The humpback whale is a baleen whale with the average adult ranging from 38 to 52 feet in length and weighing up to a whopping 56 tons. Made famous by its acrobatic breaching style, lengthy fins, and lumpy head, they are also known for composing complex underwater songs. These unique qualities make this species very popular among the world’s whale watching community as they guarantee a topnotch show!

Aside from the theatrics these animals have an impressive migratory pattern and interesting seasonal feeding habits.

Humpbacks travel up to 16,000 miles in a year between feeding and breeding grounds. They feed only during the summer months by patrolling the oceans polar waters and gorging themselves on krill and various other schooling fish. They employ many different tactics to ensnare food as the must continually work to build up the fat stores they will depend on to survive the winter.

The humpback is an energetic hunter. Single whales usually hunt by direct attack or by stunning there pray with blows from there massive fins and fluke.  This species does not always hunt alone. They have been known to formulate hunting parties where they employ a very inventive technique called bubble-net feeding.

Bubble-netting is the result of numerous whales swimming in circles blowing bubbles below a school of fish. With each revolution the whales will circle tighter using their fence of air to force the school of prey to condense, so that another whale can swim up from below, mouth agape, and swallow thousands of fish in one gulp!

As the seasons shift from summer to winter they begin their migration back up toward the equator. This is the time utilized for courtship and mating. Competition for females is fierce among unrelated males as the females only breed every two to three years.

A single calf is typically born after an 11.5 month gestation period. Newborns are 20 feet in length and weigh 2 tons. During the first six months that calf will nurse exclusively on milk that is 60% fat and pink in color.

A calf needs to consume 200+ liters in a day in order to put on the weight necessary to survive the migration back to the arctic. It will then transition into a mix of independents feeding and nursing for the next six months. At the one year mark the calf is considered a juvenile and it will part from its mother and head off to make a life of its own.

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For those who like seafood, there’s no doubt you’ve indulged on the delicious Callinectes sapidus. Whether in cakes, soup, or dips, this arthropod is certainly a savory treat. This tastiness is what lends itself to the blue crab’s scientific name – “savory, beautiful swimmer”. All it takes is to crack into a threatening pincher and slide that succulent meat out, to realize the significance of the name, and become a convert to this coastal cuisine. Flavor aside, what is even more interesting is the story of how the crustacean got to your plate.

Like other arthropods, the blue crab has a very challenging life. The crab you are fixing to eat for lunch hatched from a clutch of a million eggs, and was most likely the only survivor. They then go through several life stages – from egg to zoea to megalopa to juvenile – until becoming a mature adult. The male spends the spring and summer months in a desperate search for a mate. And not just any female will suffice. He must find a female who will soon molt her exoskeleton.

Females mate only once in their lives, during their terminal molt. The male engages in courtship by releasing pheromones (chemicals that attract) while performing an impressive dance routine waving his claws and standing high on his feet. The male may have to repeat this process several times. Once the female finds the courtship routine acceptable, the male now transitions from dance partner to bodyguard. Patience ensues, as the male must protect the female until she molts, which could take days if not a week.

Finally the female peels out the back of her exoskeleton and begins her terminal molt into sexual maturity! We may now respectfully call her a “sook”. From here mating will take a few hours, and upon completion the male must wait for the female’s skeleton to harden completely before he releases her. Soft crabs are highly vulnerable to predators, and the mighty male provides protection.

Months later, the female swims determinedly to the high salinity waters to lay her eggs, her swimming legs stroking the water up to 40 times per minute!  This graceful swim further justifies their name. The eggs hatch into larvae and become part of the planktonic world. Each larva will complete several more transformations before reaching adult form, further up the extents of the estuary. Unfortunately for C. sapidus, many of these larvae become a meal for the countless predators awaiting their return. By late fall the remaining larvae will then transform into their first crab stage and after a dormant winter grow to reach edible size – just in time for summer. This is the point when you pull your crab trap, transfer your catch to a hot pot of boiling water, and call dinner.

This Blog is brought to you by Sea Turtle Camp,Assistant Director, Alden Picard.

Fascination with the natural world began at a young age for Alden as he spent his free time exploring the wilderness of Falls Lake, NC in his back yard! Alden has traveled all over the United States gaining a deep respect for nature from a summer spent salmon fishing in the heart of Alaska’s wilderness to working with coastal projects on the Carolina coast.

He is a graduate from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC where he earned a degree in Environmental Studies, a concentration in Environmental Education, and a minor in Outdoor Leadership. During college, he was a leader for EcoTeam, an environmental education program designed to connect 3rd graders to the natural world through in-class experiential education. From there, Alden’s passion for teaching and the North Carolina coast merged while working as an education intern for the North Carolina Coastal Federation. Alden took his knowledge of the coast with him to Tybee Island where he has spent the last year as instructor for the Burton 4-H Center. After an incredible summer working with passionate youth and sea turtles, Alden will begin his Masters of Environmental Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

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Sea Turtle Camp is headed back to Costa Rica with our teen marine science program. Our experienced team of marine biology instructors will introduce the female campers to the natural habitat of six of the world’s seven species of sea turtles. Participants will also take part in rafting, hiking, and a rainforest canopy zip line tour.

Wilmington, N.C., April 2013 – Our industry-leading Sea Turtle Camp will again be directing a summer camp program in Costa Rica with a two week session from July 22 through August 4, 2013 for girls ages 13-17.  The waters surrounding Costa Rica are home to six of the world’s seven species of sea turtles, providing an ideal environment for this unique marine biology camp program with its special focus on sea turtles.

Watch our Sea Turtle Camp Costa Rica Video on Vimeo.

Our Costa Rica girls-only session of Sea Turtle Camp provides a balance of activities geared to the unique landscape and opportunities that abound in this area.  The adventure begins with a two-day white water rafting expedition on the world famous Pacuare River before heading to the Caribbean coast for sea turtle education, patrolling, nest monitoring, protection, and data collection along one of the largest green sea turtle nesting beaches in the Western Hemisphere.

In addition to spending time in the river and at the beaches, we will also be stationed in the highlands of Costa Rica at a field station for tropical rainforest research with guided nature hikes and a visit to nearby waterfalls.  The trip concludes with a canopy zip line tour and a walk through the forest crown on sky bridges.
During this exclusive session, we will have the opportunity to work with live sea turtles as well as participate in daily activities designed to teach through hands-on experience.  The primary focus of our camp is to introduce students to the hands-on, real world of marine scientists and biologists.  Cultivating our students’ interest, love, and appreciation for the environment and the world around us, our educators help to inspire a lifelong dedication to ocean and marine wildlife conservancy.

The real world immersion into the life and work of research scientists is a unique and enriching opportunity for any student interested in the marine sciences.  The chance to travel to a unique and exotic location and experience different cultures, marine habitats, and ecosystems makes our adventure even more valuable.

Sea Turtle Camp runs marine biology camps worldwide including Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina and Costa Rica. To learn more about our Costa Rica program, http://www.seaturtlecamp.com/costarica.asp or download our full 2013 teen marine biology catalog by clicking here    http://www.seaturtlecamp.com/docs/Sea_Turtle_Camp_2013_WEB.pdf.

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With the careful flick of her back flippers a female leatherback sea turtle carefully digs an egg chamber into the warm dark sand of a Costa Rican beach. Once satisfied, she deposits her clutch of 50-90 golf ball sized leathery eggs along with 20 or so spacer eggs which are infertile and keep the other eggs from being crushed. After nesting is complete she begins the process of covering and camouflaging her nesting site before returning to the ocean.

Leatherbacks incubate approximately 60 days and at the end of their gestation the hatchlings use a temporary egg tooth called a caruncle to break free of the shell. For the next 3 to 7 days the cluster of newborns work together passing sand from the top of the nest down to the bottom, allowing them to rise as a group to the surface.

Once they breach the surface instinct compels them to seek out the bright horizon over the ocean. The only remnant of their “stay” is a sunken pit and hundreds of tiny tracks marching toward the waterline.

Sometimes not all the turtle hatchlings are able to make it out of the nest on their own. All the movement in the egg chamber directly after hatchling causes some to inadvertently become reburied causing fatigue, dehydration, and disorientations.

In addition to watching these magnificent creatures come ashore to nest, campers attending Sea Turtle Camp Costa Rica will join scientists in excavating leatherback sea turtle nests three days after the natural hatching. Students will assist in removing and counting unhatched and broken eggs along with handling the live hatchlings that remain. Unhatched eggs are checked for fertility and stage of development while live hatchlings are usually released after dusk.

Evaluating the content of each nest allow us to gather important statistical information on which determines the hatch and emergence rate of the nest. When this information is then added to the International Sea Turtle Database scientist can better outlines the hatch success of each season worldwide.

Can you imagine the feeling of holding a brand new baby leather back sea turtle in your hands?

Come experience the world in a different light, be part of something bigger, join Sea Turtle Camp Costa Rica!

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