mesoplodon's Favorites

Dia 82, un individuo.

Day 82, one individual.

Relacionado con // Related to:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2667158
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2667199
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2667420

Underwater recording of Weddell Seals by the McMurdo Oceanographic Observatory (www.moo-antarctica.net). Of potentially soniferous marine mammals, only Weddell seals occur in the area at this time of year. Verified also by regular visual/video observation. Hydrophone at 21m deep. (Attached photo is example of Weddell seal near the observatory site, but was not taken at the same time as the audio recording).

A pod of 300 seen as we arrived at the drift site, gave incredibly close views over a period of about 15 minutes.

Others (@kyeturnbull, @nhaass et al) have better photos.

Also seen same day were a smaller pod of False Killer Whales (no photos from me but see others), Risso's Dolphins (ditto), and likely Offshore Bottlenose Dolphins as well as a few other potential whale/dolphin sp.

This pretty bristleworm has confusing taxonomy - can someone please help? "Reef Creature Identification," p. 90, calls it Painted Bristleworm - Hesione picta - but apparently that's old school:
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=328339

1. Nautilus event log: snip of one of the polychaete (x3) now identified as Acrocirridae indet. .
2. ONC annotation (SeaTube): DESCRIPTION:Jar 1 polychaete.
3. Real-time online science chatroom:
4. Description from live audio recording:

5. SeaTube URL of ROV video and audio: https://dmas.uvic.ca/SeaTube?resourceTypeId=1000&resourceId=23543&diveId=2651&time=2018-07-15
   >>NOTE: please click the link then COPY-PASTE the following timecode to the end of the URL: T16:41:21.000Z

6. Additional details: White bodied with yellow heads, swimmers.

With Ulva sp. on pelage. Photos published in: Hayes, F. E., S. Codde, and S. G. Allen. 2022. Epizoic cyanobacteria and algae on the pelage of pinnipeds: a literature review and new data for the Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina). Pacific Science 76(1):69-78.

25 to 50; many photos of animals bow riding, breaching (mostly young babies, of which there were 5-10), and even heard calling (recording on video by Matt Hafner), a high multi-note high (Xantus''s Murrelet quality) sit-sit-sieeeeoooo, but also variable.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S8340649

First New Zealand record. Saw the bird sheltering behind a small bush for around 30 minutes. It then turned and scurried out of sight behind the cliff face. 5 minutes later the bird was back in the same position behind the bush.

Red-billed Gull x Black-billed Gull Hybrid

The F1 Hybrid

Te Papa specimen

Data and comparison to pure birds are within the observation photos

Originally collected in 1971, by L. Gurr (Louis Gurr)

Bill is shorter than a Black-billed Gull but skinnier than a Red-billed Gull.
An intermediate size/shape of the two.

Primaries show white spots that are larger than a Red-billed Gull's

Bill colour may have detreated slightly, but also appears to be an intermediate colour of the two species.

Last photo shows a comparison with the other hybrid (F1 top).