Otter returns to wild as Marine Mammal Center ramps up efforts to heal endangered species. A rescued sea otter who suffered from Domoic acid poisoning happily swam home Tuesday morning, thanks to a growing program at Sausalitos Marine Mammal Center designed to assist the protected mammals. Scientists from the center successfully released Yankee Doodle at the Pillar Point Boat ramp in Half Moon Bay at about 9 a. He is among the increasing number of sea creatures sickened by domoic acid, and part of a new effort by the center to rehabilitate sea otters, and use their short stays in captivity to collect data on the threats to their population. With every release and especially with these otters we are so hopeful that were going to let them out of that kennel and theyre going to happily walk back into the ocean, says Shawn Johnson, director of veterinary science at the center in Marin County. Otters dont walk very well on land and he was waddling at first and looking awkward on the beach, and then as soon as he hit the water he was happy and started acting like a normal otter. But he was acting far from normal when he was brought to the center, due to exposure to Domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin in algae blooms that thrives in warm, nutrient waters. The blooms are becoming more frequent and more toxic in California waters, Johnson says. The toxin accumulates in shellfish, mussels, anchovies, sardines and herring, and can sicken marine mammals including sea lions, sea otters and fur seals who feed on these living organisms. The first toxic bloom was documented on the West Coast in 1. Monterey Bay, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, and since then, the majority of research on domoic acid toxicity in marine mammals has focused on sea lions as the problem has been most prevalent in this species. The toxin is very acute and very fast, Johnson says. We see sea lions all the time who eat fish with high levels of domoic acid and they start seizing immediately. 2Nd Edition D&Amp. He adds, Weve done a lot of work on sea lions in the last 2. We developed neurological assessments to determine if we think they can be released and survive. After an animal recovers from the acute toxicity, we can perform assessments to determine if they can survive and not suffer. We dont have this data for the sea otters yet. Image 1 of 1. 
Yankee Doodle, an adult male southern sea otter rescued in July at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, feeds on shrimp during his rehabilitation at The Marine Mammal Center. An MRI revealed that he had likely been exposed to domoic acid. Yankee Doodle, an adult male southern sea otter rescued in July at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, feeds on shrimp during his rehabilitation at The Marine Mammal Center. An MRI revealed that he had likely. Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, hits the surf after hes released back to the ocean by volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Yankee Doodle was rescued in July after he was sickened by domoic acid and was nursed back to health. A rescued sea otter who suffered from Domoic acid poisoning happily swam home Tuesday morning, thanks to a growing program at Sausalitos Marine Mammal Center. Dolphin/b_20170331_103910_b.jpg' alt='Soviet Marine Mammal Program' title='Soviet Marine Mammal Program' />Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, hits the surf after hes released back to the ocean by volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Photo Paul Chinn, The Chronicle. John Beltran tracks Yankee Doodles movements with a spotting scope and radio receiver after the southern sea otter is released back to the ocean by volunteers and staff from the Marine Mammal Center at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Yankee Doodle was rescued in July after he was sickened by domoic acid and was nursed back to health. John Beltran tracks Yankee Doodles movements with a spotting scope and radio receiver after the southern sea otter is released back to the ocean by volunteers and staff from the Marine Mammal Center at Pillar. A military dolphin is a dolphin trained for military uses. The United States and Soviet militaries have trained and employed oceanic dolphins for several reasons. Soviet Marine Mammal Program' title='Soviet Marine Mammal Program' />Photo Paul Chinn, The Chronicle. Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, swims in Pillar Point Harbor after he is released back to the ocean by volunteers and staff from the Marine Mammal Center in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Yankee Doodle was rescued in July after he was sickened by domoic acid and was nursed back to health. Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, swims in Pillar Point Harbor after he is released back to the ocean by volunteers and staff from the Marine Mammal Center in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Photo Paul Chinn, The Chronicle. Volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center will log tracking data received from small radio transmitters attached to Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, after he is released back to the ocean at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Yankee Doodle was rescued in July after he was sickened by domoic acid and was nursed back to health. Volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center will log tracking data received from small radio transmitters attached to Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, after he is released back to the ocean at Pillar Point. Photo Paul Chinn, The Chronicle. Volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center carry Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, to the beach where he was released back into the ocean at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Yankee Doodle was rescued in July after he was sickened by domoic acid poisoning and was nursed back to health. Volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center carry Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, to the beach where he was released back into the ocean at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4,. Photo Paul Chinn, The Chronicle. Soviet Marine Mammal Program' title='Soviet Marine Mammal Program' />Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, emerges from a carrier as hes released back to the ocean by volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Yankee Doodle was rescued in July after he was sickened by domoic acid poisoning and was nursed back to health. Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, emerges from a carrier as hes released back to the ocean by volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4,. Photo Paul Chinn, The Chronicle. Volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center release Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, back into the ocean at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Yankee Doodle was rescued in July after he was sickened by domoic acid poisoning and was nursed back to health. Volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center release Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, back into the ocean at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Yankee Doodle was rescued in. Photo Paul Chinn, The Chronicle. Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, looks back towards volunteers and staff from the Marine Mammal Center after he is released back to the ocean at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. 2. 4, 2. Yankee Doodle was rescued in July after he was sickened by domoic acid and was nursed back to health. Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, looks back towards volunteers and staff from the Marine Mammal Center after he is released back to the ocean at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Tuesday Oct. more Photo Paul Chinn, The Chronicle. Yankee Doodle, a southern sea otter, emerges from a carrier as hes released back to the ocean by volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Humpback Whales info and games. It is a large whale an adult usually ranges between 1. Pokemon Games Torrent. Feeding in the summer, living off fat in winter The species feeds only in summer and lives off fat reserves during winter. It is an energetic feeder, taking krill and small schooling fish, such as herring, capelin and sand lance. It will hunt fish by direct attack or by stunning them by hitting the water with its flippers or flukes. Amazing acrobats. Humpbacks often breach they leap out of the water with enough upward force that nearly two thirds of the body comes out of the water, and then comes back to the water again with an enromous splash. Sometimes a twist is involved in the jump, a sideways motion or many other impressive acrobative feats. They have also been seen rolling in the water, slapping the water with their flippers and fluke, butting into other whales and also lifiting themselves straight up out of the water. This often makes whale watching an extremely exciting event Orca bullies Humpback whales are preyed upon by Orcas. The result of these attacks is generally nothing more serious than some scarring of the skin. However, it is likely that young calves are sometimes killed. Blowing bubbles for a big gulp Its most inventive feeding technique is called bubble net fishing. A group of whales swims rapidly in wide circles around and under a school of fish, blowing air through their blowholes. The bubbles form a visual barrier that serves to confine the school within an ever tighter area. The whales then suddenly swim upwards and through the bubble net, mouths agape, swallowing thousands of fish in one gulp. This technique can involve a ring of bubbles up to 3. It is perhaps the most spectacular act of cooperation among marine mammals. Complex singers Alongside its aerial acrobatics, the Humpback whale is well known for its long and complex song. As cetaceans have no vocal chords, whales generate their songs by forcing air through their massive nasal cavities. Humpbacks repeat patterns of low notes that vary in amplitude and frequency in consistent patterns over a period of hours or even days. Scientists are still unsure what the whalesong is meant to communicate. Only male Humpbacks sing, so it was at first assumed that the songs were solely for courting. While the primary purpose of whalesong may be to attract females, its almost certain that whalesong serves myriad purposes. Also interesting is the fact that a whales unique song slowly evolves over a period of years never returning to the same sequence of notes even after decades. Curiousity used to mean big trouble Humpback whales are generally curious about objects in their environment. They will often approach and circle boats. Whilst this inquisitiveness was akin to suicide when the vessel was a whaling ship, it has become an attraction of whale watching tourism in many locations around the world since the 1. Curiousity works for whale watching though Whale watching locations include the Pacific coast off Washington, Vancouver, Hawaii and Alaska, the Bay of Biscay to the west of France, Byron Bay north of Sydney, the coasts of New England and Newfoundland, the northern St. Lawrence River and the Snaefellsnes peninsula in the west of Iceland. The species is popular because it breaches regularly and spectacularly, and displays a range of other social behaviors. Protective mothers As with other cetacean species, however, a mother whale will generally be extremely protective of her infant, and will seek to place herself between any boat and the calf before moving quickly away from the vessel. Whale watching operators are asked to avoid stressing the mother unduly. Preying whalers The first recorded Humpback kill was made in 1. Nantucket. Opportunistic killing of the species is likely to have occurred long before then, and certainly continued with increasing pace in the following centuries. By the eighteenth century, the commercial value of Humpback Whales had been realized, and they became a common prey of whalers for many years. Explosive harpoons were bad news to friendly whales By the 1. United States, were hunting the creature heavily in the Atlantic Ocean and to a lesser extent in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, it was the introduction of the explosive harpoon in the late nineteenth century that allowed whalers to accelerate their take. This, coupled with the opening up of the Antarctic seas in 1. It is estimated that during the 2. Humpbacks were taken, reducing the global population by over 9. To prevent species extinction, a general moratorium on the hunting of Humpbacks was introduced in 1. In his book Humpback Whales 1. Phil Clapham, a scientist at the Smithsonian Institute, says this wanton destruction of some of the earths most magnificent creatures is one of the greatest of our many environmental crimes. Stopping barely in time By the time the International Whaling Commission members agreed on a moratorium on Humpback hunting in 1. At this time, 2. 50,0. However, the true toll is likely to be significantly higher. It is now known that the Soviet Union was deliberately under recording its kills the total Soviet Humpback kill was reported at 2,7. Starting in 2. 00. Japan is planning to kill 5. Humpback Whales per year under its JARPA II research program. Some text is available under the terms. GNU Free Documentation License.