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North Pacific humpback whales, part of a larger competitive group of humpbacks, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
North Pacific humpback whale, peduncle throw, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
A great white shark bearing a white plastic researcher's identification ID tag near its dorsal fin swims through the clear waters of Isla Guadalupe, far offshore of the Pacific Coast of Baja California. Guadalupe Island is host to a concentration of large great white sharks, which visit the island to feed on pinnipeds and tuna, Carcharodon carcharias, Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe)
Sea otters mating. The male holds the female's head or nose with his jaws during copulation. Visible scars are often present on females from this behavior. Sea otters have a polygynous mating system. Many males actively defend territories and will mate with females that inhabit their territory or seek out females in estrus if no territory is established. Males and females typically bond for the duration of estrus, or about 3 days, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Holiday Christmas Lights on Scripps Pier, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, sunset, aerial, La Jolla, California
Adult male humpback whale singing, suspended motionless underwater. Only male humpbacks have been observed singing. All humpbacks in the North Pacific sing the same whale song each year, and the song changes slightly from one year to the next, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Humpback whale competitive group, several adult male escort whales swimming closely together as part of a larger competitive group, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
North Pacific humpback whales, socializing trio of adults, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Scripps Pier, Surfer's view from among the waves. Research pier at Scripps Institution of Oceanography SIO, sunset, La Jolla, California
A great white shark is countershaded, with a dark gray dorsal color and light gray to white underside, making it more difficult for the shark's prey to see it as approaches from above or below in the water column. The particular undulations of the countershading line along its side, where gray meets white, is unique to each shark and helps researchers to identify individual sharks in capture-recapture studies. Guadalupe Island is host to a relatively large population of great white sharks who, through a history of video and photographs showing their countershading lines, are the subject of an ongoing study of shark behaviour, migration and population size, Carcharodon carcharias, Guadalupe Island (Isla Guadalupe)
North Pacific humpback whales, a mother and young calf swim near scientific research divers, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Humpback whale competitive group, several adult male escort whales swimming closely together as part of a larger competitive group, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Humpback whale breaching, pectoral fin and rostrom visible, Megaptera novaeangliae, San Diego, California
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, Enhydra lutris, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Giant Black Sea Bass with Distinctive Identifying Black Spots that allow researchers to carry out sight/resight studies on the animals distributions and growth. Black sea bass can reach 500 pounds and 8 feet in length, Stereolepis gigas, Catalina Island
Humpback whale head lunge and blow in active group, Maui
Aerial Photo of San Diego Scripps Coastal SMCA. Scripps Institution of Oceanography Research Pier, La Jolla, California
Adult male humpback whale singing, suspended motionless underwater. Only male humpbacks have been observed singing. All humpbacks in the North Pacific sing the same whale song each year, and the song changes slightly from one year to the next, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Humpback whale male escort emits a stream of bubbles during competitive group socializing. The whale is swimming so fast that the bubbles pass back alongside the whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Male humpback whale bubble streaming underwater. The male escort humpback whale seen here is emitting a curtain of bubbles as it swims behind a mother and calf (barely seen in the distance), Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Adult male humpback whale bubble streaming underwater. The male escort humpback whale seen here is emitting a curtain of bubbles as it swims behind a female during competitive group activities. The bubble curtain may be meant as warning or visual obstruction to other nearby male whales interested in the female, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Large competitive group of humpback whales, eleven adult humpback whales seen in this image, part of a 16 whale competitive group, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Hawaiian humpback whale underwater, sun beams dappling the whale in clear oceanic waters, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
North Pacific humpback whale, head standing near surface, Maui
Male North Pacific humpback whale streams a trail of bubbles. The primary male escort whale (center) creates a curtain of bubbles underwater as it swims behind a female (right), with other challenging males trailing behind in a competitive group. The bubbles may be a form of intimidation from the primary escort towards the challenging escorts, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Humpback whale, abandoned calf alongside University of Hawaii research boat. This young calf lived only a few days after being abandoned or separated from its mother, and was eventually attacked by tiger sharks, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Adult male north Pacific humpback whale bubble streaming underwater in the midst of a competitive group. The male escort humpback whale seen here is emitting a curtain of bubbles as it swims closely behind a female, . The bubble curtain may be meant as warning or visual obstruction to other nearby males interested in the female, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Hawaiian humpback whale underwater, sun beams dappling the whale in clear oceanic waters, Maui
Adult male north Pacific humpback whale bubble streaming underwater in the midst of a competitive group. The male escort humpback whale seen here is emitting a curtain of bubbles as it swims closely behind a female, . The bubble curtain may be meant as warning or visual obstruction to other nearby males interested in the female, Megaptera novaeangliae, Maui
Full Moon Setting Over SIO Pier in the moments just before sunrise, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California
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