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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 will 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 | Humpback whale breaching, near Molokai, Hawaii. Megaptera novaeangliae. It is suspected the breaching often has a communicative purpose which depends on the behavioral context of the moment. Image ID: 00205 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | Humpback whale breaching with pectoral fins lifting spray from the ocean surface. Image ID: 03854 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA |
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| Hawaiian spinner dolphin, resting herd swimming along reef. Image ID: 00108 Species: Hawaiian spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris Location: Lanai, Hawaii, USA | 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 | 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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| Green sea turtle foraging for algae on coral reef, Chelonia mydas, West Maui, Hawaii. Image ID: 34507 Species: Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia mydas Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | 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. Image ID: 02796 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | Humpback whale mother, calf (top), male escort (rear), underwater. A young humpback calf typically swims alongside or above its mother, and male escorts will usually travel behind the mother. Image ID: 02819 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA |
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| 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 (left) during a competitive group. The bubble curtain may be meant as warning or visual obstruction to other male whales interested in the mother. Image ID: 02828 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | 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 mother and calf. The bubble curtain may be meant as warning or visual obstruction to other nearby male whales interested in the mother. Image ID: 05925 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | North Pacific humpback whale, escort in competitive group makes fast close pass. Image ID: 06057 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA |
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| 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 | 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 |
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| Kelp frond showing pneumatocysts. Image ID: 02435 Species: Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera Location: Santa Barbara Island, California, 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 | 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 |
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| North Pacific humpback whale, peduncle throw. Image ID: 02153 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, 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: 23422 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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| 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. Image ID: 02794 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | Humpback whale competitive group, underwater, swimming quickly and one trailing a stream of bubbles. Image ID: 02854 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | Large competitive group of humpback whales seen underwater. Image ID: 04462 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA |
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| 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 mother and calf. The bubble curtain may be meant as warning or visual obstruction to other nearby male whales interested in the mother. Image ID: 05928 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | North Pacific humpback whales, part of a larger competitive group of humpbacks. Image ID: 05946 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | North Pacific humpback whale, peduncle throw. Image ID: 00443 Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae Location: Maui, Hawaii, 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 | Pacific bottlenose dolphin. Image ID: 04564 Species: Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus Location: Maui, Hawaii, USA | 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. Image ID: 21606 Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA |
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