Watch out! Tiger beetles run so fast that they temporarily go blind. To avoid tripping hazards (and find prey!) they run in short bursts, taking breaks to orient.
Field Notes: There is something in the water.
Splish-splashing for science? Researcher Amelia Munson shows the benefits of working in a different type of “field” environment!
Newsroom: Just the Tipping Points
Check out how male water strider mating tactics exhibit tipping points based on group size and composition in our latest Newsroom piece by ABGG student Adrian Perez!
Field Notes: Singing Titi Monkeys
A typical morning of titi monkey vocalization recording starts off with a 4:30 AM alarm. I roll out of bed, start coffee, and am out in the door in under ten minutes. The 20-minute drive goes by quickly as I mechanically drink my coffee. As I gather my recorder, microphone, and camera, interns begin to show…
Field Frame Friday: Dimethylsulfoniopropionate: what a mouth full… of food.
Bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus) or ‘omilu in Hawaiian are able to detect dimethylsulfoniopropionate (say that 5 times fast, or just say DMSP). DMSP is a chemical produced by phytoplankton (marine algae) that is an indicator of food productivity. This chemosensory adaptation is important for foraging success! [Photo and caption by Karli Chudeau] DeBose, J.L., Nevitt,…
Newsroom: A Bee of All Trades
Check out our newest piece by ABGG grad student Adrian Perez, telling us all about the task repertoire of honeybees!
Sunday Sketch: Glow-In-The-Dark Pocket Shark
A new species of pocket shark (Mollisquama mississippiensis) that was found in the Gulf of Mexico has recently been classified. Pocket sharks get their name from the “pocket” glands behind their pectoral fins. The glands in glow-in-the-dark pocket sharks produce a bioluminescent fluid. Their bodies also generate light all over from bundles of glandular organs…
Field Notes- The Tale of the Pilot Study: Where little goes as planned and not all data fits into a spreadsheet.
“Please put your tray tables up and your seats in their upright position to prepare for landing.” Looking out the window, a mosaic of vivid aqua, bright cerulean, and deep indigo below indicates that we have reached our island destination in the middle of the Pacific. The flight attendant’s announcement instigated a flurry of activity…
Creature Feature: Slave-making ants
“Take no prisoners!” said no slave-making ant ever.
Field Frame Friday: I wanna eat where the fishies are (but I can’t).
Unlike other marine birds such as cormorants and pelicans, western gulls (Larus occidentalis) don’t have the ability to dive. They considered foraging generalists and have 3 primary foraging methods: picking up prey from the ground or intertidal zone, surface dipping (pictured here), and jump plunging (where gulls will jump off a rock head first to…
Field Frame Friday: Meet George the gentle giant and his magic poop
The introduction of a ‘replacement’ species to areas that have suffered ecosystem damages due to the extinction of a similar species can greatly improve ecosystem health and species diversity. For instance, introduction of Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) to an area that had recently lost all large frugivores (animals that eat mostly fruit) that were…
Creature Feature: Loxo and Mud Crabs
In the animal kingdom, zombies really do exist! The cause is most often some nasty (but fascinating) parasites, and you’d best believe that these parasites are truly terrifying to their respective hosts.
Sunday Sketch: Bee Kind to Native Pollinators
Native Californians like to do more than drink kombucha and go surfing together. Native poppies like these depend on pollinators like the long-horned bee (Eucera frater albopilosa). Bee Mixed-Media contributed by Amelia Munson Flowers Grown & Pressed by Ryane Logsdon (@itendswithe on Instagram) Source: Frankie, G. W., Thorp, R. W., Pawelek, J. C., Hernandez, J.,…
Field Frame Friday: White-tailed tropic bird chicks are on the ‘more frequent, but smaller meals’ diet
White-tailed tropic bird (phaethon lepturus) chick survival depends more heavily on the frequency in which they are fed rather than the amount in which they are fed. They’re the original supporters of the millenial ‘5 smaller meals per day over 3 larger meals per day’ diet. [Photo by Nick Chudeau and caption by Maggie Creamer]…
Sunday Sketch: Rockin’ Cockatoos
Humans aren’t the only accomplished drummers in the world! Palm cockatoos have been observed using tools to drum on trees. In many cases, males will drum in the presence of females. Visual and vocal displays often accompany these rhythmic beats. That’s right-these cockatoos know how to rock! Sketch contributed by Victoria Farrar and fact contributed by Lindsey Broadus…
Field Frame Friday: Hummingbirds are so. fly.
Hummingbirds (Trochilidae) rely less on thrusting themselves into the air using their legs than other birds during take-off. Instead they compensate by using their wings earlier on in the take-off process. This phenomena was observed most when hummingbirds took off to either escape something startling or to initiate aggression with another habitat (rather than simply…
