DAME'S WILD WORLD

Behavior isn’t random. Growing up with autism changed how I understand behavior—and how studying animal behavior revealed patterns, meaning, and different ways of thinking.

Animals don’t act randomly. Discover how scientists study animal behavior through observation, patterns, and experiments—and what these actions reveal about survival and evolution.

Marine animals don’t think like humans. Discover how dolphins, whales, and octopuses communicate, solve problems, and adapt to life in the ocean.

In honor of the Year of the Horse, let’s take a closer look at how these animals powered trade, migration, and industry

Valentines Day recently passed and it encourages spreading love and gratitude to others as well as caring for one that may matter in your life. Not only can care spread to humans, but we can also show care to pets, wildlife and our Earth.  A great example of something we can care for that is not each other is the ocean. There are many problems relating to the ocean or global warming that may be too out of reach since they can be colossal, but there are also other local soluti

A Guest Post from a Mom I’m not a marine biology expert. Before my child became passionate about the ocean, I couldn’t have explained whale migration patterns or marine ecosystems. But I’ve learned something beautiful from listening. One of the first stories my child shared with me was about humpback whale mothers and their calves. The Humpback Whale carries her baby for nearly a year. After birth, the calf stays close — sometimes swimming right beside her body for protection

A Marine Protected Area is a part of a region such as an ocean, beach, lake, or a body of water that is designated for preservation, conservation, cultural purposes, and marine resources. One of the highly focused goals of Marine Protected Areas is to conserve or increase biodiversity in these areas. Some may argue that Marine Protected Areas are important while others may think that they are useless.  Positives of Marine Protected Areas There are many positives that come wit

A student - driven exploration of wildlife, environmental science, and the diverse systems that keep our planet alive.

Zoos and aquariums are a great place to go to spend time with your family. Many exciting features such as different types of animals that children and adults can learn about and view in person without being at risk of an attack. Although people are educated by some animal facts, some may not know the full reason to why zoos and aquariums exist. Some also believe that aquariums and zoos are holding back conservation and are keeping different types of species in jail. Are zoos

If you are learning about the ocean or other natural bodies of water, you may have heard about the concept of a dead zone. A dead zone, also known as hypoxia, is when a part of a body of water has less oxygen than normal, which causes life to not form or develop in that area of water. Dead zones are becoming more common overtime because of actions that us humans do.  What Causes Dead Zones? There are many ways that dead zones can form. A primary reason why dead zones exist ar

When people think of marine ecosystems or habitats, people think of the ocean mammals such as dolphins, whales, fish, coral, and more. Some may overlook the birds because they do not live underwater. Birds are just as important and cool as every other animal in a marine ecosystem.  A Gray Pelican in Mexico (Credit to Embla Munk Rynkebjerg) The Variety of Birds Birds can differ depending on the habitat. Many species are able to fly while some others such as penguins cannot. Ev

Many manmade structures that sink to the bottom of the sea are sometimes preserved but in most occasions, they are left alone to never be thought about again. Now, marine scientists are preserving manmade structures such as sunken ships in order to make artificial reefs. This may be a new concept to some, but artificial reefs are human made structures that are intentionally optimized and placed in marine ecosystems in order to add shelter for some species and to add more biod

Fishing can be a sport, a way of finding food, or a hobby. An average person fishing may not harm multiple ecosystems, but corporates and industries catch too many fish for us to eat, which causes the phenomenon known as overfishing. Stated by World Wildlife Fund, "Catching fish is not inherently bad for the ocean, except for when vessels catch fish faster than stocks can replenish, something called overfishing".  Even though fisheries try to catch specific fish in the wild,

The Pacific Ocean was a toxic wasteland billions of years ago. Now, it is the mother of many plants and marine life. The Pacific ocean is so big that hundreds of years of research still does not cover the entire ocean. Stated by NOAA, "The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ocean basin on Earth, covering more than 155 million square kilometers (60 million square miles) and averaging a depth of 4,000 meters (13,000 feet)" . In this article, we will cover the mother of th

Kelp forests are one of the most important habitats on the west coast. They may not be as visually pleasing to some compared to coral reefs out in the tropical waters, they can be amazing in many ways. There are multiple kelp forests scattered across California's ocean waters, but some people may have never heard of kelp forests. A Sea Lion Surrounded by Kelp in Channel Islands Kelp Forest. (Credit to Ventura County Coast) Kelp Forests for Dummies Kelp is a brown type of seaw

Algal blooms are affecting marine mammals in unexpected ways. From toxic waters to unusual behavior, here’s how ocean ecosystems are being disrupted.