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. 🦭
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 🐬
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.
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 🐬
👩🏼🔬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
🐋Who's YOUR ocean science hero? Tag a female ocean scientist that you admire in the comments below!
#marmam #marinebiology #anacortes
March 8, 2025 at 6:45 PM
👩🏼🔬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
🐋Who's YOUR ocean science hero? Tag a female ocean scientist that you admire in the comments below!
#marmam #marinebiology #anacortes
💚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
whale-tales.org/podcast/epis...
#marmam #anacorteswa #marinemammalscience
March 5, 2025 at 6:29 PM
💚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
whale-tales.org/podcast/epis...
#marmam #anacorteswa #marinemammalscience
Stay tuned for some awesome drone footage of harbor porpoises! #marinemammals 🐬
March 1, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Stay tuned for some awesome drone footage of harbor porpoises! #marinemammals 🐬
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...
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
February 20, 2025 at 4:18 PM
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...
app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifie...
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
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJhM...
#salishsea #womeninresearch #marinemammals #marmam #harborporpoise
February 18, 2025 at 3:34 PM
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
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJhM...
#salishsea #womeninresearch #marinemammals #marmam #harborporpoise
💚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
#salishsea #womeninresearch #womeninmarinebiology #marinemammals #marinemammalscience #anacorteswa
February 14, 2025 at 3:18 AM
💚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
#salishsea #womeninresearch #womeninmarinebiology #marinemammals #marinemammalscience #anacorteswa