Marine Biology | geologyrockssociety

Recent news, topics & Marine Science updates

Marine mammals are not the only sources of sound under water. Many natural phenomena, such as wind, rain, ice, lightning strikes can produce loud sound. We humans are a major contributor to the sound under water. There is a growing concern that sound generated by human activities can affect marine mammals. Human activities, such as shipping, searching for oil/gas using seismic surveys, explosions, military tactical sonars, and offshore constructions can produce loud sounds that affect animals, with potentially negative consequences.

Help explore the ocean floor.

The HabCam team and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution need your help!

Identify species and ground cover in images of the seafloor, and help create a library of seafloor life in the habitats along the northeast continental shelf.

To Protect Orca & their Habitat, through Conservation, Education & Scientific Research.

Dr Ingrid Visser and the Orca Research Trust have been nominated for the BiLLe Celebrity Challenge. If we win the voting, the ORT will receive €25,000 which we can put towards research, education, the orca and all the work that the ORT does.

killer whales Did you know that Killer Whales (Orcas, which are actually the largest dolphin species) can talk to each other in quite sophisticated ways? Each family of Killer Whales has its own dialect and closely-related families share calls. We know this because biologists have begun to categorize the complex calls of Killer Whales and to try and understand what they mean.
Whale Song Project The two species of whale whose calls are used in this site - Pilot and Killer Whales - are actually more closely related to dolphins than to other whales such as Baleen or Sperm Whales. Baleen whales, which include Humpbacks, Fin, and Right Whales, engulf dense patches of small prey and then use their baleen to strain the prey from the water. Dolphins and toothed whales have to catch individual prey with their teeth. Pilot and Killer Whales feed on fish and squid and have large strong teeth.
Welcome to the Whale Song Project If you're looking for a quick and easy start to using the site, click on 'Help' on the main page. This tutorial page explains the task at hand in a lot more detail, explaining what the sounds represent with some interesting background information.
Sam: Species. Killer Whale We don't have much information on this particular animal. It was tagged near Norway. [Photo shown is not this specific animal, but a Creative Common's licensed photo of a short-finned Pilot Whale from Flickr user peebot.]

Seafloor Explorer.

Stalked Tunicates (Boltenia ovifera) We get a lot of discussion about stalked tunicates because they are so weird looking. Tunicates are Ascidians commonly called "sea squirts". They are not fish, they are an invertebrate. If you see them, just answer the question "Are there any other species present in this image?" with a Yes. See more images of stalked tunicates here. Tag with: #stalked-tunicate #sea-squirt

Surfing Orca Surfing Orca An orca surfs in the wake of the orca research boat
Sunset, Bay of Islands Sunset, Bay of Islands An adult male and a juvenile orca frolic at sunset.
Orca & Research Boat. Orca & Research Boat New Zealand orca will often approach the research vessel, at times bringing their young with them. Photo: Andy Light..
Morgan. Morgan Looking out from her barren & tiny tank. She needs our help so she can return to her family.
Orca with Ray in Mouth Orca with Ray in Mouth An orca holds a ray upside down in its mouth, in Whangarei Harbour.