Blog Migration

Like the marine mammals we love so much, it's time for the Spyhop Log to migrate. We're putting the log right onto the Cape Lookout Studies website! Right now, (8/7/12) the new site isn't quite up and running. But it will be soon and all the posts listed here will be available there. The new website is going to look very different, but will still have all the best content that Keith and Co. have had on the site for so long. Also, there are some older spyhop logs on that website, that will be added to the back end of the blog - so you can look way back to when Keith had more hair started the original Spyhop Log.

We estimate the new site will be up and running before the end of the month, and we'll let you know when that happens. The old Cape Lookout Studies website has served the program for many years, but it's time the program had a website as up-to-date as the research they've been doing and as dynamic as the people who have been doing the research!

Stumpy the Right Whale is Being Installed in the NC Museum of Science

Keith Rittmaster, the leader of Cape Lookout Studies Program,was in Raleigh, NC last week working with Dan DenDanto and his Whales and Nails team installing a reassembled  52 foot right right whale in the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. Good practice for the 34 foot sperm whale  that Keith  will soon install in the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC.

Un-posed above and posed below. Above, Keith is in the red t-shirt and below in the blue hard hat with the Whales and Nails team.

For more information. about the whale reassembly process in Maine.
And here for more on the installation work at the Museum of Science.
This will be an amazing educational display. Stumpy, and her calves, were right whales well known to researchers. She had migrated up and down the Atlantic Coast for years.She was found floating dead near the NC-VA border after being hit by a large ship. At the time of her death she was almost ready to deliver a male fetus. The fetus died. His skeleton will be displayed where she was carrying him at the time of their death. Her jaw was broken from the ship strike. Pieces of her jaw bone were used to research the damage from a ship strike at different ship speeds. This is valuable information that will help establish the speed that ships can safely travel in waters where these whales live and travel.

Beaufort NC Dolphins - Fabulous Photographs Showing Dorsal Fins, Xenobalanus and Action

A fabulous collection of Keith Rittmaster's photographs of our local Beaufort, NC dolphins. Notice the  differences in dorsal fins (the fin on the back). That is how we ID them and keep records of individual dolphins sometimes going back over 20 years. Notice in the upper right photo something hanging off the  top of the dorsal fin - like a decorative fringe or tassel. That is actually a barnacle called Xenobalanus that only seems to attach itself to whales and dolphins. We believe we will learn more about dolphin travels and activities once we know more about  Xenobalanus.          More information about this hitchhiker barnacle

Old Friends Return

Minke Whale Baleen

MOST IMPORTANT - this article is just for your interest because it is illegal for anyone without an official government permit to possess any part of a marine mammal. This piece of baleen is legally permitted. 

 As I was preparing to unfreeze and condition an entire rack of baleen from a minke whale that stranded in Cape Lookout Bight , I knew 3 things:

1. I didn't want it to smell

2. I wanted it to retain its beautiful white color    

3. I wanted it to remain as flexible as possible

I found less definitive information than I expected but what I did find was fascinating.

-Baleen is fine textured creamy white with pure white bristles

-Baleen is made of keratin – animal protein. The hair-like structures of baleen are actually small tubules composed of concentric, alternating layers of keratin and hydroxyapatite. Keratin is the same tough protein found in fingernails, and hydroxyapatite is the same mineral that makes bones strong. Using Hair conditioner with keratin will help maintain flexibility in both plates and fringe

This link seemed to be a 'hair conditioner' as pure as any I found with a substantial amount of keratin.

http://www.fashionandbeautystore.com/keratin-express-conditioner.html

PREPARATION OF MINKE BALEEN

To clean and prepare:

-Baleen is not soluble in water but it can be softened in hot or boiling water

1. Soak in fresh water for at least 3 days (checking to confirm water is not evaporated)  and longer if it has been frozen. Then wash in hot soapy water
2. A toothbrush is a good size tool and if the baleen pieces are held apart it is easier to get at the side near gums, so blood vessels, fat, debris, tiny critters and flesh can be completely cleaned away.
3. Rinse well with fresh water
4. While drying, to keep from warping, either attach to a board or put under pressure of weight. Fans will help speed drying but even so it will probably take at least several weeks. 

 Important technical details:

The factors that cause deterioration of baleen are the same for hair, horn, wool, and feathers, and they are:

1. Water softens and swells the fibers (making the baleen easier to split and

weave).The higher the water temperature, the faster the rate of degradation.

2. Heat induced oxidation; greater than 302° F causes bond cleavage.

3. The alcohols methanol, ethanol and n-propanol cause swelling; isopropanol

causes contraction. In both cases a chemical change (called esterification) occurs.

4. Oxidizing agents (hydrogen peroxide) and reducing agents (used in permanent

waves) cause degradation.

5. Acids less than pH4 and alkalies cause degradation

6. Physical abrasion causes deterioration.

After cleaning protect baleen (and feathers, horn, hair, and wool) from intense light and heat, rough handling, wetting by water or alcohols, and acidic or alkaline solutions.

Compiled by Brooks from multiple sources and photos by Brooks.

   

. 

Keith Rittmaster's Fabulous Presentations !!

The first one on, Monday evening, September 26, was sponsored by Go-Science's Science Cafe at McCurdy's  Restaurant on the Atlantic Beach Causeway.What a great crowd !!! His presentation was about Bonehenge (our sperm whale skeleton re-articulation project) and even though  some of us had heard a presentation about Bonehenge several times, it was still fascinating. He always adds  new pictures and information to each presentation, so I go as often as I can. It was an over flow crowd. The excitement  of moving towards the final 6 months before the display moves to the NC Maritime Museum is amazing when we look back at the whole process.For great information about the sperm whale from the stranding at Cape Lookout January 2004 to its skeleton now hanging in a beautifully dynamic dive in the bonehenge barn click here.bonehenge

 
The second presentation was Friday evening September 30 at the NC Maritime Museum. It was about his NOAA marine mammal survey cruise this past summer. (There is lots of info about this in  previous posts on this blog). It was so mesmerizing that no one got up to leave when it was over, we just asked questions and kept Keith talking. We learned what ship board life was like; how incredibly good the food was; the science of deep water acoustics; how different data was collected; how funny they looked in their safety suits; the differences inside and outside the under water canyon and much more.What a gift Keith is to our Beaufort community  !!

Post Hurricane Turtle Rescue on Indian Beach, NC

Story and photographs by guest blogger Kim Merrels.  Here's the story of a wayward turtle, named “Squirtle” by his/her rescuers, as told told by Kim Merrels, long time Indian Beach resident and long time Cape Lookout Studies Program Volunteer: “On Sunday, Sept.4, 2011, several of us were enjoying a beautiful afternoon on Indian Beach.  Jimmy Watkins noticed something crawling up the beach from the ocean.  We thought that it was a baby turtle. A neighbor, Johnnie Tyson, put 3 little sticks around it, to "mark its spot in the sand." I called Keith Rittmaster to find out what to do, and he gave me the name and phone # of Matthew Godfrey, Coordinator of the NC Turtle Project.  When I talked to Matthew, he had me describe it to him, and he determined that it was a Diamondback Terrapin, a land turtle, rather than a sea turtle.  He also said that they live in brackish water like the sound, rather than in the ocean, and suggested if there were any way to return it to the sound, that would be the best thing to do. I put it into the little bucket, and Reid Watkins, 16, daughter of Jimmy Watkins, who first saw it, drove Walker Woodall, age 6, his aunt, Susan Daniel, and me to Willis Seafood in Salter Path on the Sound to release “Squirtle” . After letting the owners, Wade and Vesta Willis, know why we were there, Vesta explained that during Hurricane Irene the sound washed over the island to the ocean taking all kinds of critters with it. Walker, with a little help from Susan, released the turtle into the sound.  'Squirtle' dove and surfaced twice, and then swam away -- hopefully, to somewhere close to its original home.”  Kim  Thanks Kim !!! One of the easiest ways to tell a land turtle from a sea turtle is the land turtle will have clawed feet and the sea turtle will have flippers instead of feet.

Wildlife at Sea - Final Dispatch from Keith Aboard the Gordon Gunter NOAA Marine Mammal Assessment Cruise

Following are an incredible 3 posters taken by Keith and other scientists of wildlife they saw on their 6 weeks up and down  the north western Atlantic Coast aboard the Gordon Gunter for an annual Marine Mammal Assessment Cruise See link following for a picture of their route. http://spyhoplog.blogspot.com/

Remember, you can click on each 'poster' below to enlarge it !

Work and Play Aboard the Gordon Gunter

A rich life of work and play far from home. Look forward to learning what the data shows.

Enlarge this poster for more detail and to read the type.

Green Flash and Brown Noddy

 This update came in from Keith Rittmaster July 27, 2011 from the NOAA Marine Mammal Assessment Cruise.
Above is a picture of a Brown Noddy that hitched a ride on board for awhile.    He wrote in his email  that Capes Hatteras and Lookout are  marine mammal hotspots, and Lookout is a loggerhead hotspot.  But Lookout also seemed to be the trash hotspot.  He also said how interesting it was to experience the different biology of the inner and outer continental shelves.  

   He continues: "Now we're in blue water off northern Florida and seeing pilot whales, bottlenose dolphins, spotted dolphins, and grampus whales around the inner shelf break.  No sperm whales since Lookout.  We saw a mola breach high out of the water which I would have never imagined could be possible.  In fact I didn't believe my eyes, but 2 other people saw it too.  

Offshore bottlenose dolphins are very entertaining bow riders twisting and doing back flops." 

   

These pictures of the green flash are amazing, they are the best representation of it that I have seen. All the decades I've lived on one coast or the other and looked for the green flash, I never saw one. (You may want to enlarge the pictures to see it better).

Today's Dining Room fare:  Wahoo ceviche for dinner.  Quesadillas with mango salsa for lunch.  Every breakfast has 'ship made' yogurt, fruit salad, pancakes, and omelets to order.  Our bananas are on the way out so we've been eating lots of banana bread. The chef even makes soy milk and tofu on board from organic soybeans." 

I know he misses home but it's hard to feel too, too sorry for him.

Mid-July Dispatch from Keith Aboard the Gordon Gunter

Update From Keith

You can click on these for a larger image. 
I like how the spotted dolphin sequence makes clear when the dolphin gets its spots.
And, what a sunset.

July 2nd Dispatch from Keith on Marine Mammal Observation Cruise - 55 miles off Cape Lookout, NC

Keith continues on the NOAA Marine Mammal Observation cruise.

On July 2nd they were at the tip of the red arrow.The nearest point of land was Cape Lookout where on board they were seeing/hearing lots of sperm whales!!!  The latest group was 3 calves at the surface - presumably the moms were below foraging.  The calves were silent but the others that were deep could be heard - "knock..knock..knock" like a distant carpenter.  The acoustics folks who monitor 6 towed hydrophones 24/7 said not only can they hear sperm whales click, but they can tell when the whales capture and swallow a squid.  Wow.  

On June 30th, Keith reported that it was rough and stormy the night before,   so that morning, they moved to an inside track where the weather was better.   There they saw bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, and 3 loggerhead sea turtles (they didn't see any turtles further offshore). There were lots of Wilson's storm petrels too.  

And finally, to the really important info., Keith says:

    "The food on board is nothing short of incredible.  Chicken cordon bleu last night, roast duck breasts tonight, with homemade sweet potato pie - "Mississippi sweet potatoes, not those inferior NC sweet potatoes" exclaimed our very talented, educated, and upbeat chef Margaret who wears tie dyes and listens to the Grateful Dead.  Delicious guacamole, hummus with warm pita bread, fresh squeezed limeade" are often available too. 

Maybe he'll bring us all a doggie bag.

Second Dispatch from Keith Rittmaster's NOAA Marine Mammal Assessment Cruise

If you look carefully (or enlarge the picture by double clicking on it) you can see where the ship made extra loops. Makes me wonder what they sighted there. The information in the white 'observation box' is really interesting, be sure to look at it.

Last dispatch we saw the moon and here the sun - amazing definition. I am surprised there was a heron that far off shore. And the flying fish, for me, are like seeing a critical time in an evolutionary process from fish to bird, or from water to air breather. (That is my musing, not a scientific statement)

Keith says he's not very good at juggling and mainly just chases around tennis balls, but as he picks them up he exhales, keeps his knees straight, and pretends he's doing yoga. 

He sounds very busy, not a lot of swinging in the hammock time, this is serious work.

Start of Keith Rittmaster's NOAA Marine Mammal Assessment Cruise

Here is Keith Rittmaster's first dispatch from aboard the Gordon Gunter. They are on their way to Key West (not to play) and then out to deep water.
Refer to previous post for the path of the cruise. 1st Posting - NOAA Cruise
Below, that is Keith on the binoculars and his is the upper bunk, notice the open laptop. He can send and receive emails on board. I think the pictures of dolphins look like incredible paintings.
I am truly excited that he is sharing this adventure with us. 

All photographs copyright by Keith Rittmaster

Keith's NOAA Cruise

Keith will be taking leave from NCMM to serve as a scientist (marine mammal observer) aboard the 225' NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter (http://www.moc.noaa.gov/gu/) in the deep blue Atlantic Ocean.

He will be part of a team of 14 scientists including other marine mammal observers, oceanographers, birders, and acousticians.  Their study area will be off the Atlantic coast between 28d & 38d N latitude, inshore to the 50 meter isobath and offshore to the U.S. Economic Exclusion Zone (approx. 200 miles offshore). This area includes two historic sperm whaling destinations ("Hatteras Ground" and "Charleston Ground") which is of particular interest to him.  The primary objective of the cruise is to help estimate abundance and distribution of whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in the U.S. Atlantic waters.  His responsibilities will include standing watch on 25x150 military binoculars (termed "big eyes") searching for cetaceans, directing the ship to any sightings, identifying the species, and counting the individuals.  Other projects on board: 24/7 acoustic monitoring, biopsying whales for DNA, oceanographic profiling (temperature, oxygen, conductivity, productivity, and plankton at various depths), and identifying birds, sea turtles, and other marine wildlife.

He plans to provide  periodic dispatches (with photos) for blog posting.

Five Students Receive Grant from 'Protect Wild Dolphin' License Plate Money

Keith Rittmaster feels it is important to support students who are actively involved in  research to expand our knowledge of marine mammals. Even when money is tight in his own programs, he makes supporting student presentations a reality every year.  

Monofilament Recovery and Recycling

Today we sent off 13.4 pounds of monofilament from recycling bins around the county to be recycled into fresh water fish habitats. 13.4 pounds of monofilament is equal to 12.25 miles. I wonder how many marine mammals, birds and turtles were prevented from being tangled or from filling their stomachs with this killer.

Bottlenose Dolphin and Epimeletic Behavior - Beaufort, NC

Spring Brings in the Turtles !!

Dwarf Sperm Whale Sighting and Subsequent Stranding