possibly expose the wild Southern Residents to the infections she developed in captivity.
Others, especially the Lummi, argued that she deserved to live the remainder of her life in her home waters, which she clearly remembered.
In August 2023, the Miami Seaquarium announced that Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut had passed away. Her cause of death was attributed to multiple chronic health conditions. On the day of her death, over 3000 miles away, members of all 3 Southern Resident pods (J,K, and L) were gathered together in what is known as a “superpod”. Gatherings of multiple Southern Resident pods have become more rare in recent years.
The Lummi were not consulted before the autopsy was performed.
Finally, in September 2023 her ashes were returned home and there were multiple ceremonies laying her to rest.
No Southern Resident had been seen in Penn Cove since the captures in the 1970s, but in November 2024, L-pod returned. Among them was Ocean Sun.
Footage: Kat Martin, ScubaFilmFactory, Miami Herald, KING 5 Seattle, AnaCarlaNJ, H2Omammals, DaddysJournie, KING 5 Seattle
Audio: Susannah Joffe, sacredsea.org
Aerial photos of J-pod socialising
Photos by SR3/SEA (source)
Begging you for some pinnipeds any pinnipeds please
Piebald Northern fur seal
Atypical colored Antarctic fur seal! With the orange, white, and grey they look calico.
Leucistic Antarctic fur seal
Interesting gang of Antarctic fur seal, one is leucistic and one almost looks brindle?
Leucistic southern elephant seal
Northern fur seal labeled as albino and partial albino (leucistic?) by some sources. NOAA says albino and they are experts.
Albino harbor seal
Albino ringed seal
Melanistic grey seal
