Oceans 4Ever

Where you been all our lives? Oh, extinct? I see.

The gray whale hasn’t been seen in the Mediterranean Sea for nearly 300 years.

This past Saturday, one such whale was spotted off the coast of  Tel Aviv, Israel, very far from where grays normally live (in the northwest Pacific ocean, where they travel from the Arctic region all the way down to Baja, California, near Mexico).

A gray whale hasn’t been spotted in that part of the world since the late 1600s-early 1700s, and scientists have long thought grays were extinct in the mediterranean.

That’s one heck of a Cetacean road trip.

Israeli scientists even caught the 40+ foot-long rebel whale on film.

Take a look:

Exciting? You bet!

Scientists are a-splash over this discovery, and say it’s “the most amazing sighting in the history of whales.” 

Will there be more? And what in the WORLD are they doing all the way over there?

Read the above link for more, and check out some gray whale facts here to get up-to-speed on this incredible creature and how scientists think it made its journey to the other side of the world.

• Quiz: what does a gray whale NOT have the most other whales do? Which other whale is also missing it? Tell us in the comments below for a special surprise from O4E! (If you get it right, we will notify you and send you your prize. Deadline for answers is 5/19/10)

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Happy 2010, ocean lovers!

We’ve been away too long, and have missed everyone in the ocean blogging community. But new year, new blog and we’re ready to get splashing again!

Alexa has a thing for Belugas. So, naturally, when we found out that Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium is about to introduce their Beluga calf to the world this Sunday, January 24th, at Shedd’s new Oceanarium, (which we visited the day it opened last May) we had to share.

The five-foot four, 185-pound calf, the fifth successful Beluga birth for the Shedd, was born to Pujii (poo-EE-jee) on December 14.  He meets his public this Sunday, and will continue bonding with Mom, nursing and interacting with “roomies” Naya, Mauyak and Shedd’s 24-hour marine mammal team for everyone to see.

Starting TODAY through March 12, visit the Shedd website (above) for a special coupon to bring your babies to meet this baby and get one free child pass with the purchase of an adult pass to the Shedd.

Witness his entry into the world, aka birth,  here:

Let us know if you go! He’ll be in the water waiting for you Sunday at Noon CST in the “Icy North” in Shedd’s Oceanarium. Send us your baby Beluga pics and we’ll post them up here.

And be sure to follow his baby Beluga steps on Shedd’s interactive animal page.

Up next: get crazy with us tomorrow for a very exciting Freaky Fish Friday. You won’t be disappointed (even if you don’t know Japanese)!

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“OH. My. GOSH.”

That about sums up this video of an Atlantis tour submarine encounter with a pod of Humpback whales off Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, on April 5th.

Once in a lifetime experience – at least for most people we know!

Thanks to Michael of Maui Reflections for turning us onto this one.

An Earth Day gift from O4E to you.

Enjoy!

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