Marine Biology & Oceanography

Posted by John Blatchford

Two Types of Marine Reptile

Sea Snakes

There are over sixty species of snake that live more or less permanently in the sea. They are highly venomous and eat fish. All breathe air and need to surface at intervals (like whales), and some need to come ashore to breed.



Sea Turtles

Seven species of turtle a fully marine, but like the snakes they breathe air and come up regularly. They lay their eggs on sandy beaches, and often migrate over long distances to return to the place where they hatched.



While writing about these Marine Reptiles I began to think about marine amphibians.



One Type of Marine Amphibian

While there are a number of very well adapted sea-going reptiles (snakes and turtles) there are no truly marine amphibian – only one species of frog comes close.



Frogs and Toads



The Crab-eating Frog - Fejervarya cancrivora formerly Rana cancrivora lives in the mangrove swamps of south east Asia, and as its name suggest it will eat crabs. It is the only known modern species of amphibian that can tolerate saltwater conditions.



The Marine Toad - Bufo marinus, despite its name does not live in or near the sea. It is purely terrestrial, and goes to freshwater to breed.



(My old article about French Frogs and Toads looks at a few of the common modern ones.)



Newts and Salamanders

None of the family Salamandridae goes anywhere near the sea. Most live in or near freshwater, and a few have become terrestrial in damp places, but they cannot tolerate salt. My article about French Newts and Salamanders introduces the group.

Posted by John Blatchford

Whales communicate with one-another, and recording the sounds they make alongside what they were doing at the time could help us understand what they are saying.



Hydrophones

Rugged underwater microphones are now available at reasonable cost. Some allow recorded sound data to be analyzed later on a computer, meaning that it is possible to use information about whale signals outside the frequency range that humans can hear. Many devices are battery operated and fully portable and the microphone can simply be dropped into the water beside the whale watching boat, while the engine is off, of course!



Video Recording

Most digital cameras have video capability, and many can accept an external microphone input (hydrophone in this case). This means that it is possible to record whale behaviour along with the sounds they were making underwater at that time. Naturally the only behaviour that can be videoed will be whatever takes place at the surface, while sounds made underwater might be associated with other activities.



Camera Binoculars

One of the main problems with watching whales is the unpredictability of exactly when and where they will next surface. Continuously scanning the area with good marine binoculars is the usual way to overcome this problem, but there will rarely be time to put down the binoculars and get the camera ready before they submerge again. This is where instant replay camera binoculars become extremely useful.



(Some earlier blogs discuss the additional equipment that might be of interest to whale watchers, including one about image stabilization for binoculars.)

Posted by John Blatchford

Binoculars will always shake a bit when they are hand-held, and if the ‘platform’ you are on is also vibrating the situation becomes much worse. Using binoculars on a boat watching whales will involve movements caused by the waves and vibration caused by engines as well as the inevitable shaking. They are also very likely to get wet!

Waterproof Stabilized Binoculars

The military sometimes need to use binoculars in small craft at sea, and very rugged waterproof binoculars are available with internal gyroscopic stabilization. They are much heavier than regular binoculars, and can be incredibly expensive (thousands of dollars!) – but the electrically driven gyroscopes effectively damp down most movement and vibration to give a steady, clear image.

Attaching a Gyroscope to the Tripod Mount

An alternative solution to the problem would be to attach a small battery-driven gyroscope unit to standard waterproof binoculars. This has the advantage that the gyroscope can be used when at sea whale watching, and then detached for times when a tripod is used, or when the binoculars are not being used from a bouncing boat. Still an expensive toy though!

Non Gyroscopic Image Stabilization

There are a couple of alternatives to the use of rather heavy gyroscopes to stabilize images, one uses a built-in microcomputer to fiddle around with lenses and prisms when motion is detected, and the other suspends the prisms in a very clever way that reduces movement.

Waterproof Stabilized Digital Camera Binoculars

These would be the ultimate tool for whale watching, but unfortunately I have not been able to find any on sale. If any reader knows better, then please leave a comment!

Posted by John Blatchford

My two (old) articles about snakes in France ('Harmless French Snakes' and 'Venomous French Snakes') seem to be very popular, particularly with readers in France, so I decided to move away from Marine Biology for a bit and do one about French Lizards.

Walking in France

When you explore the French countryside on foot, and if you walk quietly and keep your eyes open, you can expect to come across snakes and lizards. Usually they will be gone before you can identify them, but returning to the same spot later (and more carefully!) will often allow you to watch them closely. It is a good idea to use binoculars at first, and then creep up on them very slowly.

Snakes

There is really nothing to fear as long as you don't attempt to catch them. If you try this then many will bite (two spwecies injecting rather nasty venom), and those that don't bite might well cover you in foul-smelling stuff or whip you vigorously with their tail.

Lizards

Any holiday in rural France will expose you to lizards. They like the sun as much as holidaymakers! None are dangerous, but the big ones can, and will, bite. What is probably more distressing is the fact that they are all capable of shedding their tails. Trying to catch a lizard will usually result in a damaged lizard and a wriggling tail with lots of blood. Eventually a new tail will grow - but it is never as good as the first. Many wall lizards that you see will have stumpy tails which tell of their recent encounters (often with cats). Never try to catch a lizard, but feel free to photograph them if you can!

Posted by John Blatchford

I have now written a few articles suggesting places that marine biologists might like to visit while staying on Vancouver Island, and what equipment they should take.

Pacific Rim Park

This is a must! All the way along from Ucluelet to Tofino there are trails providing easy walking with good views out to sea and access to the best beaches. It really requires several days, but my article suggesting where to visit gives a few ideas for those short of time.

Botanical Beach

An article about three unusual animals found in tide pools begins to describe this amazing rocky beach. The tide pools (rock pools) here are world famous. It is a protected area, but that does not stop you looking and taking photographs.

Equipment to Take

I recently wrote a blog about equipment for amateur marine biologists, and there is an article about hand lenses. There is no mention anywhere of clothing, but so much depends on the weather! Stout walking shoes or boots are of course a good idea, and a hat is usually advisable. In terms of protection from the sun it is easy to forget how much gets through even on cloudy days spent ferreting around on the beach, so an effective sun cream is strongly advised, whatever the weather looks like.

Posted by John Blatchford

After a few articles about some of the equipment amateur marine biologists might require I decided to write about the ways in which expertise can be built up in a number of popular specialisms.

Whale Watching

How to become a whale expert stresses reading as much as possible about then, in print or online, and then actually watching them at sea whenever possible.

Seashore Ecology

How to become a sea shore expert is much more ‘hands on’. Summer holidays take many people to the coast, and exploring the shore fits in well with relaxed lounging on the beach. The rest of the family can sunbathe while the naturalist ‘does his (or her) thing’. It is possible to build up impressive expertise with minimal equipment, and those who live near the sea, or holiday regularly in the same location on the coast, can become genuine experts on the ecology of their chosen location.

Marine Biology

Appreciating the grandeur of whales and becoming aware of the myriad life-forms found on the beach are probably the two most common ways in which young (and not so young) people get drawn into a career in some aspect of marine biology. How to become a marine biologist considers routes into both academic and non-academic careers working with marine animals.

Posted by John Blatchford

In a much earlier article I suggested presents suitable for young naturalists, and I have now picked up this theme again – but aimed more at older amateurs this time.



Whale Watching Binoculars

This article looks at some of the important details that should be borne in mind when binoculars are purchased specifically to watch whales from a boat. ‘Presents for Whale Watchers’ also looks at telescopes, hydrophones and field guides.



Marine Field Guides

Choosing and purchasing a suitable field guide adds much to a holiday on the coast for any amateur marine biologist, allowing identification of the plants and animals observed, and also giving interesting additional information about them. In addition to discussing the various types of field guide that exist there are a couple of suggestions about how and where to find them.



Amateur Plankton Nets

Here advice is given about suitable specifications for a small plankton net suitable for amateur use. This could be used from the shore, the end of a pier or jetty, or from a small boat to capture samples of plankton. There are also a couple of suggestions for how to transport these samples in good condition and how to look at them later.



Similar Equipment Articles

I have a few ideas of my own for future articles about equipment for amateurs, but I would also be delighted to respond to any readers’ requests. The best way to make such a request would be to either comment on one of the above articles, or to email me direct.

Posted by John Blatchford

Every cell of an animal is actually a co-operative venture between organisms – the powerhouses (mitochondria) came onboard when animal cells first made their appearance on the planet. With such an intimate relationship within every cell of an animal it should not surprise us when we find strange associations of whole animals themselves – but it does!

Cleaner Fish

Coral reefs are extremely old – the habitat they provide has been around for ages. Many animals have adapted to profit from this very stable and predictable environment, and the various cleaner fish (and cleaner shrimps for that matter) show just how far behaviours can be modified if there is the potential for mutual gain. The Cleaner Fish have found a niche where they eat the parasites of other fish – many other species of big fish use the services of the cleaners, and in return do not eat them! This sort of co-operative behaviour is ‘hard-wired’ and written into the DNA of the species involved. A ‘Cleaner Fish’ does not decide to behave in this way – it’s just what it is and what it does.

Helpful Whales

There is a completely different type of association between animals, where animals with intelligence and self-awareness actually decide to become involved. We know this full-well for ourselves – we can make a choice as to whether we help out or not. But what about dolphins, for example? Did ‘Pelorus Jack’ make a conscious decision to help sailing boats? Do dolphins who help swimming humans and other whales know what they are doing? I would like to think they do, maybe we have moved on to a whole new ball-game with some of the more intelligent creatures on the planet actually deciding to work together. This would be good news!

Posted by John Blatchford

My most recent article, about scuba diving and underwater photography, looks at the way that a hobby (or obsession!) can help conservation. In this case it is the economic importance of ecotourism that does the trick, with the additional possibility of an increasingly aware section of the public being inspired to act politically. This is very similar to the way in which whale watchers often become keen advocates for the marine environment.



Great Apes Human Rights and Whales

In an article in the New Scientist back in 1997 I argued that the Great Apes should be given limited ‘Human Rights’ (granting them the rights to life and a home at least). Maybe something similar would be appropriate for the Great Whales also? The article goes on to talk about the ways in which ecotourism helps habitat conservation, and surely this is equally the case where whale watching and reef diving are concerned.



Flagship Species and Habitat Conservation

If sufficient habitat is conserved to guarantee the survival of the Great Apes, then the habitat necessary for literally millions of other species is also kept. What is true for the Great Apes on land is equally true for the Great Whales and their habitat, and for Coral Reefs and theirs. Concentrating on the critical habitats for a few, well-loved, species (Apes, Whales and Corals) is an excellent first steps towards the protection of biodiversity globally.

Posted by John Blatchford

I have written a number of articles in ‘Marine Biology and Oceanography’ about individual whale species, and a few about aspects of their lives (such as ‘Whale Evolution and Classification’ and ‘Whale Brain and Intelligence’). Following the internal links within these two will take you on to most of the whale articles, or they could be found through this list. Other writers on Suite101 have also written about whales – notably by Dawn Smith in ‘Wildlife Preservation’ – part of the ‘Plants and Animals’ section.



Why Write About Whales?

Whales have come to be symbols of the unspoilt oceans in much the same way that the Giant Panda has come to symbolise the conservation issues on land. Add to that the fact that the lives of whales are very different from our own, and that much mystery still surrounds them, and you have a very heady mix. We suspect that some whales are highly intelligent, and some even suggest that they might have genuine languages. People are fascinated by captive cetaceans (usually Belugas, Dolphins and Killer Whales), but I have tried to write more about their lives in the wild, and Dawn Smith writes more about the conservation issues that affect particular species.