"Unusual" Whale Shark in California Waters

Photo from Pete Thomas Outdoors of whale shark
near Catalina Island.

Imagine finding a 20-25 foot whale shark near Catalina Island, just 26 miles off the Southern California shoreline.  Well, a fishing boat did find one on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014. That's unusual.  So unusual that Dr. Christopher Lowe, who runs the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach said that "...whale sharks are very rare in this neck of the woods."

Whale sharks are usually seen in warmer waters, like in Hawaii,  Mexico and the Sea of Cortez--not in California's cooler waters.

But unusual events continue along California's coastal waters.

Scientists who measure water temperatures from satellites, report that the surface of Pacific coast, especially in Southern California, is warmer than usual.  They write that this warming event is "...ongoing and highly unusual" for this neck of the woods (or ocean!).

What does that mean?

For one, you won't have to go to Mexico to see a whale shark! It also means other exotic sea life will likely make their way to California waters instead of the tropical waters where they normally live.

Why is this important?

Each species of sea life prefer certain temperatures of water.  So, that means changes in plankton and California's fish colony.  

So while there may be more tuna in the water, there may also be less salmon (a fish that prefers cooler waters).  

Warmer waters can also change the climate of a cool-water areas.

Stay tuned.  

Meanwhile watch this video by award winning videographer, Becky Kagan Schott, about whale sharks.

Live Web Cams with Otters, Sharks, Penquins and More

Even if you live thousands of miles from the sea, there are live web cams that you can watch--like the entertaining sea otters at Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.  Thanks to a live web cam, a young man recently viewed the first ever video capture of an elephant seal slurping a hagfish at the sea's bottom.

Sea Otter Web Cam

Otters love to play with toys, lounge in ice buckets or just snooze. We feed ours four times a day, often putting the food in toys to stimulate the otters' natural behavior of pounding and working to get food out of shells.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/efc_otter/otter_cam.aspx

Open Sea Web Cam

You'll see giant bluefin tuna power their way through the water, while hammerhead sharks, pelagic rays and giant green sea turtles swim just inches away.

The stunning one-million-gallon exhibit is home to one of the most diverse communities of open-ocean animals to be found in any aquarium.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/efc_opensea/open_sea_cam.aspx

Northern Elephant Seals

Watch northern elephant seals throughout the year when they haul out at the Piedras Blancas Rookery in California

http://www.elephantseal.org/Rookery/livecam.htm

Beluga Whale Cam

View the underwater world of the belugas and take an imaginary journey to the Canadian Arctic.

http://www.vanaqua.org/learn/see-and-learn/live-cams/beluga-cam

Jelly Cam

The jellies featured on this Vancouver Aquarium Jelly Cam are Japanese sea nettles. Jellies are invertebrates made up mostly of water. They have no heart, brain or bones

 http://www.vanaqua.org/learn/see-and-learn/live-cams/jelly-cam

Hawaiian Monk Seal

An endangered seal rescued and now resides in this 

Hawaiian aquarium

http://www.waquarium.org/webcams.html

Magellanic Penquin Cam

A temperate species, Magellanic Penguins are usually about two to two-and-a-half feet tall and weigh between six and fifteen pounds when fully grown.

 http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/exhibits/penguin_habitat/penguin_cam_above

Whale Shark Cam

 Whale sharks can grow to 15 meters (50 feet) and weigh as much as 40 tons by some estimates.

http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/explore-the-aquarium/interact/web-cams.aspx