Marine Mammals

 Which way to the seafood buffet? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Humans fish the ocean — but marine mammals gotta eat too! There ARE Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, where they can forage undisturbed. But how do we decide what regions should be under

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Heart of a Whale

Be still, my beating heart! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down on Science. Healthy human heart rates range from about sixty to one hundred beats per minute. Too slow or too fast – we feel lightheaded and weak. How about blue whales? They are the largest animals,

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Sharky Soundtracks

Can you hear “the music of the . . . deep?” This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Remember “Jaws?!” Brrrr! I don’t know which was scarier the thirty foot shark or that creepy soundtrack! Andrew Nosal from UC San Diego and colleagues pressed play. They

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Speedy Sponges

As these sponges filter water for food, they collect DNA that can be used for biodiversity surveys. A. RIESGO

Whoooo lives in a pineapple under the sea?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. SpongeBob Squarepants is quite the active sea sponge! But scientists have long assumed that REAL sea sponges can only move early on in life. As adults, they’re thought to settle down

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Sound Bites

White Spotted Ray

CRUNCH! Who’s eating all the popcorn shrimp? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sea critters have NO patience for shucking shellfish! Many predators munch straight through the hard shells. And like kids sneaking chips in class, wild shell chompers leave no evidence behind! So –

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Baby Shark Food

What has rows of sharp pearly whites?! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying… BABY SHARK! Mighty Jaws sits on top of the oceanic food throne. Where adult white sharks munch on marine mammals, like dolphins, found near the water’s surface. But when you’re a

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Deep-sea Camo

A deep-sea shrimp on a black background

Let’s play hide and seek… under the sea? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Dark, gloomy, and cold … it’s the deep sea! With only a little light filtering down, how do animals communicate? Shrimp use special body cells called photophores that light up. But these

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What the Shell?

  Can she sell sea shells by the sea shore? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Sea shell hunting is SWELL. But when carbon dioxide levels rise, the ocean gobbles up shells instead of sharing! See, carbon dioxide is absorbed from air or stirred up

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Heart of a Whale

Be still, my beating heart! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with The Loh Down on Science. Healthy human heart rates range from about sixty to one hundred beats per minute. Too slow or too fast – we feel lightheaded and weak. How about blue whales? They are the largest animals,

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Danger Down Under

Ten foot venomous tentacles lurking in the ocean? It’s the box jellyfish! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Box jellyfish stings could easily be something from a horror movie. Especially terrifying? The monstrous C. fleckeri! Its venom causes pain, tissue damage, and even death! Swimmers,

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