Cruz

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

I remember those from childhood. We called them “parachute spiders”.

[Drunk Monk]

I can bring you some, if you like.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Oh, thank you — but no thanks. Maybe you can send some to G-Man to entertain his tarantulas

[Greg]

Babies.

We have a ton of spider silk floating around the neighborhood at the moment. It bodes well for the upcoming festival of Tarantulas! Can't wait to see how the dogs react to them. Probably, by popping them into their mouths.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Saw a parachute spider floating over Balboa St.

His hair was *perfect*.

[Drunk Monk]

Drinking a pina colada at trader Vic’s?

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Drinking a pina colada at trader Vic’s?

Awoooooooooooo!

[Greg]

I loved going to Trader Vic's in SF.

[Drunk Monk]

Hey brothers. With all the heat, why don't y'all come down for a nice cooling swim?

[Greg]

[thatguy]

g
--tg

[Drunk Monk]

We got all sorts of fun things here for you tourists.

(Via Alison Gamel)

COAST LIFE

Researchers monitoring dead gray whale calf at Seacliff, but cause of death likely to remain a mystery
BY MAX CHUN
Source:  Lookout Santa Cruz 

Quick Take

The dead whale calf found on Seacliff State Beach continues to move south with the tide, said Long Marine Lab Marine Mammal Stranding Network lab manager Juli Limon. Scientists are likely unable to perform a necropsy on the carcass because it has decayed significantly since it washed up last week.

Published 7 Hours Ago 



Researchers tracking the gray whale carcass that washed up on Seacliff State Beach last week say it’s unlikely that they will be able to perform a necropsy on the 20-plus-foot marine mammal, leaving its cause of death to remain unknown.
The whale calf was first spotted between 5 and 6 p.m. on Oct. 2, at the shore directly in front of the cement ship SS Palo Alto, where the since-demolished Seacliff pier stood for almost a century. By the next day, high tides had swept the corpse back into the ocean, where as of Wednesday it continued to float south.
While large, stranded marine animals typically show signs of an attack, injury or other indications of the cause of death, this one did not. In order to figure out what caused the whale’s death, researchers would need to perform a necropsy — a post-mortem examination of a corpse — for evidence. But at this point, that seems out of the question.
Juli Limon, the lab manager for the Long Marine Lab Marine Mammal Stranding Network, which has led the response, said the whale’s positioning had prevented a necropsy even before it had floated back out into the bay.
The dead gray whale calf washed up at Seacliff State Beach on Oct. 2.
(Via Alison Gamel)
She said that the carcass would need to be fully landed on the beach and enough distance away from the waterline so that waves would not be a safety hazard. Since the corpse was within the surf for the majority of the time prior to its drifting back into the ocean, the lab was unable to safely necropsy the whale or get any samples beyond a routine blubber sample, which can provide only basic information about the animal’s life.

Gray whales: What to know about our West Coast leviathans and their uncertain future
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Limon added that an internal exam is necessary for a robust necropsy. That would include examining tissues, organs and the skeletal system for signs that could help determine the animal’s cause of death.
(Via National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Some samples of tissues and organs are then examined for signs of trauma, while others are collected to undergo testing for issues such as viruses, toxins, parasites or bacteria. In this instance, however, it appears that it won’t be possible to perform the procedure. Limon said the carcass is “decomposing rapidly and has had severe scavenging,” and scientists obtain the best information when the body is as fresh as possible.
T[url=https://beachboardwalk.com/drive-for-schools/?utm_source=Lookout+SC&utm_medium=Standard+Display+Ad&utm_campaign=Drive+for+Schools]his is why we rely heavily on the public to report stranded marine mammals when they first spot them,” she said. “Once they start decomposing, our chances to successfully necropsy these animals decreases.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, gray whale strandings reached a recent peak in the U.S. in 2019 at 122, but declined to 39 so far this year.
Limon said the lab is monitoring the carcass as it continues to move south with the tide.

[Greg]

Time to bring in the dynamite!

[thatguy]

"Puppy biffed my stick" was a surfer-mocking phrase we tossed around in high school and where my old nickname came from. Now, surfboard stealing otter "841" has a pup!

https://www.ktvu.com/news/infamous-santa...o-cute-pup

Infamous Santa Cruz 'Otter 841' gives birth to cute pup
October 24, 2023 11:26PM

Infamous Santa Cruz Otter 841 gives birth
The surly otter, who made headlines this summer for evading wildlife officials and stealing surfboards in Santa Cruz, is back in the news. The announcement came Tuesday that Otter 841`gave birth to an otter pup.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. - The surly otter, who made headlines this summer for evading wildlife officials and stealing surfboards in Santa Cruz, is back in the news: Otter 841 has given birth to a very cute pup. 
Santa Cruz photographer Mark Woodward, who goes by the handle @NativeSantaCruz on X, has been keeping tabs on the otter's hijinks for some time. He shared a photo of mother and baby on Tuesday. 

Otter 841 became a bit of a summer social media sensation, garnering much attention for commandeering surfers' boards and demonstrating no fear of humans. 

"This is so amazing," Woodward wrote. "I suspected she might have been pregnant due to her increased belly size. Before today, last saw her 3 days ago. She’s a bit far out there, but from my vantage point, both mom and pup are doing fine." 

Otter 841 was threatened by wildlife officials with euthanasia if she became aggressive and bit a human. 
Many on social media demanded U.S. Fish and Wildlife leave the otter alone since she was in her natural habitat. When wildlife officials tried to catch her, the otter wouldn't take the bait. At the time, she was considered a threat to public safety. 
In one of her greatest hits, Otter 841 was actually seen wrestling a board away from a surfer on video. 

Wildlife experts had previously said sea otters' behavioral changes can be attributed to the energy they expend gathering food for their ravenous appetites. 

Hopefully some of 841's aggressive demeanor has subsided now that she's a mom. 

--tg

[thatguy]

This could be filed under food, but I’m putting it here…

New made-in-Santa Cruz vodka
Cannabis comedians Cheech and Chong are still at it. Savvy businessmen in real life, the duo is coming out with an irresistible holiday season gift. It's a new vodka called The Judge's Water made in the Santa Cruz Mountains and part of the profits will go to help people who are still jailed due to cannabis offenses. EMB's Mark C. Anderson reports there is also something else quite unusual about this locally-made product.  Read more...

—tg