Emma's Earth Explorations

  What happened, indeed? And yes, I did just upload the first result of 'alarming spike' I saw. Again, yes, I say 'upload' because freaking blogger won't let me just copy-paste images anymore. There has been a spike in my blog's stats. Don't get me wrong, at first, I was pretty glad that people were visiting and reading my blog, and it all felt like natural growth, linear becoming exponential. But that modest, acceptable  spike in views started increasing suspiciously, and now, I'm  suspicious. Can we please go back to a normal increase in views instead of whatever is happening to my stats? I'm talking to you, random bots. Stop messing with my blog.  The thing is, these views occur at random yet evenly distributed times, making it all seem like this is normal. See below for a visual aid example.  I don't know what a random spike test is, and I don't know what's happening here anymore, but bots seem to be the usual suspects around here. I&

Also known as my latest acquisition in Abyssrium (which is better than any meditation app I've used), the Spinner Dolphin is one of the few creatures that shoots through sea foam and surf to grace us with its presence...and what a presence it  is. The Spinner Dolphin :   Stenella longirostris Description : These dolphins are a smaller species of dolphin, although males are usually larger than females. Sizes in general range from 4.5 - 7 feet in length and 100 - 180 pounds in weight. Different subspecies have different colorations, but most have a grey gradation of dark grey backs, lighter grey sides, and white undersides. All Spinner Dolphins have a gray band that runs from eye to flipper, and all possess the same slender, streamlined body shape which flows into a long beak and dorsal fin.  Habitat : Spinner Dolphins are distributed around the world in tropical and temperate waters. Based on the main regions they're found in, Spinner Dolphins have been categorized into four sub

  'Hippocampus' is derived from 'hippo' meaning 'horse' and 'kampus' meaning sea monster. Well then. I dread to ponder how the Greeks considered creatures like the Kraken and Scylla.  The Lined Seahorse :   Hippocampus erectus Description : Also known as the Northern Seahorse or Spotted Seahorse, the Lined Seahorse comes in a variety of colors including yellow, orange, red, black, gray, brown, and green. Because they cover such a spectrum of colors, the Lined Seahorse may be difficult to identify sometimes. A defining trait is the white lines that outline the area around the Lined Seahorse's neck and the white dots spotting the seahorse's tail. These seahorses are also characterized by its armor-like body which contains 50 plates that cover its body in place of scales.   Habitat :  Primarily found in the area outlined by North and South America's Atlantic coast and the eastern Mexican Gulf, the Lined Seahorse is the only seahorse found in the

  *0  Also known as the Sea Cow, Manatees have multiple nicknames from multiple cultures, none of which include Mermaid. Wait, hold on- *1 The Manatee :  Trichechus  We all know that Christopher Columbus is known for putting North America on the map. (The American education system hasn't failed us yet, right??  *2 ) However, this incredible accomplishment overshadows something perhaps even more astounding. On January 9, 1943, Columbus sighted and recorded his observation of three mermaids swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.  Plot twist: these "mermaids" were actually the first recorded observations of Manatees. Back then, these creatures were practically unheard of. Today, the awe and mystique of a Manatee sighting has faded into what are actually quite common sightings on the Atlantic coasts. Over 6000 Manatees live near Florida's coastline; these are categorized as West Indian (or American) Manatees. There are three species in total which are categorized by distribution