1. What are you doing while you are in Antarctica? We are studying the foraging ecology and physiology of one of the Southern Ocean’s top predators—the leopard seal. Leopard seals are known for their sharp teeth, reptilian appearance, and voracious appetite. However, many aspects of their basic biology remain a complete mystery. Our goal is…Continue Reading 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Our Upcoming Antarctic Field Season
Category: Antarctica
Meet Our Leopard Seals
Our research project would not exist without an incredible group of leopard seals that are sharing an incredible wealth of information about their species with us. And, without further ado, here they are! VIOLET (#128) Violet is the first leopard seal we tagged as part of our research project on the feeding ecology and physiology…Continue Reading Meet Our Leopard Seals
Studying leopard seals in Antarctica
Our research team, with the self-appointed nickname of Seal Team 5, is on our way back from a five week trip to Antarctica where we were studying the feeding ecology and physiology of one of the top predators in the Southern Ocean: the leopard seal. Our team consisted of five researchers from the University of…Continue Reading Studying leopard seals in Antarctica
Leopard Seal Foraging Ecology and Physiology
We are in the process of preparing for a potential field effort in Antarctica investigating the foraging ecology and physiology of leopard seals! We will update this blog as we move forward, so stay tuned for more details. A bit more detail about our project… The climate of the Antarctic Peninsula is warming, resulting in less…Continue Reading Leopard Seal Foraging Ecology and Physiology
Early Antarctic explorers in the Ross Sea
As you’ve probably heard in the news, the Council for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) recently announced the creation of the world’s largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Ross Sea (see press release here). This is, without a doubt, a major success in our efforts to preserve the most pristine marine…Continue Reading Early Antarctic explorers in the Ross Sea
Meet The Onion
No, I’m not talking about myself (although I do have many layers). Work in Antarctica is all fun and full of glamour, except when it gets cold and windy (i.e. all the time). As I have mentioned before, we are conducting a series of necropsies on dead animals that we have to find before they freeze, in order…Continue Reading Meet The Onion
Warning: This post might contain bloody pictures (Ewww! Gross!)
Biologist are weird creatures. Most people like to stay the heck away from blood, which is more than normal, acceptable and sane. Biologists, however, happen to have to get in bloody messes as part of their job so that science can happen. Let’s recap though. Last time we heard about the adventures of B-267 was…Continue Reading Warning: This post might contain bloody pictures (Ewww! Gross!)
We demand more cuteness!!!
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!!!
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?