Employee perk: being able to see the kelp forest with no people around (before we open!
The northern anchovy ‘yawns’ as it eats because it’s opening its mouth and eating everything
I think I’ll keep updating this thread to share the joy I see whenever I am onsite (which is going to be, often, coz I need this)
I learned that the jellies have circular tanks because.. they get stuck in corners
Sticking my phone through the holes of a fence. And finding a (I think) Brandt’s cormorant colony
Kind of unfair that a random photo out of the railings has birds and otters in it
I get to sea the open sea exhibit before we open! A sure way to know we haven’t opened is there are bubbles in the water
The Monterey bay aquarium stands on the grounds of a former sardine cannery. Due to overfishing, the sardine population collapsed. When I heard about this I thought of the Silicon Valley office parks 50 miles north, engaged in modern extractive exploitation without ever giving back.
The recovery of the bay, the work of the aquarium and the marine national park status has completely changed the environment
Attending a staff-only internal guitar concert in the open sea exhibit this morning
You can watch some live cams here (of the animals, not the concert)
Meeting in the kelp forest (we are closed today for a staff only event)
There really was a guitar concert in front of the sea nettles this morning
Move over, JK ‘TERFY’ Rowling.
Here’s ’Hairy Otter’, written by (probably) JK Owl
My friends are asking if I’m involved in any of the fun social media and I’m like nope but I love that team and I’m trying to meet all of them
(Monterey Bay is the GOAT: Greatest Ocean of all Time)
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCZ-RrjIwQy/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
The otter people didn’t let me take my phone to the behind the scenes otter feeding, but promised to send me photos after so
At work they got us to head out to connect with the ocean. Honestly can’t believe I get to be here
Also not lost on me that this very beach was yet another Chinese settlement that was destroyed by ‘fire’ in 1906
Someone just told me ‘California sheephead transition from female to male, AND conjure a sphere of mucus to protect them when they sleep’
Maybe it shows I spend a lot of time looking at jellyfish but I got in this morning and was like NEW JELLY
Many of my days in Monterey kick off here. It’s the coffee spot near work I tend to have breakfast meetings at, and also the mid point stop on my bike ride there.
@skinnylatte Awww, I wanna see penguins at work too.
There should be a law against there being no penguins at work.