Dr. Erin Oleson
Dr. Bruce Mate and Dr. John Calambokidis
Dr. John Calambokidis and Dr. Erin Oleson
Dr. John Calambokidis
Dr. Bruce Mate and Volunteer Al Goudy
Big Blue
Dr. Erin Oleson is searching for B-Probe signals in California.
Dr. Bruce Mate and Dr. John Calambokidis prepare to tag whales in California.
A blue whale surfaces in the California Channel Islands.
Two blue whale blows in the California Channel Islands.
The patterns of azure, green and gray that mottle the back of a blue whale and the patch of white on the tip of its flipper will last its whole life. Such unique markings allow scientists to catalog individual animals.
Flip Nicklin photographs a crew member documenting a baby blue whale. Even as a baby, a blue whale can make a grown man seem like a minnow. Decades ago, with their numbers plummeting, this species became a symbol of environmental woes. Now such healthy youngsters offer hope that the giants can be saved.
Dr. John Calambokidis and Dr. Erin Oleson aboard their RHIB in the Santa Barbara Channel.
A blue whale shows its tail fluke in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Dr. John Calambokidis in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Scientists approach a blue whale in the Santa Barbara Channel to tag for scientific information.
Scientists tag a blue whale in the Santa Barbara Channel.
Surfacing with a splash, a whale exhales, then inhales enough air to fill a van, all in a second and a half.
Taking the lead in a heaving September sea, whale researcher Dr. Bruce Mate prepares to fire off a satellite tag designed to track his target’s autumn journey south from California. Behind him, volunteer Al Goudy aims a biopsy dart.
While tagging whales from their 85-foot-long vessel in the Santa Barbara Channel in 2007, scientists discovered a body floating belly-up. An autopsy revealed fatal injuries from a collision with a ship – probably one speeding cargo in or out of Los Angeles. Speed limits and relocating shipping lanes could help save lives.
The patterns of azure, green and gray that mottle the back of a blue whale and the patch of white on the tip of its flipper will last its whole life. Such unique markings allow scientists to catalog individual animals.