Well, calm down! This is scientific blog after all, so we need to set our priorities straight. Science is the reason why we are in McMurdo, under the group name of B-267 (check it out on Twitter and Instagram . I have been trying to tell you how almost cool this project is. What if they actually discover…Continue Reading We demand more cuteness!!!
Year: 2015
It’s all about the Sanctuary…
I may have been slacking on a new post but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been checking up on our tagged sea lions any less than normal. It’s kinda a fun ritual to come in to the office in the morning (I have no internet at my house) and see where everyone is…and then…Continue Reading It’s all about the Sanctuary…
We are scientists, we don’t think our study animals are cute…
Ok, that is a lie. Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddelli) are not only the southernmost breeding mammal in the world, champion divers, excellent animals models to study and much, much more, but they are also extremely cute (and that is the professional opinion of the scientific community). Among the many, many privileges of working with these animals…Continue Reading We are scientists, we don’t think our study animals are cute…
Ok, but what is this project really about?
Try to imagine the following situation: a cheetah in the savannah is chasing a prey and it finally catches it after a while. Exciting, right? (well, at least for the cat). The cheetah exercised so hard, ran so fast to catch that elusive antelope that it now needs to rest and catch its breath again,…Continue Reading Ok, but what is this project really about?
Week 3 – The end is in sight
The start of this week did not look promising as the weather kicked up over the weekend and we had some large swells come in. The waves don’t look like much, but they are much larger when you are on the water trying to navigate in a small zodiac. If the swells are too big…Continue Reading Week 3 – The end is in sight
And there are seals out there
It’s too cold, even for seals… This is the first time I get to be down on the ice this early in the season. And you can feel the difference. While the temperature has been relatively warm for this time of the year, it still is too cold for us, humans with made up insulation….Continue Reading And there are seals out there
It’s all about the wait…
Five hours in San Francisco airport. Twenty two hours in Los Angeles. Ten hours in Sydney. Five days in Christchurch… But I made it to McMurdo. Despite all the bumps that this trip has had, I am finally in McMurdo, ready to start field work. Wait… Nope. There’s the training! Light vehicle training, medical training,…Continue Reading It’s all about the wait…
Week 2 – Data!
We just finished our second week, and it was another successful one! We are over halfway to our target sample size and we managed to put out 2 of the remaining three satellite tags. We also managed to opportunistically disentangle a juvenile elephant seal who had rope wrapped around his neck. All in all….another great…Continue Reading Week 2 – Data!
California sea lions – 2015 Año Nuevo Island
I am rolling out our first ever field blog for the Costa Lab with some sea lion field work we just started at Año Nuevo Island yesterday! The field effort is being led by researchers from UCLA to understand the dynamics of Leptospirosis outbreaks in California sea lions. Leptospirosis is caused by a bacteria and is a zoonotic disease,…Continue Reading California sea lions – 2015 Año Nuevo Island
Week 1 – October 1, 2015
The day started out early, as most field days do! Año Nuevo State Park is only about a 20 minute drive from our lab at UCSC, but I had some last minute checks to do on the satellite tags to make sure they were ready to be deployed. Año Nuevo Island, which unlike the…Continue Reading Week 1 – October 1, 2015