Back in August, we started the story of Toby and Xena (link), two juvenile elephant seals that are part of my graduate research investigating how marine mammals thermoregulate while diving. I don’t know if researchers are allowed to have favorites, but Toby definitely had me and my team feeling grateful for such a cooperative seal, which made the translocation part of our fieldwork a breeze. The only thing I can say that was slightly more…
Translocations Season 1 Recap Last season, Obedient Juvie (a.k.a. O.J.) and Curious Juvie (a.k.a. C.J.) helped me out with my first pilot study to test heat flux biologgers (what are these?) on freely swimming juvenile elephant seals. Not only did we learn what worked and what didn’t work in terms of sensor attachment and configuration, we also found out that translocations can take some unexpected plot turns, like having to drive 3 hours south to another elephant…
The anticipation I felt was more than I expected—every couple of hours I was logging into the Argos system database to check the latest satellite hits. Where were my seals going? Earlier that day: As a first-year graduate student in The Costa Lab at UC Santa Cruz, I was conducting my first field experiment with juvenile elephant seals (research performed under NMFS permit #19108 and IACUC approval). After finding two healthy juveniles that had not yet started…
We had 5 days to prep 4 tags—should be doable, right? Add a couple extra pairs of hands to help and it should be a walk in the park…right? Maybe I should start with the fact that I had no experience refurbishing and prepping tags before the Tag Workshop hosted by Dr. Markus Horning at ASLC. The idea of hosting this Tag Workshop grew out of the need to refurbish some heat flux biologgers (read…
Imagine this scenario: You’re going for a jog outside, but seeing some snow on the ground, you decide to put on a thermal long-sleeve shirt underneath your sweatshirt. Right as you step out the door, you sure are glad you added that extra layer. After a few minutes into your jog, you notice you’re breathing heavy and your heart is beating faster (…especially if you’re out of shape). Your skin might get red, feel hot…
“Nunca lo habían hecho antes” (translation: it has never been done before)! This became our motto on our recent research trip to Isla Guadalupe, Mexico where we are studying the predator and prey interactions between northern elephant seals and great white sharks. The phrase was inspired by a documentary about the island, and it is really fun to say in a booming and dramatic voice (try it!). Isla Guadalupe, our field site, is a small…
We didn’t run out of gas this afternoon, but we were dangerously close… We miraculously MADE IT all the way to Año Nuevo and back in the pouring rain without running out of gas. So as far as I’m concerned, the day was a success. Pro Tips: 1. Always be sure to check the gas gauge in your lab truck 2. Always bring rain gear. Despite being muddy and soggy, we went out in search…
I had never thought about how large elephant seals really are until I was standing next to a sleeping bull elephant seal for the first time, feeling exceptionally small. I have been going to Año Nuevo with the Costa Lab since April 2016 as a fortunate participant in the field course BIOE 128L, yet I had never encountered a full-grown male elephant seal until recently. The males had departed the breeding ground by the time…
As an incoming transfer student to UC Santa Cruz from inland Southern California, being able to assist with the elephant seal research conducted by the Costa Lab is an extraordinary opportunity. Last week, I had my first day out in the field with the seals; the incredible beauty of watching the sunrise while juveniles played in the waves and sparred each other was also my first introduction to Ano Nuevo State Park . So far this…
This year’s post-molt migration is proving to be unusual, to say the least. Four of our tracked females crossed the dateline during their trip to sea, more than we have ever seen from a single group of tracked seals. One of those animals, nicknamed Phyllis, has broken the distance record for a tracked animal by a significant margin. You can read more about Phyllis here. Have a look at the live tracking data for our…