Difference Quiz

The male and female Vaquita are exactly the same, except for

A) their eye- and mouth-patch color.

B) their vocalizations.

C) their size.

D) their speed.

*I have decided to try something new. Every now and then I will post a multiple choice question to test your Vaquita knowledge. 🙂 Try to answer it on your own, but please, if you have any problems, use this or any site on the blogroll. Google works too. When you think you have the right answer, leave a comment with that letter, and I will have a post congratulating the first person to correctly answer the question. The point of this is to have fun and get involved in Vaquita research. Good luck!

A reason to fret

The Vaquita has a reason to fret:

When the Mexican sun begins to bake,

Fisherman fish, for their family’s sake.

Out, their nets (to catch fish and shrimp) are set.

When our friends get trapped, their matches they’ve met,

They can’t escape, it’s not a piece of cake.

The Vaquita then dies; its life God takes.

Again, Vaquita are conquered by net.

There is an answer. We don’t have to seek.

If we get the nets out of the water

Vaquita’ll thrive with our sons and daughters.

Their warbles will be as smooth as honey.

Our children’ll see the Vaquita, so meek,

But all we need is a lot more money.

Conquered by net

A Vaquita inhales the ripe sea air,

Causing a scare.

After a pause he rolls into the deep.

Downward he creeps.

Through the kelp and grass he winds to and fro,

Swiftly he goes.

He locates and chases a huge plump grunt.

He’s on the hunt.

He catches the fish and travels due west;

He does not rest.

Caught in a trap, he whines, wiggles, and frets.

Conquered by net, conquered by net.

Whale watching

Join the American Cetacean Society Monterey Bay chapter for a Gray Whale watching adventure this Sunday, Jan. 22. This is an annual event with all proceeds generously donated by Monterey Whale Watching to ACS to help fulfill the mission of research, education and conservation of whales and dolphins for only $35. Reservation info here: http://starrsites.com/acsmb/tripwntr.htm.

Cinquain

Vaquita

Timid, Grey

Echolocate, Dive, Swim

Vaquita need your help.

Endangered

*I am excited to say I am getting my non-Vaquita poem, The Egg, published in a poetry book! I recommend checking out the website, http://www.poeticpower.com/. You can read the poem below:

 

The Egg

An egg was on the dunes of the lovely beaches of St. June’s.
One fine day the egg had split, a tiny beak popped out a bit,
Out came a little gull, of which species, I can’t recall.
Covered with fluff, not very tough,
The chick was rather pathetic.
Feathers bold, feathers long, the mother was firm and strong,
And to the most extent, athletic.

As the years passed, the chick grew too.
The sun at full blast, he flew and flew.
He flew and flew where blue met blue.
Salt whipping at his face,
He raced and raced and raced and raced.
The beautiful gull had crossed the sea
And found a spot beneath a tree.
He got a mate, not a second late,
On the lovely beaches of Regg.
They dug a ditch, the female flinched.
And then she laid an egg.