ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT - HELP

We only have 3 days left to take advantage of a matching funds offer. (Sounds like NPR).
southernfriedscience.com is offering to match any funds donated to Bonehenge for the next 3 daysIf you scroll down on their site, you will come to an image on the right of a Sperm Whale skeleton that says 'donate now'. There is a link to Bonehenge.org but don't click the link because you will only get the matching funds by donating on his southernfriedscience site. Take a look at the Bonehenge.org site though, it is really interesting and worth donating to. A sperm whale skeleton is being re-articulated here in Beaufort, NC in a building built just for this project. There are some state of the art procedures being used such as x-rays of one of the flippers that was frozen at the time of stranding to assure accuracy in arranging the complex flipper bones, comparisons to human bones of the same approximate age, analysis of stomach contents and bone degreasing. We are learning from what has and has not worked in the past.
Thanks !

Stranded Right Whale

This past winter a Right Whale stranded on Shark Island which is right off Cape Lookout near Beaufort, NC.

We were asked to get some additional tissue samples after the necropsy(autopsy for an animal) had been completed. The whale seemed to have been entangled and also to have a curvature of the spine. It was thought to be a 2 year old male. Where it had stranded was a very tricky site only accessible by boat and only at a certain tide.

The first picture shows how even though we mourn the loss of the whale, the seagulls remind us, as we arrive, that nothing is wasted.

Keith and Duck, a volunteer, work at getting the samples as they stand with chilly ocean above their knees.

They returned successful.

The good news is that this year there was the highest number of Atlantic Right Whale calves born in the last number of years. They are very endangered.

photos by Brooks

The Main Players

Here are Keith Rittmaster and NanBowles, the long time CapeLookout/Dolphin ID staff. Keith is Curator of Natural Sciences for the North Carolina Maritime Museum. It is surprizingly often that you will see Keith carrying a marine mammal skeleton somewhere, on the phone is pretty typical also - on the boat picture is coming. Nan, who is usually pretty colorful, manages the data for Dolphin Photo ID Project and whatever else needs doing. Everyone here is very good at wearing multiple hats. She has the best 'dolphin spotting' eyes out on the boat. I am a helper who is doing this blog. Any errors are my responsibility. There are many wonderful volunteers who keep everything from boat engines to morale in excellent condition.photos by Brooks

Cutty and Neonate

'Cutty' was seen swimming with her newborn calf Sunday, May 24th, 2009 in the Newport River. The Newport River goes past Beaufort NC up to Core Creek and is also the Intracoastal Waterway (a couple of us live here too). This is a place where moms and calves are often seen spring and summer - some refer to this area as the 'nursery'. We have seen Cutty since 1985 in the Beaufort area although not every year. We also have seen her with other calves. We are excited. In the picture you can see the fetal folds (the dark lines across the back of the calf). Like us, they pretty much have to curl up in the uterus due to lack of space. She was with 2 other dolphins when she was seen.
photo by Keith Rittmaster

Spyhop Log becomes Spyhop Log blog

Welcome as Spyhop Log moves into the 21st century by becoming Spyhop Log Blog. Expanded mission, some changes and lots of activity. Keep checking with us.
Our biggest change is the Bonehenge Project that started in 2004 with a stranded Sperm Whale at Cape Lookout, NC. That whale's skeleton is now being prepared to be re-articulated and will eventually hang in the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC. Check all the info and pictures at Bonehenge.org. It's fascinating - just last month there were 6,644 hits.

We continue our 18 year Bottlenose Dolphin photo ID work in Beaufort, NC with a NOAA Fisheries protected species research permit.
And we respond to Marine Mammal Strandings in our area and help with necropsies. Over the past year there have been both dolphins and whales.

Our NC Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program keeps growing and we just sent off 31 pounds of of monofilament line (that's a lot) for recycling. We now have 39 recepatcles installed at key fishing sites and shops with more on the way.

Pictures and more details will follow, at least you know we are still doing the work and are very much alive and well.