Latest news with #ClearwaterMarineAquarium
Axios
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Your last-minute guide to celebrating mom in Tampa Bay
If you're still looking for Mother's Day plans, we've got you. Here are a few last-minute ways to celebrate. 🖼️ Tampa Bay museums and aquariums are offering discounts for moms this weekend, including the Florida Aquarium, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the Tampa Museum of Art and the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art. The Dalí Museum in St. Pete will also offer discounted admission on Sunday in honor of Salvador Dalí's birthday. 😻 Has Mom always wanted a pet? Bring her to SPCA Tampa Bay in Largo, which is offering half-price pet adoptions Friday through Sunday. They've got 20 cats, 40 dogs and 15 small animals available for adoption, per a press release. 🥂 Nothing says "Mother's Day" like brunch. Here are a couple of unique options: Brunch at TreeTop Kitchen: Get up close and personal with Busch Garden's animal ambassadors while enjoying a buffet of sweet and savory bites. 1pm Sunday. $69.99 for adults, $44.99 for children 5-9. Goat Yoga and Mimosas: This event has it all: baby goats, yoga, brunch specials, and bottomless mimosas, bloody marys and Shock Top tall boys. $55, includes goat yoga and bottomless drinks. 9am-2:30pm at The Blind Goat in Tampa. 💐 Why buy a bouquet when you can make one? Dwell Home Market on Saturday is hosting a floral-arranging workshop, while Corner Club and Oxford Exchange will have flower bars on hand to make the perfect bouquet on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Click the links for tickets to each event. 🥐 For the fashionista moms: Feel like a Parisian here in St. Pete with the " Passport to Paris" luxury fashion show, also featuring live music, art, snacks and champagne. $125. 11am-2pm Saturday in The Sundial plaza.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
OBX orca sighting uncommon, but not unexpected
KITTY HAWK, N.C. (WAVY) — Munching on a delicious tuna, an orca whale was seen making a visit to the Outer Banks, as a Florida-based aerial survey team with Clearwater Marine Aquarium confirmed the killer whale sighting March 13. It was seen between 30 and 60 miles off the coast of Kitty Hawk. That might seem like a hike, but it's closer to land than a typical orca sighting. Marina Doshkov, a mammal stranding coordinator with Jennette's Pier, said it is not common, but it is also not unexpected. 'Once in a blue moon thing, we do see them here, they're not complete strangers,' Doshkov said. 'It's really cool to see them and get another confirmed sighting.' Orcas are all over the world, especially prevalent in the Pacific Northwest. Doschkov said the last time they had a confirmed sighting in the Outer Banks was in 2008. The Clearwater surveyors are the real deal, frequently working with Jennette's Pier staff on these sightings. This is unlike what happened in 2024, when they debunked a killer whale sighting reported by an Outer Banks beach-goer. The picture that person used actually came from a roughly 20-year-old Powerade commercial. It is part of why they always work diligently to confirm these reports when they come through. 'We do have some really special IT people who can look at sources of photos for us and track photos,' Doshkov said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Animal rarely seen off North Carolina coast spotted for first time in 5 years
KITTY HAWK, N.C. – Beachgoers in North Carolina were recently met by a big surprise guest. According to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, an orca was spotted off the coast of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on March 15. This is the first time a killer whale has been seen off North Carolina in five years, and the first sighting since survey efforts by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium began in 2020. Aquarium staff said the discovery opens new possibilities to help grow research and crucial understanding of killer whales. According to the NOAA, killer whales are found in all oceans. While most are found in colder waters such as those around Antarctica, Norway and Alaska, they are also found in tropical and subtropical waters. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute has collected more than 20 years of survey data from North Carolina to Florida. Fishermen Reel In Massive Great White Shark On Outer Banks Beach According to the NOAA, there are about 50,000 killer whales globally. Approximately 2,500 live in the eastern North Pacific Ocean, which is home to the most well-studied killer whale populations. In recent years, several populations have begun to dwindle in numbers, which has resulted in some becoming article source: Animal rarely seen off North Carolina coast spotted for first time in 5 years
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Killer whale spotted off the coast of the Outer Banks
The above video is coverage from 2024 about spotting misinformation online, after a report of an orca in the Outer Banks turned out to be fake. KITTY HAWK, N.C. (WAVY) – A survey crew that has spent the past five years tracking whale locations just had their first orca sighting — off the coast of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. According to a social media post from the Florida-based Clearwater Marine Aquarium, their research institute's aerial survey team made the exciting, rare discovery on March 13. This is a photo of the orca whale, also known as a killer whale. You can see it swimming along with a much smaller sea creature. The orca is the ocean's top predator. It's actually the largest member of the dolphin species. According to the North Carolina State Parks website, orcas are rarely seen in North Carolina waters, even well offshore. Back in 2011, though, a pod of killer whales were observed off Oregon Inlet. From mid-November through mid-April, survey teams researching the current North Atlantic right whale population take to the sky to search the waters below for mother and calf pairs. They spotted the orca near the Outer Banks while on one of these survey missions. According to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's website, there are approximately 372 right whales remaining in the entire world. There were only 20 right whale calves spotted during the 2023-2024 season. 50 calves are needed on average annually for multiple years to stop the decline. Since 2017, the whales have been experiencing an . There have been more deaths than births. The biggest threats to their population are vessel strikes, ocean noise and fishing gear entanglement. Third entangled endangered whale spotted in span of a week off East Coast WAVY News 10 has reported on several recent whale deaths in our region alone. An endangered North Atlantic right whale was found dead off the Virginia Beach coast last April. Just days later, a dead whale washed ashore at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. And this past December, a humpback whale washed up near the Bennett Street Beach Access in Kitty Hawk, NC. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers sound the alarm over unexpected threat to turtle survival: 'Warning bells go off in my head'
Sea turtles have nested on Florida beaches for 100 million years. But these ancient creatures now face an unexpected threat, reported: stronger hurricanes hitting during their nesting season. Female sea turtles crawl onto Florida's shores from March through October to lay their eggs. Each mother digs a two-foot hole in the sand and deposits about 110 soft, ping-pong-ball-size eggs before returning to sea. She might repeat this process up to eight times per season. In 2024, Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck the state's Gulf Coast just 13 days apart, washing away hundreds of nests. "Warning bells go off in my head," said Kristen Mazzarella, Anna Maria Island's turtle watch director, of dunes that have been replaced by flat sand. These remarkable animals keep ocean ecosystems healthy by controlling jellyfish populations and maintaining seagrass beds. Their empty eggshells even feed beach plants that prevent erosion. But only one in 1,000 baby turtles survives to adulthood. The odds grow worse as warming ocean temperatures intensify hurricanes and bring higher storm surges that can reach 15 feet. Heat creates another problem: The temperature of the sand determines whether eggs become male or female turtles. Warmer temperatures produce more females, which could leave too few males to maintain the population. Conservation efforts since the 1970s have helped sea turtle populations bounce back. Florida had record-high nests in 2023. Local groups teach beach visitors simple ways to protect nests: Fill in holes in the sand that could trap hatchlings, and turn off lights near the beach that might disorient babies trying to reach the ocean. Do you think your house could withstand a hurricane? No way Maybe a weak one I'm not sure It definitely could Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "What's good for the animals, what's good for the habitat, ends up also being good for us," says James "Buddy" Powell, executive director of research at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Protecting turtle-nesting beaches means preserving coastal areas that shield human communities from storms, too. You can help by supporting beach restoration projects in your area and learning more about sea turtle conservation from local environmental organizations. Small actions today will help these ancient mariners thrive for generations to come. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
