Halloween Fun From the Depths of the Sea

 Coffinfish!  Goblin Shark!  Vampire Squid!  All spooky fun e-cards you can send to your family and friends for FREE, compliments of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

 Here's the link:  http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/ecards/

Now don't let those viper fish get ya! Happy Halloween!

A Talking Beluga Whale

"Beluga wants a squid."

Whales don't talk--or do they?  Do they imitate human speech like parrots?

"Get out!" was what an ocean diver thought he heard a captive Beluga whale tell him.  The diver was in the tank that held this talkative whale.

Curious scientists started to record the sounds this male Beluga made.  Listen to this video and tell us what you think the whale is talking about. 

We think it sounds like the Muppets' Swedish Chef.

Beluga whales live in the Artic Ocean.  They like to swim around icebergs.  They are  social and they sing so much that Beluga whales are also called "canaries of the sea."  But talk? 

We know they won't ask for crackers, like a parrot.  But if they could, they would ask for octopus, squid, crabs, shrimp, clams, mussels, snails, sandworms,  salmon, capelin, cod, herring, smelt, flounder, sole, sculpin, lamprey, and lingcod.

A Beluga whale can nod and turn its head, unlike other whales. 

5 Ways Kids Can Help Save the Seas

1. Be sure all plastic toys, bottles (and their tiny lids), and bags go home with you.  Fish and birds might eat that plastic if it goes into the sea.

2. Sea stars (starfish) are beautiful to look at in tide pools.   Leave them there, even if you really, really want to keep it for its beauty.  It will die.  Oh, and it will stink too.

3. If a sign reads “Dogs Must Be On Leash”  please do.  There may be tiny birds or other sea life that would be harmed by a dog splashing thru the waves or romping across the sand.

4. Even a tiny candy wrapper tossed on the beach will wind up in the ocean. Fish easily mistake shiny wrappers for food.   Wrappers can poison fish.

5. Stay on marked paths.  Stay off of beach areas when signs ask you to do so.  Someone is trying to save a delicate plant or stop unnatural erosion. 

Sea Stars: Boys & Girls Who Cleaned Beaches

Girls and boys around the world are real Sea Stars.

Here's a few stories we found:

The Girl Scouts of Troop 499 wanted to clean up one of their favorite beaches. They found bottle caps, cigarette butts, straws, lollipop sticks, and even a dirty sock!  The girls had a great time doing a good deed!

 Brownie Troop 61243 from St. Paschal Baylon Church in Thousand Oaks spent the afternoon picking up trash at Leo Carrillo State Beach.. in an effort to keep the ocean safe and clean. Pictured are, top row, from left, Jessica Miller, Ava Miele, Emily McCormick, Ella Busch and Julia Tushla. Bottow row: Sophia Pantess, Olivia Elias, Rachel Wetzel and Ashley Edington.

Community service projects are a big part of scouting and recently Cub Scout Packs #741, #744 and #749 took part in a beach clean-up at Corona del Mar State Beach, also known as Big Corona. 

This event was a means for all the boys to get back together after taking the summer off and show the community how even a small group of individuals can make a difference.

What If There's a Seal on the Beach?

If you visit the beach this summer, you might see a seal on the beach.  What do you do if you see one?

California Sea Lion

Here's a few tips for your safety and the safety of the seal on the beach.

1) All seals are wild animals.  They have very sharp teeth.  Keep far away from seal on the beach.

2) Try to look at the seal with binoculars.

3) Do not touch the seal. 

Monk Seal

4) Do not throw rocks at the seal. 

5) Keep your pet away from the seal.  Keep your dog from barking at the seal.

Steller Sea Lion

6) Don't chase the seal if it is moving around.

7) Be sure that you are not between the seal and the water.  The water is the seal's first escape route.  You could get hurt.

8) Do not try to feed the seal.  Actually, it's a good idea to not feed any wild animals like birds and squirrels.

Elephant Seals

9) All marine mammals in United States waters are protected by law. That's one reason why you should stay away from them.

Harbor Seal

10)  Some sea lions might be sick this summer.  If you see a seal that looks sick, contact an authority. In the United States you can call 1-800-853-1964 and report the seal. 

10-Year-Old Sings For The Ocean

Ta’Kaiya Blaney, a 10-year-old Canadian, visited San Francisco recently to receive an award.

Ta'Kaiya Blaney is the girl in the middle of other award winners.

A group of grown-ups who spotlight people from around the world for their good deeds that help the oceans, the Blue Frontier Campaign, picked Ta'Kaiya for the Christopher Benchley Youth Award, 2012.  (You might have heard of the movie and book Jaws--the story about a great white shark? Well, Christopher Benchley is the son of the book's author, Peter Benchley. Both father and son were devoted to helping other understand more about the ocean.)

Ta'Kaiya lives North Vancouver and is from the Sliammon First Nation. She writes and performs songs and also acts in movies.  She worries about oil spills because it could "devastate all marine and coastal like and habitat," near her home.  So she co-wrote and performed a song called "Shallow Waters."

Miss Blaney travels around Canada and the United States to tell people more about how the ocean is important to her.  This is one of the reasons she received this award in San Francisco.