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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

The time is now!!! We have 10 days to get at least 100 supporters to be able to create our very own Pointer harbor porpoise plushy! Please act now, pledge $2, check out the link, pledge, and share widely! (photos for reference, plush will have Pointer's marks) www.gimmeswag.com/.../pointer-...

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

This is a short but important read about the importance of biodiversity: www.seadocsociety.org/blog/nature-... "In this moment of fiscal strain, biodiversity funding is not discretionary spending. It is a down payment on our collective health, prosperity and future."

seadocsociety.org

Nature is Not a Luxury — SeaDoc Society

SeaDoc is a science-based marine conservation program. We understand that science informs policy, including priority setting and budgeting. Washington State faces difficult budget choices. With multi...

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Did you know the Salish Sea is home to over 11,200 harbor porpoises? These chubby beacons of hope are a true conservation success story! PacMam has just released a new storymap. Dive in and discover how we use photo identification to track individuals, and more! www.pacmam.org/storymap

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Happy Valentines Day! Did you know that harbor porpoises often make a splash when they mate? Males sometimes leap in their attempt, and always on the left-hand side of the female. Learn more in this open access publication: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1... or visit www.pacmam.org/publications

Harbor porpoise coming close to other harbor porpoise in mating attempt at surface

Harbor porpoise coming close to other harbor porpoise in mating attempt at surface, female is flipping tail up

Harbor porpoise coming close to other harbor porpoise in mating attempt at surface, male is leaping out of water belly towards female

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

📸 Science in Action! Ever wonder what our researchers are doing on the shore? They’re conducting vital photo-ID surveys that allow us to identify and track individual porpoises over time without disturbing them. It goes to show how much we can learn by watching closely from the shoreline. 🌊🐬

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

When you get caught housing a meal... No shame in scarfing down a delicious snack in our book—definitely no judgement from this hungry harbor seal. 🦭🐟 As an opportunistic feeders they can be spotted munching on a mangled marine animal at any hour of the day!

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

🔔 It is not too late to register for the annual Ways of Whales Workshop tomorrow, January 24 from 10:00-5:00 PM! 🐋 This year, the PacMam team will be sharing a special presentation on our harbor porpoise research...check the schedule and tune in online! RSVP today: www.pacmam.org/event-detail...

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

🌊 New Year, New Impact! 🌊 Want to make a difference in 2026? Join our mission to protect the incredible marine life of the Salish Sea! We're looking for volunteers to help with harbor porpoise and harbor seal research. No biology background needed—we provide all the training!

Woman looking out over the water from a rocky outcropping

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

As winter blankets Washington's peaks in snow, our marine ecosystem thrives below... The mountain watershed nourishes Puget Sound, creating perfect habitats for harbor seals, orcas and other marine mammals. Nature's cycles connect mountains to sea. How are you savoring this winter season? ❄️🗻🌊🐋

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Meet Paintbrush - we have seen this harbor porpoise for the past 6 years, since 2020! This is the power of photo-ID, getting to know the individuals in the population and more about their daily lives. Do you see the marks and pigmentation patterns that are the same?

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Marine mammal research is more than just statistics, it is about human observation. Our research can be described in many ways, for PacMam friend Tegan Keyes, poetry is the method she has found to illustrate their world. Find more ways we communicate science ➡️ www.pacmam.org/science-summ... 🦭🌊

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Act cool they’re watching 😳😎 These two sea lions are clearly not in the mood to share their sunbathing spot with this newbie. We can’t blame them, but what a graceful exit this little guy pulled off. 🦭

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

Want to hear a fun conversation about harbor porpoises? Check out this recent podcast with Research Director Dr. Cindy Elliser! 🐬 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/n...

podcasts.apple.com

Harbor Porpoises of the Salish Sea

Podcast Episode · Nature Now · 10/15/2025 · 27m

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Did you know Harbor seals are opportunistic predators? This means when octopus are locally abundant they become a food source for hungry seals. While the realities of nature aren’t always pretty, the interconnected relationships species maintain are essential for healthy self sustaining ecosystems.

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

A series of predictable events... Unfortunately for this gull, a hard earned hefty catch like this one isn’t going to be given up so easily. New strategy? The #LongGame, with the hopes that over time this seal might warm up to idea or drop a few scrapes in the process. 🥊🦭

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Ever wondered how you can get involved in community science programs in the Salish Sea? 🥼🌊🐬 Curious to learn more? Find out how you can join on our next sighting adventure, we are collecting research year round so it is never too late! ➡️ www.pacmam.org/volunteering

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

We are always looking for different ways to share our science - check out poems, like this one, and plain text summaries about our work here: www.pacmam.org/science-summ.... Art and science can work so well together! 🐬🐳🎨

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Can you spot the difference between porpoises and dolphins?🐬👀 A couple differences: Porpoises have round, blunt mouths unlike dolphins' elongated snouts. Dolphins have curved dorsal fins while porpoises have smaller, triangular ones. 📷: Harbor porpoise: Cindy Elliser, Pacific Mammal Research

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

🔔 Discovery alert: A local resident population of harbor porpoises has been frequenting Burrow’s Pass for 11 years!🐬🐳 Why do you think they have an affinity for Burrow’s Pass? Learn more about our most recent study: www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/6/... 📷: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver, and Ciera Edison

Harbor porpoise surfacing in front of rocks

Harbor porpoise surfacing in front of green island

Two harbor porpoises porpoising, splashing water in front of brown wooded island with a house.

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

It “takes a village” is quite the understatement. When putting the picture together, to discover how our neighbors below the surface live, every piece of the puzzle counts! 🧩🌊🐬 Curious to learn more about our community scientist opportunities? ➡️ www.pacmam.org/community-sc...

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

We recently published a study showing long-term site fidelity for harbor porpoises in the Salish Sea…but what the does that mean? 🔬🐬 Long-term site fidelity roughly means an animal is returning to and remaining in the same geographic location year over year. 🔎https://www.mdpi.com/2673-1924/6/1/9

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Excited to have our colleague Bill Keener from the Marine Mammal Center in CA out to the field site today! We have collaborated with him and other colleagues on many papers on foraging and mating behaviors of harbor porpoises. Together we are learning more about this amazing species! #collaborations

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

Join us for another great trip collecting eDNA! Don't miss this chance to collect data that will help us better understand the genetic population structure of harbor porpoises in the Salish Sea! More info here: www.thesalishseaschool.org/adult-sessions

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Always a great time at the Anacortes Waterfront Festival! Thanks to the staff, volunteers, interns, and everyone who stopped by!

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

We are interested in sharing science in a variety of ways. We have a very talented poet, Tegan Keyes, that helped us translate one of our papers into a poem - check it out! #sciencecommunication #marinemammals #baldeagle #porpoise #foodstealing 🐬

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

It was a wild time in the field last week, where our staff saw 6 mating attempts, including this one! Often we will see 1 or 2 at a time, but 6 was a bit over average. Guess they were feeling springtime! #pacmam #research #mating #marinemammalscience #porpoise #marinemammals #marmamm 🐬

Harbor porpoise male leaping while attempting to mate with female.

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

This was a very rare sighting, the first time we have seen a sea otter in our study site! So exciting to have more sightings if sea otters in the Salish Sea! #pacmam #research #seaotter #salishsea

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Earlier this April we were lucky to see the T99s while out looking for harbor porpoises. Always exciting to get to see some Bigg's killer whales. All photos taken with a zoom lens at distance and heavily cropped.

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

Excited to read this! Social structure is such an important part of understanding the lives of whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans).

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

We were so excited to see a group of 3 mother and calf pairs swimming closely together recently. They were quite cohesive hanging out together! #pacmam #research #marmamm #marinemammals #salishsea🐬

harbor porpoise group surfacing mother and calves

Harbor porpoise group surfacing mothers and calves

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

Harbor porpoises take mating to another level - an aerial one! Learn more in the chapter on porpoises we were a part of in the open access book: Sex in Cetaceans! link.springer.com/book/10.1007... #pacmam #research #marmamm #marinemammals #salishsea 🐬

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Reposted by Pacific Mammal Research

Whale Tales @whaletalesorg.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

If you've listened to episode 78 with PacMam you will have heard about how bonkers Harbour Porpoise mating is - if you don’t know about this technique we suggest you swipe thru this carousel for a preview (warning many of this pics are NSFW👀) buff.ly/fG0ZxxK #WhaleTales @pacmam.bsky.social

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Whale Tales @whaletalesorg.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

It was great to have Dr. Cindy Elliser & Kat White from @pacmam.bsky.social on the #WhaleTalesPodcast to share their results from the paper Resident Harbor Porpoises in the Salish Sea: Photo-Identification Shows Long-Term Site Fidelity, Natal Philopatry, & Provides Insights into Longevity & Behavior

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

👩🏼‍🔬Happy International Women's Day! Today, we’re celebrating the amazing female scientists who have inspired our team members through their careers in ocean science. 🐋Who's YOUR ocean science hero? Tag a female ocean scientist that you admire in the comments below! #marmam #marinebiology #anacortes

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

💚Thank you so much to the fabulous Whale Tales Podcast for interviewing PacMam on their most recent episode! We had a blast chatting with them all about harbor porpoises & harbor seals. Click the link below to listen! whale-tales.org/podcast/epis... #marmam #anacorteswa #marinemammalscience

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Reposted by Pacific Mammal Research

Whale Tales @whaletalesorg.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

This month on the #WhaleTalesPodcast we welcomed Dr. Cindy Elliser and Kat White from Pacific Mammal Research who tell us all about Harbour Porpoises in the Salish Sea including what they've found in their incredible long term work.

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Stay tuned for some awesome drone footage of harbor porpoises! #marinemammals 🐬

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

ACTION ALERT: Salish Sea harbor seals & sea lions need your help! *We must take action by 02/21!* Swipe to learn why HJM 4004 is ill-advised + how you can stand up to protect our beloved pinnipeds! #marinemammals #marmam app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Last week, our Research Director Dr. Cindy Elliser joined TokiTV and discussed PacMam's research harbor porpoises! Head to the link in our bio or the link below to watch a full recording on YouTube! www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJhM... #salishsea #womeninresearch #marinemammals #marmam #harborporpoise

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

💚Happy Valentine's Day from the PacMam team! Swipe to see what it would be like if marine mammals had dating profiles. Let us know which animal's profile is your favorite in the comments below! #salishsea #womeninresearch #womeninmarinebiology #marinemammals #marinemammalscience #anacorteswa

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

👋🏼 Hi there, nice to meet you! We're Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam.) We’re a women-led nonprofit dedicated to understanding more about marine mammals in the Salish Sea. We strive to understand & protect harbor porpoises and harbor seals through innovative scientific research & educational outreach.

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Live interview with Research Director Dr. Cindy Elliser on TokiTV at 1pm PST - check it out live, or the recording later: Facebook: www.facebook.com/share/1Ysjyj... YouTube: www.youtube.com/live/vJhM4-u...

facebook.com

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UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences @uwsafs.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

🐋The only natural predator of #baleenwhales are #killerwhales. When attacked, some fight back, while others flee. But whales also produce loud underwater songs…what stops killer whales from homing in & attacking? 🔊Find out in new research by @trevorabranch.bsky.social⤵️ fish.uw.edu/2025/02/ghos...

fish.uw.edu

Ghostly flight species of baleen whales avoid attracting killer whales by singing too low to be heard

Killer whales are the only natural predator of baleen whales. More solitary than toothed whales, baleen whales face predatory attacks from killer whales, especially mother and calf pairs. When attacke...

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Pacific Mammal Research @pacmam.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Lucky to see some Biggs Killer Whales recently in the Salish Sea! #MarineMammals

Pair of Biggs killer whales surfacing with breath seen

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