Pacific Mammal Research
@pacmam.bsky.social
Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to understanding more about marine mammal populations in the Salish Sea and passing on that knowledge through scientific publications and education.
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... 🦭🌊
November 8, 2025 at 7:36 AM
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... 🦭🌊
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. 🦭
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. 🦭
November 8, 2025 at 7:16 AM
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. 🦭
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. 🦭
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/us/podcast/n...
Harbor Porpoises of the Salish Sea
Podcast Episode · Nature Now · 10/15/2025 · 27m
podcasts.apple.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:22 AM
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/us/podcast/n...
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.
October 13, 2025 at 6:58 AM
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.
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. 🥊🦭
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. 🥊🦭
October 13, 2025 at 6:47 AM
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. 🥊🦭
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. 🥊🦭
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
September 2, 2025 at 7:14 AM
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
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! 🐬🐳🎨
August 13, 2025 at 6:37 AM
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! 🐬🐳🎨
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
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
August 13, 2025 at 6:19 AM
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
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
🔔 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
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
August 6, 2025 at 3:17 PM
🔔 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
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
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...
Curious to learn more about our community scientist opportunities? ➡️ www.pacmam.org/community-sc...
August 5, 2025 at 6:29 AM
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...
Curious to learn more about our community scientist opportunities? ➡️ www.pacmam.org/community-sc...
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
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
August 5, 2025 at 6:15 AM
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
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
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
June 18, 2025 at 3:36 AM
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
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
More info here: www.thesalishseaschool.org/adult-sessions
June 13, 2025 at 6:30 AM
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
More info here: www.thesalishseaschool.org/adult-sessions
Always a great time at the Anacortes Waterfront Festival! Thanks to the staff, volunteers, interns, and everyone who stopped by!
June 9, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Always a great time at the Anacortes Waterfront Festival! Thanks to the staff, volunteers, interns, and everyone who stopped by!
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 🐬
#sciencecommunication #marinemammals #baldeagle #porpoise #foodstealing 🐬
April 26, 2025 at 6:35 AM
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 🐬
#sciencecommunication #marinemammals #baldeagle #porpoise #foodstealing 🐬
Reposted by Pacific Mammal Research
Come to our webinar at noon, Apr 30: Successes, Challenges and Maintaining Hope for #SalishSea Restoration and Protection: A Report from the Front Lines foundation.wwu.edu/event/succes...
Successes, Challenges and Maintaining Hope for Salish Sea Restoration and Protection | The Foundation for WWU & Alumni | Western Washington University
We are excited to bring together a group of passionate speakers who are actively involved in programs dedicated to killer whale protection, shoreline restoration, clean boating, community outreach, an...
foundation.wwu.edu
April 24, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Come to our webinar at noon, Apr 30: Successes, Challenges and Maintaining Hope for #SalishSea Restoration and Protection: A Report from the Front Lines foundation.wwu.edu/event/succes...
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 🐬
#pacmam #research #mating #marinemammalscience #porpoise #marinemammals #marmamm 🐬
April 25, 2025 at 6:48 AM
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 🐬
#pacmam #research #mating #marinemammalscience #porpoise #marinemammals #marmamm 🐬
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
#pacmam #research #seaotter #salishsea
April 24, 2025 at 4:42 AM
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
#pacmam #research #seaotter #salishsea
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.
All photos taken with a zoom lens at distance and heavily cropped.
April 24, 2025 at 4:40 AM
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.
All photos taken with a zoom lens at distance and heavily cropped.
Excited to read this! Social structure is such an important part of understanding the lives of whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans).
Our Executive Director @darrencroft.bsky.social and Research Director @drwhale.bsky.social are among the contributing authors of this incredible upcoming book! Not only that but the cover image was captured by CWR and features members of J Pod! Available for preorder now! Set to release Jan 2026.
🐳 UPCOMING BOOK ALERT 🐬
The Evolution of Cetacean Societies
Really enjoyed working on this project with a fantastic editorial team @andrewfoote.bsky.social @ellengarland.bsky.social @stephanielking.bsky.social
Preorder available now shorturl.at/Y58at out Jan2026
#whale #dolphin #animalbehaviour
The Evolution of Cetacean Societies
Really enjoyed working on this project with a fantastic editorial team @andrewfoote.bsky.social @ellengarland.bsky.social @stephanielking.bsky.social
Preorder available now shorturl.at/Y58at out Jan2026
#whale #dolphin #animalbehaviour
March 30, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Excited to read this! Social structure is such an important part of understanding the lives of whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans).
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🐬
#pacmam #research #marmamm #marinemammals #salishsea🐬
March 30, 2025 at 7:19 AM
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🐬
#pacmam #research #marmamm #marinemammals #salishsea🐬
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 🐬
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 🐬
March 30, 2025 at 7:09 AM
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 🐬
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 🐬
Reposted by Pacific Mammal Research
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
buff.ly/fG0ZxxK
#WhaleTales @pacmam.bsky.social
March 15, 2025 at 4:15 PM
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
buff.ly/fG0ZxxK
#WhaleTales @pacmam.bsky.social
Reposted by Pacific Mammal Research
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
March 10, 2025 at 4:16 PM
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