Tooth raking is a social behavior often done between dolphins. It is the act of scraping their blunt teeth against the skin of another dolphin. The frequent social squabbles of Risso's dolphins result in a complete change in coloration of the dolphin's skin from dark grey at birth to almost all white later in life. But the color change isn't all due to tooth raking. Risso's dolphins eat primarily squid and the beaks and tentacles of these cephalopods can also leave scarring! We see rake (tooth marks) on may species of dolphins including bottlenose, common dolphins, and even orcas! Photo by @chelseamayerphotography********

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Family and friends are everything if you're a false killer whale. They are highly social forming strong, long lasting bonds and friendships. A false killer whale mom will nurse her calf for up to two years as she teaches her calf everything there is to know about life in the ocean. We are fortunate to have a rare encounter with false killer whales in the spring months here in Newport Beach.*********#whalewatching #cetacean #ocean #newportbeach #discoverocean #wildlifeonearth #exploreeverything #earthpix #earthcapture #animalonplanet #animalkingdom

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We all know babies learn from their moms. One way baby animals learn is by mimicking their mom’s behaviors. In this “do as I am doing” teaching style, mothers will do a behavior that is then repeated by their baby. This is the humpback whale Chompers and her new calf. Chompers is known for her “chomping” behavior at the surface of the water. This amazing video,captured by our photographer Kristin, shows the baby humpback mimicking the signature chomp of its mother. How cool is that!? ********#discoverocean #whalewatching #humpbackwhale #dronephotography #aerialphotography #babyanimals #earthpix #wildlifeplanet #earthfocus #earthofficial #ocean #dronesdaily

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From the moment they are born, baby dolphins are amazing swimmers! Young dolphins keep up with their mothers, who are more powerful swimmers, by staying right by her side. This ideal position to get a 'free ride' is right in the mother's slipstream. In this position, the mother can provide close to 90% of the thrust needed for the young dolphin to move at around 5.3 miles per hour. This helps to keep baby dolphin close to mamma, as she searches for food and travels, with little to no energy exerted by her tiny baby. Photo by @chelseamayerphotography ******** #dolphins #whalewatching #babyanimals #discoverocean #wildlifeonearth #earthcapture #newportbeach #wildlifephotography #animals #animallovers #dolphin

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A baby blue whale cruises by @newportbeach with its mother. It is a mystery where this calf was born, however it is thought baby blues of the North Pacific are born near the waters of Costa Rica. Much of this little one’s life is a mystery to us, but one thing we do know is that these babies are BIG! They are born at nearly 25ft long and weigh over 5,000lbs. They can drink up to 50 gallons of milk per day while gaining up to 200lbs in body weight! They are truly amazing animal babies. Video by our photographer @chelseamayerphotography ***
******#discoverocean #whale #whalewatching #cetacean #bluewhales #planetearth #dronephotography #dronenature #aerialphotography #roamtheplanet #dronestagram #earthcapture

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Endangered species highlight: Sea Turtles*We see several species of sea turtles here just off @newportbeach including green, loggerhead, olive ridley (pictured here) and leatherback sea turtles! Sea turtles need to come to the surface to breathe and are at risk of getting tangled in fishing nets and lines. They are also targeted by poachers for their eggs and meat and face habitat destruction in areas where they nest. *But despite all of the challenges these open ocean travelers face, they are incredible animals that travel entire oceans! The loggerhead, for example, is born in Japan and makes it’s way through the Pacific Ocean feeding on hard-shelled prey like clams and urchins. In 1996 a satellite tracker was placed on a female loggerhead turtle that traveled from the southern tip of Baja Mexico all the way to her breeding beach in Japan. That’s a 9,000 mile journey! So if you are lucky enough to see a sea turtle, ask him/her where they’ve been! Photo by Cpt Alex @bluewaterspecial ********#turtles #turtlesofinstagram #whalewatching #wildlifeplanet #lonelyplanet #bbcearth #earthcapture #crazycreatures #animalonplanet #earthfocus #ocean #pacificwild #teamocean #roamtheoceans #discoverocean #natgeowild

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Endangered Species Highlight: The Giant Sea Bass*These amazing fish can live at least 70 years, grow 7 feet in length and weigh over 560 pounds! Historically they were found from Northern California to Baja California. Today they show up around the Channel Islands (including Catalina Island) from April to October to spawn and then disappear each winter. Giant Sea Bass are considered critically endangered. The breeding population of Giant Sea Bass is only believed to be only 500 individuals. There have been incredible efforts to aid in the recovery of these amazing fish. They are a highly protected fish and they cannot be caught by fishermen. The Aquarium of the Pacific (@aquariumpacific ) and the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (@cabrillomarineaquarium ) breed juvenile giant sea bass to release into the wild and help the population grow. We were fortunate to capture these incredible fish with our @deeptrekker by underwater camera operator, @chelseamayerphotography***
******#newportbeach #fish #conservation #fathomlesslife #discoverocean #endangeredspecies #seabass #visitnewportbeach #earthcapture #earthfocus

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