If I had a dollar for every time I have had a conversation like the following:
Enthusiastic otter viewer: I saw a Sea Otter on the dock!
Me: How wonderful but . . . it wasn’t a Sea Otter.
Otter viewer: Yes it was, it came out of the ocean and was running on the dock.
Me: Isn’t that wonderful but . . . that was a River Otter NOT a Sea Otter. River Otters live in the sea too. It’s really unfortunate that their common name is “River Otter”. It confuses people. Sea Otters can’t run. They are adapted to be in the ocean so their hind limbs are like paddles and, since they so rarely are on land, their front paws are adapted to be really dexterous and use tools.
Otter viewer: But it was in the sea!!!!
Ah yes, how I would like to find whoever was responsible for the common name “River Otter”.
Click the image below to enlarge a table of some of the key differences between River Otters and Sea Otters. The otter illustrations are by Uko Gorter Natural History Illustrations.
What has stimulated my sharing this with you is that, this year, we have the great privilege of having a mother River Otter and her six pups delighting us in Telegraph Cove, B.C. Today, I had the chance to get some photos of them. Below, see some of these images, including a little slide show.
Yes, they are otterly adorable even though they add colour and odour to my days by pooping on the lines of my boat and leaving bits of fish for me to slip on . . . as well as stimulating all those “I saw a Sea Otter” conversations!
Mama River Otter and most of her brood of six. Photo: Hildering.
Crazy cute I know. Also, note the deposit under the head of the River Otter. These gifts are abundant and usually on the lines of my boat 😉 . Photo:Hildering
One of the River Otter pups shaking off some SEA water. Photo: Hildering
Mama River Otter jumping back into the ocean. Note her reflection in the water. Photo: Hildering.
This remarkable photo of a humpback whale breaching in front of Campbell River, B.C. was on the July 1st front-page of the Courier Islander newspaper.
Humpback whale breaches in front of Campbell River on June 24th. Remarkable photo by Caylin Dubé - Oak Bay Marine Group.
As someone who has been working to ID the humpbacks around northern Vancouver Island, I almost jumped as high as that humpback when I saw the photo! I took up contact with the photographer, Caylin Dubé of the Oak Bay Marine Group, hoping she might have images from the June 24th encounter that would allow me to determine who the humpback was. Caylin was extremely generous with her photos, wanting to know who the whale was as much as we at the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS) did.
My hunch was quickly confirmed. The ID work of the last 8 years allowed us to conclude that the breaching whale is BCY0291 (DFO catalogue number) who we have nicknamed “KC”. KC is short for “Kelp Creature” but the origin of that name is too long a story to explain here!
We have known this whale since it was a first year calf off the waters of Telegraph Cove in 2002; an area for which this whale has extremely strong site fidelity. However, since last year, KC has also been sighted around Campbell River, only to quickly turn around and swim back to the waters around Telegraph Cove. We have theories about why s/he might do this but generally – it’s an additional mystery. Although the humpbacks are long-studied and easy to identify as individuals, there is still so much we do not know about these giants that breath the very air we do. For example, KC likely belongs to the population of humpbacks that go to Hawaii to breed in the winter, yet no one knows how the whales navigate to the Hawaiian Islands.
From the MERS humpback ID catalogue. Fluke ID for BCY0291 aka "KC". Click to enlarge.
From the MERS humpback ID catalogue. Flank IDs for BCY0291 aka "KC". Click to enlarge.
Caylin’s photos also revealed that there was a second humpback with KC. Even without a photo of the underside of the tail (the easy way to identify humpbacks as individuals since the markings and trailing edge of each whale is unique), MERS dedication to also cataloguing flank photographs of the humpbacks allowed us to determine the second humpback very likely was “Arial” (BCY0767) who we also have known since a first year calf in our area in 2007. Very interestingly, these two whales have the same mother but since humpback calves only stay with their moms for a year, to our human knowledge they would not know they were siblings. That these two humpbacks sometimes travel together could be coincidence or not – yet another whale of a mystery to try to solve.
That we at MERS were able to identify the whales from Caylin’s photographs (taken from well beyond the 100 m that boats must stay away from whales) is testament to the value of the great community effort to understand the return of humpback whales to our waters. We have ID photographs dating back to the 1980s thanks to the relentless vigilance of Dr. Alexandra Morton to understand our marine ecosystem. Many other ID photographs have been contributed by the whale watching community from Port Hardy to Campbell River (of course taken when following the Be Whale Wise guidelines). Of special note for the consistency and longevity of their contributions is Stubbs Island Whale Watching.
For the work of the Marine Education and Research Society, including our efforts to understand the threat of humpbacks becoming entangled in fishing gear, see www.mersociety.org.
Below, I include a few more pictures of KC, including the most entertaining ID photo we have ever received – a photo of KC heading in the direction of Campbell River passing the Spirit of the West Adventures kayaking camp. Note the happy humans-in-a-hot-tub in the foreground! Photo by Rick Snowdon of Spirit of the West.
KC feeding in the area around Telegraph Cove in 2007. Photo: Hildering
KC breaches near Telegraph Cove, July 2nd, 2011. Photo: Hildering
KC heading in the direction of Campbell River in 2010, passing the Spirit of the West Adventures kayaking camp. Photo by Rick Snowdon. Click to enlarge.
The Red Irish Lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus; up to 51 cm) is a fish of incredibly stunning diversity of colour. Right down to its flecked, bulging eyes, this ambush predator is a master of camouflage.
But how can you be camouflaged when you’re a fish of insane red and/or orange colouring? When you live in the rich, cold waters of the Northeast Pacific where Nature has doled out colour so liberally, you fade into the background even when so vibrantly coloured.
They are a favourite species for we underwater photographers since, as ambush hunters, they remain still even when annoying divers are flashing lights in their eyes or when a crab is sitting on their heads (see below).
The diversity of colour in this species is awe-inspiring. See below for examples of the diversity of colour and pattern and their ability to camouflage. You will even see that there are crabs that walk on their heads. I have a whole blog entitled “Crabs Making Bad Choices” dedicated to that at this link.
I hope that your sense of wonder is further stimulated in realizing that the Red Irish Lords are able to change even the colour of the flecks in their eyes to match their surroundings!
The remarkable eyes of the Red Irish Lord. The flecks you see are corneal chromatophores which can change colour to add the to species’ ability to camouflage.
See too how Red Irish Lords are among the fish who guard their fertilized eggs.
Both male and female Red Irish Lords guard the eggs. More information in my blog at this link.
A Red Irish Lord who is hoping the Sharpnose Crab inches down just a bit further so that s/he can feed (and that the annoying photographer would go away!). See my blog “Crabs Making Bad Choices” for more photos of such interactions at this link.
Another Red Irish Lord and a mature male Sharpnose Crab making bad choices.
Slide show and gallery of photos below give a further sense of the diversity of colour and camouflage in this species.
Update to the April/May information below: June 16, 2011.
From Peter Olesiuk, DFO – “I have not heard anything from Kaouk for over 2 days now, and I suspect his tag may have been moulted. In our Steller studies the tags tended to fall off in July-August. However, I checked the literature and the moult is 1-1/2 months earlier in juveniles, typically starting on 21 June. In my experience, tags glued to the pelage [fur] tend to fall off when the hair follicles weaken early in or just before the actual moult.”
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A picture is definitely worth a thousand words. See below for April 14th and May 8th images of Kaouk the Steller sea lion healthy, fat, WILD and with his peers!!
This photos and information has been provided by lighthouse keeper Jerry Etzkorn, via DFO and the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre (you can follow MMR on Facebook at this link).
Kaouk, is the male Steller sea lion that walked into the Port Alice trailer park on December 16th and was flown to the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre. He inspired the students of Port Alice to write a children’s book and was released back into the wild on March 17th from southwestern Vancouver Island.
For background information on Kaouk, including how you can follow him via satellite tag, click this linkfor a previous blog posting.
Click the images to see them at a larger size.
Another happy Kaouk update from May 8th, 2011. Thank you Peter Olesiuk.
Photo taken on April 14, 2011 by Carmanah lighthouse keeper Jerry Etzkorn. He reports “He is certainty active and definitely accepted and tuned in to the other sea lions.”
Mature male offshore killer whale photographed on March 27, 2011 for research purposes by J. Hildering (telephoto lens). Note ragged edge to the dorsal fin – damage from sharks?
Many Port McNeill (N. Vancouver Island, BC) residents were whale watching on the evening of March 30th and they didn’t have to leave their homes to do so!
A group of 12 offshore killer whales was extremely active right in front of the community; even repeatedly spyhopping (popping their heads out of the water). To have whales this visible near your home is a great gift but, all the more remarkable is that these were very mysterious, threatened whales.
“Offshores” are a distinct type of killer whale that does not mate with the killer whales that eat marine mammals (“transients”) nor with those that feed on fish, mostly salmon (“residents”).
About 300 individual northeastern Pacific offshores have been photographed but studying them is usually very difficult. As their name suggests, they are most often near the continental shelf and they are very wide-ranging. Offshores weren’t even identified till 1979 and weren’t confirmed to be a distinct population until 1989.
So little is known about them. Only very recently did the research of Dr. John Fordet al illuminate what the whales might be doing around the continental shelf and why their teeth are worn down so much more than the teeth of other killer whales. DNA analysis of prey samples confirmed that the diet of offshores includes Pacific sleeper sharks (4m+), a species with very abrasive skin that are found around the continental shelf. In some cases the offshore killer whales’ teeth are so worn down by the the sharks’ skin that it is believed they become dependent on the help of other offshore killer whales to catch and eat this prey. The offshores’ scarred bodies served as a further hint that they may do battle with sharks.
Their diet is believed to also include other shark species (e.g. salmon sharks, blue sharks) and halibut.
Inshore sightings of these whales provide a very unique opportunity to learn more about them e.g. what they are eating when inshore and why they are so full of toxins. It is puzzling that offshores killer whales appear to becoming inshore more often and this may be due to a shift in diet or range in their prey.
Luckily one of the world’s leading killer whale researchers, Graeme Ellis of the Pacific Biological Station, was able to join the offshores in front of Port McNeill for this research opportunity. He was alerted to their presence by the superstars at the Orca Lab (Leah Robinson and Marie Fournier) who first heard these whales’ unique vocals in the Robson Bight area on March 25th.
I too was extraordinarily privileged to be able to contribute some ID photographs from sightings on March 27th and . . . I don’t think I’ll ever quite be the same after watching these mystery whales surfing in 3’ waves.
It all just goes to show that you never know who you’ll meet on Northern Vancouver Island!
[Great thanks to residents of Port McNeill and Angela Smith of Ocean Rose Adventures for helping get photos of a lone male offshore killer whale in Port McNeill Bay on March 27].
For more information on offshore killer whales see:
January 2011 Vancouver Sun article “Orca off B.C.’s coast love the taste of shark – but they’re wearing their teeth flat on the abrasive skin of the sleeper shark, study says”( reporting on Ford et al’s research)
[Updates up to April 6th provided below. For more recent updates – including a photo of Kaouk hauled out with other wild Steller sea lions, click here.
Kaouk bounding unhesitatingly back into the wild. Where is he now? See links below for links to the Vancouver Aquarium announcement and track data. Photo is a video grab by Peter Olesiuk (DFO)
Kaouk was released back into the wild on March 17th, from Toquart Bay on southwestern Vancouver Island (where the herring are bountiful) and . . . now you can follow his progress!
Kaouk, is the male Steller sea lion that walked into the Port Alice trailer park on December 16th and was flown to the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre. He inspired the students of Port Alice to write a children’s book and will no doubt continue to be a charismatic marine ambassador to we humans; helping us understand his species, when to help wild animals, ad when to leave them be.
For the Vancouver Aquarium’s announcement of his release click here.
The announcement includes the link to where you can follow him via a satellite tag that was attached to Kaouk’s fur with epoxy and will fall off when he moults.
Click herefor the direct link to the tracking data.
Click here for a previous blog posting giving background on Kaouk.
And click here for a 1-minute video of his enthusiastic return to the wild, made available by Peter Olesiuk (DFO).
Kaouks wanderings to the morning of April 6, 2011. He has been exploring and hauling out a lot. See text for update.
Update April 6th, 2011.
See the image below – Kaouk has been exploring Barkley Sound and hauling out on a regular basis over the last 10 days, first at Mara Rocks (the largest and only year-round Steller haulout in Barkley Sound – see previous update) and more recently at Wouwer Island (a winter haulout occupied by Steller and California sea lions mainly outside of the May-August breeding season). He has been frequenting areas knowing to be good herring spawn areas, and areas known to have concentrations of sardines). Go Kaouk go – eat lots! Scientist Peter Olesiuk of DFO reports that he needs to eat 15-20 kg per day, which is apparently a challenge. Scientist Peter Olesiuk of DFO reports that about 46% of sea lions don’t make it through their first year.
Click to enlarge. Mara Rock - the Steller sea lion haul out that Kaouk has been frequenting! Image provided by Peter Olesiuk (DFO).
Update March 30th, 2011
Kaouk is with his own kind!
Since the evening of March 25th, he has been hauling out and foraging around this haulout on Mara Rock. Peter Olesiuk of DFO kindly shared that Mara Rock is the largest Steller sea lion haulout in Barkley Sound and that it is the only site that is occupied year-round (600+ animals, including lots of juveniles like Kaouk, at this time of year). Images below provided by Peter Olesiuk show the Mara Rock haulout and, in the satellite tracking image, Mara Rock is in the bottom left corner (note how consistently he has been at this site). Most of his dives are reported to be between 20 to 50 m with a few in the 50 to 100 m range.
Click to enlarge. Satellite image from AM of March 30th. Note the concentrated activity in the bottom left of the image. This is Mara Rock - a large Steller sea lion haulout!!!
Update March 19th: If you have been looking at the satellite data for Kaouk, please note that the locations are only updated once a day (data is not real-time) and that locations are not very “refined”. The map below (provided via Marine Mammal Rescue) gives a far more accurate look at Kaouk’s adventures. It looks like he hasn’t even come ashore in his first days in the wild! He has been actively diving and hopefully filling himself up with herring.
Kaouk - March 17th to +/- 09:00 March 19th. Image via Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue.
The survey is the result of concerns about the overfishing of this fish species and is conducted just after the spawn (January to February) when females leave the males to guard the egg masses from predation by species like sea stars. There are very few deadbeat dads in this species!
The data collected provide insight into the abundance and reproductive success of Lingcod in British Columbia and include: depth of the egg masses; their size (grapefruit, cantaloupe or watermelon sized); if the eggs are being guarded by a male; and their state of development (new, eyed or rotten). We are very fortunate that our area appears to have relatively abundant and large egg masses. At the end of this blog, you’ll find my 2.5 minute slide show of their life history.
But let me first take you on a wee retrospective journey.
My understanding of the behaviour of these magnificent fish has now evolved to where I now take photos of the extremely territorial males guarding their large orbs of fertilized eggs, but it certainly wasn’t always that way for me. The following is a much exaggerated perspective from when I was a very new diver doing their first Lingcod egg mass survey.
In 1999, I had only ever done 14 dives and had never even seen a Lingcod while diving. So, in preparation for the survey, I consulted my trusty field guide and felt well-prepared knowing the information below:
That first experience with the survey in 1999 led me to writing the following tongue-in-cheek “updated” field guide information in my dive log.
LINGCOD (Megadontos fishious)
Size: &%$#@ huge!!!!!
Description: Teeth sharp, large and fear inducing; species camouflaged for added surprise value; ability to make themselves appear even larger and more menacing by fanning out huge gill plates (opercula). Note: Wise for divers to retreat if this behaviour is observed.
Habitat: Adult males found anywhere that groups of dive slate carrying divers like to congregate.
Comment: Egg masses are said to have eyes at some stage of their development but no living diver can confirm that this is the case!
This is an awe-inspiring fish species indeed. I have even had a male knock my dive slate out of my hands during a survey. Ironically, I was recording “absent” under the column for whether a male was guarding the egg mass!
Update May 1, 2023: Original blog is from 2011. I have added photos of additional, known dead Sixgill Sharks at the end of this blog.
And yes, there is a personal connection to this species. While these huge sharks are often in very deep water, I have seen them while diving in at depths of even less than 10 metres. It’s difficult to express the wonder and connection that results from these privileged experiences. It’s somewhat like seeing a living dinosaur. Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks have been perfected by 200 million years of adaptation.
They are not a threat to us. We are a threat to them.
The awe-inspiring images below are of a pregnant female Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchu griseus) who was found dead on a beach in Alberni Inlet on low tide in February of 2011. She was necropsied by Department of Fisheries and Oceans staff and there were no obvious indications of how or why she died.
The information below has been generously provided by shark biologist and friend, Romney McPhie. I am sharing in the hopes of increasing respect and understanding for these astounding, huge, deep-dwelling sharks who live off our coast.
4.2 m pregnant female Sixgill Shark – February 2011.
This female Sixgill was 4.2 metres and was estimated to weigh 569 kg (1,254 lbs). As a viviparous shark species, she carried her embryos through the entire gestation period which is thought to be over 2 years long (species does not lay eggs / egg cases).
She may have given birth to some prior to her death and still had 28 pups inside her. The young hatch inside the female’s body before entering the ocean (these sharks are “yolk-sac viviparous”).
Sixgill Sharks have been reported to be up to 4.8 metres in length with females being larger than males (males to 3.5 metres). Age of sexual maturity is estimated to be between age 11 to 14 for males and between 18 to 35 years for females. It is believed that life expectancy may be up to 80 years of age.
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) 2007 assessment report on the Bluntnose Sixgill puts into perspective how rare an opportunity it is to learn about a pregnant Sixgill. It relates that the number of pups carried by females is known from only three previous credible accounts (ranging from 47 to 108 pups which were 61 to 73 cm in size).
The Bluntnose Sixgill Shark is an extremely cryptic species that can dwell at depts up to 2,500 m. So little is known about them and (sigh) they are “near threatened” globally and are a species of “special concern” in Canada.
I have had the incredible privilege of seeing Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks while diving and felt like I was in the presence of greatness. They are living fossils, perfected by 200 million years of adaptation. They are amazingly graceful with large, luminous and intensely green eyes.
They are of absolutely no threat to humans and, like all sharks, have an essential role in marine ecosystems. As top-level predators, sharks strongly shape food webs and the loss of such predators has proven to have profound effects on the number and diversity of other species.
The unique teeth of Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks. Photo by Romney McPhie.
We, however, are a threat to them.
There were historical fisheries and bycatch remains a concern. From 2006 to 2009 there an estimated 1979 Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks were Commercial Hook and Line catch
There is no information on the survival rates from bycatch nor of the accuracy of bycatch reporting. Population size and reproductive rate are not known for this species.
“The primary threats identified for these species are entanglement and bycatch. Other threats identified include pollution, habitat loss or degradation, climate and oceanographic change, and harassment. Historic threats included directed fisheries and entanglement/bycatch. While these populations are migratory throughout the northeast Pacific, it is unknown whether threats occurring outside of Canadian Pacific waters have an impact on these populations.”
“The present population size and abundance trends are not known. The only available abundance index (encounter rates with immature Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks at a shallow site in the Strait of Georgia) has decreased significantly (>90%) in the last five years. This index is not likely representative of the overall abundance trend because only immature Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks are encountered and the site is shallow relative to the preferred depth range. The principal known threat to the species is fishing.
The Bluntnose Sixgill Shark has been the focus of at least three directed fisheries in Canadian waters, most recently in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It continues to be caught as bycatch, but survival of released sharks is unknown. Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks observed by divers sometimes show scars from entanglement in fishing gear.
Because of its late age of maturity (18 to 35 years for females), it is likely susceptible to overfishing even at low levels of mortality. Little is known about the abundance and movement patterns of this species elsewhere in the world, so the potential for a rescue effect is unknown.“
Sixgill Shark eye. This one died as a result of longline bycatch and was brought into Alert Bay in July of 2007. It was rumoured to be one of 12 sharks caught by only one local fishing boat. Photo: Jared Towers.
Sources for the biology, threats and conservation of Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks:
Photo #1 April 2023 – Dead pregnant Bluntnose Six-gill Shark, Hornby Island.
Photo #2 April 2023 – Dead pregnant Bluntnose Six-gill Shark, Hornby Island.
From the Vashon Nature Center: in Puget Sound – 4 Bluntnose Sixgill Sharks washed between January and March 2023. Two could not be necropsied. One died after longline bycatch and one died by swallowing a crab bait trap Blog article about the first necropsy at this link.
Update November 2020: The Orange Peel Nudibranch has been reclassified. Now is Tochuina gigantea.
This blog is about Big Orange Love – the reproduction of Orange Peel Nudibranchs.
Two Orange Peel Nudibranchs mating – each about 30 cm long. Both will go on to lay the huge masses of eggs you see below. There is no male, or female.
These sea slugs are very aptly named since their skin is reminiscent of both the texture and vibrant colour of an orange. But, the name does nothing to indicate the size to which these giants can grow. They are one of the world’s largest sea slugs with literature reporting them to lengths of up to 30 cm and weight to 1.4 kg.
As if this sea slug species’ colour, size and beautifully intricate white gills are not enough to create awe, you should see their eggs! I will never forget the first time I saw the huge tubular mass that looked like udon noodles. I think my brain almost exploded and I was propelled all the more feverishly on my “The Marine Detective” path, wanting to be able to identify the egg masses of all sea slugs in our waters (each species’ eggs look different).
While diving yesterday, we had a visitation from two juvenile Steller sea lions.
I’ve put a 1-minute clip of the encounter on-line, in a gallery with other videos of when these magnificent mammals have chosen to do a swim-by.
Note that I do not “target” marine mammals while diving (this is in fact stipulated as being illegal in Canada’s draft marine mammal regulations) i.e. I do not jump in near sea lion haul-outs as I do not want to put pressure on the animals nor contribute to their becoming habituated to humans.
Therefore, when we see them there is always an element of surprise and, of course, extreme privilege.
See this link for a previous blog posting that includes the natural history of Steller sea lions.
Note: “Steller” is for the nautralist Georg William Steller who was doctor and naturalist on Vitus Bering’s second Kamchatka Expedition that also sailed to Alaska and the Commander Islands (1740 – 1741?).
The Marine Detective 