Oceans 4Ever

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)!

“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!

They’re nicknamed “Sea Canaries,” and they live in waters so cold, it’s amazing that anything can survive.

Their name is Russian for “white one.”

We’ve seen members of their species up-close in captivity, where they splashed and seemingly posed, smiling from the water, for Alexa’s camera.

These are the Beluga whales of Cook Inlet, Alaska, and in this, their natural habitat, they were added to the endangered species list last October.

Are the Belugas being threatened by climate change like species everywhere are, or are they themselves an indicator of climate change that’s happening now?

Dr. Tracy Romano, senior vice president of research and zoological operations at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, is working to find answers to these questions through research highlighted in “Sea Ghosts”, part of the Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures series, which airs tomorrow night at 8 p.m. eastern on PBS (check your local listings).

Tune in or set your DVR. Here’s a sneak-peek: