sea life

Aw, Steve the Otter and his adorable thoughts and hilarious actions. It's been a hot minute since we last saw what was up with one of our favorite otters on Twitter.

Turns out, not too much was new with Steve but it's always entertaining to hear some of his thoughts because they are indeed very insightful. We believe Steve to have been a philosopher in his past life. Just seems fitting. If you don't agree with us, perhaps reading some of his quotes below might persuade you to think otherwise.

A shout out to otters everywhere, continue being your adorably weird selves. 

Here's an interesting story you don't read or see everything. Apparently, there is a rare fish out there known as the "penis fish." Why is it called the "penis fish," you might ask? Well, we think that's pretty self-explanatory. 

Off the coast of Rye Front Beach in Victoria, Australia, one lucky diver got incredible images of the ever-elusive "penis fish." It's known to be incredibly rare to come across, even though thousands of the fish washed up on the California shore some years ago. The free diver, Josie Jones, was scouring the waters when she came across the strange and unique look moniker. 

To be fair, it is scientifically called a 'priapulida', but "penis fish" just sounds more accurate. Josie Jones shared the images on the Facebook page, Marine Research Group of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, with the caption, "Now we're all adults right?"

Yes, we are. But such a thing will never not be funny, even to adults. 

Turns out, baby Puffer Fish are heckin' adorable! Why didn't any of you tell us?! They either have this cute little smile and look like a wee baby or somehow look like an adorable old man. Either way, they are precious and must be protected. 

We don't often feature fish and it's a shame because some of them are really cute and deserve a chance in the spotlight! And now it's time for the Puffer Fish to shine! Baby Puffer Fish, that is. 

Honestly, we're not entirely sure all the fish images below are in fact Puffer Fish, but their cuteness got to us anyways and we felt the need to share. 

Finally, some good news in 2020! 

The heartwrenching story of Tahlequah, the orca who kept her dead calf afloat for 17 days, is finally a mother once again! Our hearts are so happy for her and we wish her and her baby calf a healthy, long life. 

In 2018, Tahlequah lost her calf that lived only a half-hour, but this born-to-be mother was so heartbroken, she continuously pushed her baby calf up for 17 days. If that isn't love and perseverance. we truly don't know what is.  

The gender of the calf is unknown. 

Congrats, Tahlequah! You deserve happiness. 

Story via Seattle Times

Many of you recall the heartbreaking story of Tahlequah, the orca whose love and actions for her dead calf was seen around the world. 

Almost to this day two years ago, this devoted mother lost her baby calf and was so heartbroken, she kept her calf afloat for 17 days as she continuously carried it. It was a heartbreaking sight and it's a moment we can never forget. Whoever says animals don't have emotions -- you tell them Tahlequah's story. 

And now, two years after those gut-wrenching 17 days, Tahlequah is officially pregnant once again! This orca was obviously a born-to-be mother and we're so incredibly happy for her and her second chance at motherhood. 

According to Seattle Times, Tahlequah is still a ways away from a successful birth, and like all orcas, she will be requiring luck on her side to bring her baby into this world, and keep it alive. 

We wish her all the best. 

Migaloo, is a completely all-white humpback whale and is said to be the very first completely white humpback whale. Scientists are still unsure if Migaloo is albino or leucistic, which means he is unable to "produce pigment but has colored eyes."

The name Migaloo itself means "whitefella" in a few indigenous languages. 

Migaloo was first spotted in 1991, around Hervey Bay and has been monitored by scientists ever since. Due to Migaloo being too well-known and so rare, special protections have been implemented to ensure nothing happens to Australia's favorite humpback. Whale watchers have to keep at least a five-hundred meter distance or face the penalty. A penalty of a fine up to $16,500.

Yikes. They aren't messing around and honestly, that's a great thing. 

A tweet predicted a Migaloo sighting that he would be by Sydney soon and even possibly reach Cape Byron around Wednesday. 

If you're in Australia, be on the lookout for the rare sighting! Though, Dr. Pirotta, Macquarie University Marine Scientist, says, "Migaloo is one of around 40,000 humpback whales so essentially it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. So when people see or may have seen this individual people get really excited and start to try and predict his movements."

"Migaloo is like the rock star for the ocean world because he's showing that we should care about the ocean. But also remembering that because he's so famous we need to be aware of our actions on the water," Dr. Pirotta added.

Seems like Australia reigns up top when it comes to rare sea life! 

Story via DailyMail

There's so much beauty under the sea. These creatures swim with just grace and can be so mesmerizingly colorful! 

Sure, it's slightly terrifying and there's so much unknown about the world below but that makes it all the more exciting! 

Let's take a quick dive and explore some of the treasures the deep blue has to offer! 

Created by the brilliant Christian Talbot and illustrated by the talented Sophie Hodge, "The Life of Sharks" is the best sea-life comic we've come across!  

Seriously. Not only are these comics really funny, but a lot of them are relevant to events happening in this day and age and done in such a clever and fantastic way. 

And for all the hardcore shark fans out there -- there's an online shop with hilarious shirts and mugs! 

Finally some good news! In 2010 there were a total of 5 whale sightings off the coast of NYC. That's right, five. Last year, the number of whales spotted was a staggering 272! That is a 540% increase in just 8 years! And almost all of the whales spotted have been humpbacks! This is such a wonderful triumph. And we have environmental policies such as the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act to thank for that. 

Paul Sieswerda, once a curator at the New York Aquarium for over 20 years before starting Gotham Whale, says lessening the pollution in the Hudson River has also played a large part in this whale restoration. According to Pew Charitable Trust's Mid-Atlantic Conservation Project, the most important fish in the sea is the fish Menhaden - due to how many other sea animals eat them (including the humpback whale). And the Menhaden are attracted to tiny green algae, which the cleaner water at the Hudson river was able to provide. 

Sieswerda had this to say about the majestic giants of the sea, "The sheer size alone is incredible. They're like buses, and to think that's a living animal and to think that has the power and grace to completely jump out of the water when they breach is a spectacle that I think is unique to the animal kingdom."

Wow! Who else has the urge to go diving and see these exquisite sea critters in person? Did you know that there are more than 3000 known species of sea slugs (Nudibranch)? And each one is so colorful and unique, it was hard to limit it to just 35 images! 

New Stunning Print Advertisement Created By Ogilvy Germany for the Sea Shepherd organization. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a non-profit marine conservation organization established in 1977 by Captain Paul Watson, a world renowned, respected leader in environmental issues and co-founder of Greenpeace. Its mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and act when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas.