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| North Pacific humpback whales, a mother and calf pair swim closely together just under the surface of the ocean. The calf with remain with its mother for about a year, migrating from Hawaii to Alaska to feed on herring. Image ID: 00140 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | North Pacific humpback whale, breach. Image ID: 00205 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | A humpback whale hovers motionless underwater in the ocean, inverted with head down and long pectoral fins held wide, near the Hawaiian island of Maui as it sings the famous "Song of the Humpback Whale". Scientists have strong evidence that only male humpback whales sing. Image ID: 02796 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA |
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| Humpback whale breaching with pectoral fins lifting spray from the ocean surface. Image ID: 03854 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | Hawaiian spinner dolphin, resting herd swimming along reef. Image ID: 00108 Species: Hawaiian spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris Location: Lanai, Hawaii, USA | Water falling from the fluke (tail) of a humpback whale as the whale dives to forage for food in the Santa Barbara Channel. Image ID: 27029 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Santa Rosa Island, California, USA |
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| Bull elephant seal exits the water to retake his position on the beach. He shows considerable scarring on his chest and proboscis from many winters fighting other males for territory and rights to a harem of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California. Image ID: 15458 Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | California sea lion, underwater at Santa Barbara Island. Santa Barbara Island, 38 miles off the coast of southern California, is part of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands National Park. It is home to a large population of sea lions. Image ID: 23418 Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus Location: Santa Barbara Island, California, USA | Northern fur seal swims through the cold waters and kelp forest of San Miguel Island, in California's northern Channel Islands. Image ID: 00966 Species: Northern fur seal, Callorhinus ursinus Location: San Miguel Island, California, USA |
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| Polyp of a strawberry anemone (club-tipped anemone, more correctly a corallimorph). Image ID: 01039 Species: Strawberry anemone, Corynactis californica Location: San Miguel Island, California, USA | A neonate gray whale calf, born just hours before, still exhbiting embryonic folds in the skin along its side. This baby gray whale was born in the cold waters of Big Sur, far to the north of the Mexican lagoons of Baja California where most gray whale births take place. Image ID: 01135 Species: Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus Location: Monterey, California, USA | Kelp frond showing pneumatocysts. Image ID: 02435 Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera Location: Santa Barbara Island, California, USA |
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| North Pacific humpback whale, escort in competitive group makes fast close pass. Image ID: 06057 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | California sea lions, socializing/resting, Webster Point rookery, Santa Barbara Island, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Image ID: 06284 Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus Location: Santa Barbara Island, California, USA | North Pacific humpback whale, peduncle throw. Image ID: 02153 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA |
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| California sea lions, underwater at Santa Barbara Island. Santa Barbara Island, 38 miles off the coast of southern California, is part of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands National Park. It is home to a large population of sea lions. Image ID: 23422 Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus Location: Santa Barbara Island, California, USA | California sea lions, underwater at Santa Barbara Island. Santa Barbara Island, 38 miles off the coast of southern California, is part of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands National Park. It is home to a large population of sea lions. Image ID: 23429 Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus Location: Santa Barbara Island, California, USA | Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight in the surf for access for mating females that are in estrous. Such fighting among elephant seals can take place on the beach or in the water. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides. Image ID: 20369 Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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| North Pacific humpback whale, peduncle throw. Image ID: 00443 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | Pacific bottlenose dolphin. Image ID: 04564 Species: Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | North Pacific humpback whale. Image ID: 06006 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA |
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| Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight for territory and harems of females. Bull elephant seals will haul out and fight from December through March, nearly fasting the entire time as they maintain their territory and harem. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California. Image ID: 15394 Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | A California sea lion plays with a piece of kelp, underwater at Santa Barbara Island. Santa Barbara Island, 38 miles off the coast of southern California, is part of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands National Park. It is home to a large population of sea lions. Image ID: 23427 Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus Location: Santa Barbara Island, California, USA | A bull elephant seal forceably mates (copulates) with a much smaller female, often biting her into submission and using his weight to keep her from fleeing. Males may up to 5000 lbs, triple the size of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California. Image ID: 20388 Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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| A sea otter, resting on its back, holding its paw out of the water for warmth. While the sea otter has extremely dense fur on its body, the fur is less dense on its head, arms and paws so it will hold these out of the cold water to conserve body heat. Image ID: 21602 Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA | Bull elephant seal, adult male, bellowing. Its huge proboscis is characteristic of male elephant seals. Scarring from combat with other males. Central California. Image ID: 15387 Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | This bull elephant seal, an old adult male, shows extreme scarring on his chest and proboscis from many winters fighting other males for territory and rights to a harem of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California. Image ID: 15388 Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
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| A bull elephant seal forceably mates (copulates) with a much smaller female, often biting her into submission and using his weight to keep her from fleeing. Males may up to 5000 lbs, triple the size of females. Sandy beach rookery, winter, Central California. Image ID: 15408 Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | Male elephant seal rears up on its foreflippers and bellows to intimidate other males and to survey its beach territory. Winter, Central California. Image ID: 15521 Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA | Male elephant seals (bulls) rear up on their foreflippers and fight in the surf for access for mating females that are in estrous. Such fighting among elephant seals can take place on the beach or in the water. They bite and tear at each other on the neck and shoulders, drawing blood and creating scars on the tough hides. Image ID: 20370 Species: Elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris Location: Piedras Blancas, San Simeon, California, USA |
Natural History Photography Blog posts (4) related to National Marine Sanctuaries
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