Video

WHALE SHARKS | [Rhincodon typus] | Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja, Mexico

“Look down! Look down!” yelled Roberto. This was after jumping into the Sea of Cortez, catching a wave and big gulp directly to the face, and looking around trying to figure out where the shark had gone. And then there it was - a fish the size of a bus, swimming peacefully beneath us.

Whale sharks are the largest fish on Earth (and likely the largest fish ever)! These giants feed on the ocean’s smallest organisms: plankton, fish eggs, tiny crustaceans, and small fish. *All those floating specks in the video - yup, that’s the plankton.

Whale Shark spots and patterns are just like a fingerprint where each shark carries its own unique constellation. Here’s the most excellent thing ever → the technology used to compare those patterns grew out of algorithms originally designed to match patterns of stars in celestial constellations. 🌌💫▵🦈Full circle - the two most amazing experiences in Baja. Connected. We spent our nights beneath an incredible canopy of stars and our days searching the sea for another kind of constellation moving just beneath the surface.

When I think back on that day, the science is only part of the equation. There were the furious kicks trying to keep up with cruising whale sharks, followed by those few beautiful moments of interbeing and tranquility when we could just be in their presence. There was Jayne lending me her fins after mine broke. And most memorable was sitting on the side of the panga with our legs dangling over the edge, eager with childlike anticipation — waiting for what would become a transcendent, soul-filling experience.

The work done by the folks at the Vermilion Sea Institute is beyond extraordinary (MEGHANN!)! They are real life bio rock stars. Whale sharks are currently classified as endangered globally. Protecting them requires everything from global agreements and safer fisheries and shipping practices to protecting special places like Bahía de los Ángeles where they gather to feed.

IMMENSE GRATITUDE: Thank you @vermilionseainstitute @huracanecotours @claire.tours and @projectdragonfly + Mike for the additional clip!

“An astronomical pattern-matching algorithm for computer-aided identification of whale sharks Rhincodon typus.” Journal of Applied Ecology
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01117.x

WHALE SHARKS | Baja, Mexico | Interbeing + Galactic Patterns & The Experience of a Lifetime

Baja Paddleboarding + Ocean Adventures
“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or THE SEA.” - Isak Dinesen

Awake each day at 5 a.m. and on the ocean before first light - tranquil, still, and soulful. Such a joy to wake up with the sea creatures as the sun rose above the mountain islands of the Sea of Cortez. The wonder and peace of adventure above and below the waves. 🌅

I get by with a little help from my friends: 🐡🐠🐬🐢🐦 + Grace 🏄🏻‍♀️📷
📍Vermilion Sea Institute + Miami University’s Project Dragonfly Baja Earth Expedition

@vermilionseainstitute @projectdragonfly @miamiuniversity
#Baja #SeaOfCortez #Paddleboarding #OceanAdventure #MaddenScience

Awake in Baja | Paddleboarding | Sunrise in the Sea of Cortez | Ocean Adventures [BdLA]

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

Snorkeling with Playful California Sea Lions : Bahia de Los Angeles, Mexico [4K]

How Nature Says “DO NOT TOUCH”! Peruvian Amazon Rainforest at Night

Amazon Rainforest Wild Creatures of the Night!

In order of appearance:
Giant Millipede
Armored Harvestman
Tailless Whip Scorpion
Longhorn Beetle
Leaf Cutter Ants
Giant Moth Caterpillar
Giant Millipede
Wolf Spider
Fuzzy Moth
Huntsman Spider

I'd love some help with Genus species:

Wild Peruvian Amazon Rainforest Creatures of the Night!

This was unbelievable, and possibly the most wonderful and awe inspiring nature events of my life! Filmed just off the coast in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, this 4K drone nature film captures a superpod of bottlenose dolphins moving through clear blue Gulf water. I spent close to an hour filming these amazing dolphins (used up two batteries). It was endless awe and fascination watching these wild and playful behaviors unfold in crystal clear emerald water. I did my best to follow and track the pod - it was a fun and challenging task!
The group includes both adult dolphins and babies, with nearly 100 dolphins swimming, splashing, leaping, and playing together in one of the most beautiful wildlife scenes I’ve ever seen. Bottlenose dolphins are highly social marine mammals. Their groups often shift and change, a pattern scientists describe as a flexible “fission-fusion” social structure. NOAA notes that bottlenose dolphins may travel alone or in groups, and those groups often break apart and come back together over time.
Check out the many behaviors in this video: fast swimming, upsidedown swimming, synchronized movement, leaping, splashing, and breaching may serve several purposes. In dolphins, aerial behaviors can be connected to play, communication, coordination, social bonding, and sometimes feeding or travel.
This film is a reminder that the Gulf of Mexico is ALIVE! with complex animal behavior, family groups, communication, and wild intelligence. Filmed in 4K60 and edited in slow motion for a meditative and peaceful view of dolphins along Florida’s Emerald Coast.

Dolphin Superpod in Crystal Clear Emerald Coast Waters | 4K Drone | Playful Curious Joyful Dolphins

GUEST SCIENTISTS:
Here are some of the many wonderful and generous scientists who have been guest speakers in my AP Bio class. THANK YOU!

Dr. Sean B. Carroll, University of Maryland + HHMI
Dr. Steve Yanoviak, University of Louisville
Carl Zimmer, New York Times
Dr. Paul Frazel, Princeton University
Dr. Tom Miller, FSU
Dr. Morgan Hawkins, FSU
Dr. Darin Rokyta + Venom Lab, FSU
Dr. Mike Ormsbee, FSU

+ Many other wonderful scientists who have shared their expertise and insights (and valuable time) in my classroom 🙏

These Are Some of the AMAZING SCIENTISTS Who Come Speak in my AP Biology Class.

Exploring the Magic & Beauty of Econfina River : Emerald | Gainier | Pitt Sylvan | Williford Springs

Adorable Baby Great Horned Owls : Intimate and Goofy Close Encounter in 4K