Science News Madden Science News List on Twitter maddenscience David Madden Science Education + Adventure 🎥 youtube.com/@maddenscience 🐆 🌍 🧬 maddenscience.com @maddensciencestudio CALIFORNIA SEA LIONS! [Zalophus californianus] Th LESSONS FROM THE DESERT: Attention is the beginni SCORPIONS! 🦂 One of my top goals and bucket list This is what it is like to be the universe looking Baby Barred Owls [Strix varia] by @maddenscience. How nature says, “DO NOT TOUCH!” More Amazon Rain Amazon Rainforest Wild Creatures of the Night! I GUEST SCIENTISTS: Here are some of the many wonder BIRD BEAK COLLAGE, by @maddenscience. I had a ma BEAKS & PROFILES OF THOUGHTFUL BIRDS, by @maddensc Tall Timbers Research Station 🌲 🔥 Prescribed fire Baby Great Horned Owls 🦉 are somehow both fierce a Baby Great Horned Owls! 🦉 Showing off their fun p Baby Alligators 🐊 What do you call a group of bab GOPHER TORTOISE! [Gopherus polyphemus] Gopher Tor This Madden Science field documentary was filmed a A wonderful adventure with Miami University of Ohi A wonderful adventure with Miami University of Ohi Bristle Thistle [Cirsium horridulum] Some close up BALD EAGLES (juveniles) [Haliaeetus leucocephalus] Load More Follow on Instagram
![CALIFORNIA SEA LIONS!
[Zalophus californianus]
This is some of what was going through my mind: What a wild and triumphant experience swimming with these fun and playful marine mammals. I hope you get a sense of their agility and inquisitiveness and their effortless movements. My team had to practically drag me out of the water when it was time to move on (stay tuned for what we moved on to...)
Sea Lions are magnificent animals and one of the most playful mammals. They displayed all of their aquatic acrobatics here in the shallow waters surrounding this island in the Sea of Cortez. Darting, diving, twisting, blowing bubbles, they seemed to be flying more than swimming.
Other than marveling at their movements and playfulness, I couldn't stop thinking about their keen hunting and perceiving adaptations, namely their hydrodynamic sensors called vibrissae (whiskers). Evolution has honed these super sensors to be able to detect water flow and movement. They have extraordinary sensitivity, allowing them to detect the water wakes and tiny vortices left behind by fleeing fish. These specialized mechanoreceptors even reduce interference from the sea lion's own swimming, allowing them to detect the subtle hydrodynamic trails left by prey.
All pictures were taken at The Vermilion Sea Institute and Rancho San Gregorio during Miami University’s Project Dragonfly Baja Earth Expedition.
All footage by David Madden @maddenscience
@vermilionseainstitute @projectdragonfly @miamiuniversity @huraconecotours @claire.tours @yeyos.tours
#sealion #maddenscience #vibrissae #playful #bajasealions](https://maddenscience.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)