Elephant shrews (now in the Family Macroscelididae) were originally classified as true shrews due to their obvious physical similarities. However, studies using actual genetic sequences to analyze evolutionary relatedness show that elephant shrews are not closely related to shrews and actually belong to an African lineage which includes aardvarks, manatees, and elephants! Sketch by Nicole…
Field Frame Friday: Share the shore!
Pinnipeds (i.e. seals, sea lions, and walruses) are considered amphibious marine mammals, meaning they spend significant parts of their life on land. For example, this elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), hauled out on a popular beach in Point Reyes National Seashore during mating season (which has begun on the coast of California). These animals spend a…
Ask A Scientist: So many animals!
Wondering Whale asks “How do you decide what animal to study?” Good question, Wondering Whale! Deciding what animal to study depends on a few different things, but one of the first things we can do to help us decide is to think about why we want to study animals. You may have a specific scientific…
Sunday Sketch: Bird’s Eye View
What big eyes you have! Ostriches have the biggest eyes of any land vertebrates– roughly the size of a billiard ball. Sketch and fact contributed by Amelia Munson Source: Brown, L. H.; Urban, E.K.; Newman, K. (1982). “Ostriches and to Birds of Prey”. In Curry-Lindahl, Kai (ed.). The Birds of Africa. I. London, UK: Academic Press. pp. 32–37. ISBN 978-0-12-137301-6.
Field Frame Friday: “Retro” Research Methods
In the age of technology, animal behavior scientists are able to use high-definition videos, behavioral coding software, and strings of code to help with their research. Sometimes however, there is nothing quite like hanging out with your research journal and your very own eyeballs observing and recording what animals are doing. This can often be…
Arts & Crafts: Turkey Time
Happy Thanksgiving! Check out this turkey double feature from two sister explorers!
Creature Feature: Tidewater mucket mussel
If there had been a fall feast at Plymouth in the early 1600s, it probably would have included a food uncommon at modern-day Thanksgiving meals: mussels!
Sunday Sketch: Tardigrade Glow Up
A fact about tardigrade sunbathing
Field Frame Friday: Bike safety meets surf safety?
What are those dark purple lumps on the rocks below? The sea urchins, Colobocentrotus atratus, have earned several nicknames for their distinctive body shape, including “helmet urchin” and “shingle urchin.” Unlike other urchins covered in long, sharp spines, C. atratus have a smooth body and flattened spines. Their unique body plan helps them withstand pounding…
Ask A Scientist: Aggressive Hippos
Momo meerkat asks, “Why don’t hippopotamuses let other animals join them in rivers?“ Interesting question, Momo Meerkat! Hippopotamuses are actually pretty aggressive with each other. As a result, other animals, like kudu and impala (both types of African antelope) may avoid the waters when hippopotamuses are around to avoid getting caught in the middle of…
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