http://sciencenotes.ucsc.edu/2015/pages/seals/seals.html
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Call of the Beachmaster
UC Santa Cruz science-communication student Nala Rogers put together a great summary of the work being conducted by the Reichmuth lab, part of the dissertation of Caroline Casey. Follow the link below for an in-depth description of the research that is beautifully illustrated.
http://sciencenotes.ucsc.edu/2015/pages/seals/seals.html
http://sciencenotes.ucsc.edu/2015/pages/seals/seals.html
Monday, August 24, 2015
Brandt's Cormorants raised at Ano Nuevo Island
The Brandt's cormorants at Ano Nuevo Island have spent the past
few months rearing chicks and they will soon fledge. Here is a video
taken by Pat Morris on August 18th, 2015 showing how the adults
feed the chicks:
Thursday, August 13, 2015
New research on the role of vocal cues in elephant seals!
New research by UC Santa Cruz Researcher Colleen Reichmuth and graduate student Caroline Casey give us a glimpse into the acoustic world of male elephant seals! Their work is an extension of a project done by Burney LeBoeuf many years ago when the Ano Nuevo elephant seal colony was quite young.
CLICK HERE for a detailed description of their recently published findings.
CLICK HERE for a detailed description of their recently published findings.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Real time elephant seal tracking!
This is an exciting time for Dan Costa's team at UC Santa Cruz.
Satellite tags and time-depth recorders are being attached to
elephant seals at Ano Nuevo AND San Nicolas Island. Please
follow this link to see the latest data and track these seals in real
time over the next 8 months!
http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=1100
Satellite tags and time-depth recorders are being attached to
elephant seals at Ano Nuevo AND San Nicolas Island. Please
follow this link to see the latest data and track these seals in real
time over the next 8 months!
http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=1100
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Elephant Seal Research on TV!
Jeff Corwin filmed an entire episode of his show "Ocean Mysteries" at Ano Nuevo. This episode, focused on UCSC Professor Dan Costa's elephant seal research program, will air on Saturday May 1st on ABC. It will also (eventually) be available on-demand at Hulu.com: http://www.hulu.com/ocean-mysteries
Be sure to catch this exciting view into the research happening at Ano Nuevo!
Be sure to catch this exciting view into the research happening at Ano Nuevo!
Sunday, February 15, 2015
New website to track elephant seals in real-time!
The researchers and volunteers in Dan Costa's lab at UC Santa Cruz are busy deploying satellite tags, time depth recorders, and a variety of novel tags to study the at-sea behavior of northern elephant seals. You can track their movements in real time over the next few months during their "short" post-breeding migration.
Click here to see the tracking data!
Click here to see the tracking data!
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Data From a Weanling's First Trip to Sea!
Last spring we deployed a satellite tag and time-depth
recorder on a weanling seal for his first trip to sea. After
exploring the California and Oregon coastlines for a few
months, the seal returned to Ano Nuevo and we recovered
the instruments. Here is a first look at the data from this
seal's first trip to sea:
The satellite-tracking data:
The development of diving depth:
Development of diving duration:
recorder on a weanling seal for his first trip to sea. After
exploring the California and Oregon coastlines for a few
months, the seal returned to Ano Nuevo and we recovered
the instruments. Here is a first look at the data from this
seal's first trip to sea:
The satellite-tracking data:
The development of diving depth:
Development of diving duration:
Friday, December 5, 2014
San Nicolas Island sea lion hauls-out at Ano Nuevo Island
Dan Costa's lab at UC Santa Cruz has been studying elephant seals
at Ano Nuevo for several decades, but his lab also works at many
other locations. Today, a sea lion that his lab tagged at San Nicolas
Island in southern California ventured all the way up to Ano Nuevo
Island!
So, a team of researchers went to the island to recapture the sea lion
and recover the instruments, which included a time-depth recorder
to record diving behavior and a satellite tracking / GPS tag to record
the path of the animal. The tracking tag did not work perfectly,
resulting in some gaps in the track, but it still shows the movement
from Southern California all the way north to Ano Nuevo!
Graduate student Elizabeth McHuron will be using these data in her
PhD dissertation focused on California sea lion behavior.
Click here to see tracks from all 10 of the sea lions she tracked.
at Ano Nuevo for several decades, but his lab also works at many
other locations. Today, a sea lion that his lab tagged at San Nicolas
Island in southern California ventured all the way up to Ano Nuevo
Island!
So, a team of researchers went to the island to recapture the sea lion
and recover the instruments, which included a time-depth recorder
to record diving behavior and a satellite tracking / GPS tag to record
the path of the animal. The tracking tag did not work perfectly,
resulting in some gaps in the track, but it still shows the movement
from Southern California all the way north to Ano Nuevo!
Graduate student Elizabeth McHuron will be using these data in her
PhD dissertation focused on California sea lion behavior.
Click here to see tracks from all 10 of the sea lions she tracked.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
New National Geographic Video!
Ano Nuevo is featured in a short National Geographic
video. Follow the link to learn about the history and
amazing biology of northern elephant seals!
Click here!
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Fat seals are more efficient swimmers!
Graduate student Taiki Adachi just published his research
investigating the effect of buoyancy on the swimming
efficiency of elephant seals. Seals start out their migration
without much blubber and are negatively buoyant. As they
forage and add to their blubber stores, they eventually
become neutrally buoyant. This means they expend less
energy swimming up and down through the water column.
So, for an elephant seal, it pays to be fat!
Click here for more info!
Monday, October 27, 2014
Undergraduates collect elephant seal data
The 40+ year elephant seal demography study at Ano Nuevo
relies upon researchers, graduate students, and volunteers to
collect flipper-tag resight data. We are currently training a
new group of undergraduate volunteers who will gain valuable
hands-on marine mammal experience.
relies upon researchers, graduate students, and volunteers to
collect flipper-tag resight data. We are currently training a
new group of undergraduate volunteers who will gain valuable
hands-on marine mammal experience.
 |
Undergraduate volunteers Adam Taylor, Samantha Spurlin,
Shannon Miner, and Victoria Wade observe a group of
elephant seals a few meters away.
|
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Mercury accumulation in elephant seals
Graduate student Sarah Peterson is studying contaminants in
elephant seals. She collected samples from 75 seals that foraged
all over the north Pacific and discovered surprisingly high levels of
Mercury (many times higher than bluefin tuna!). This is likely due
to mercury accumulation at mesopelagic depths (200 - 1000m) and
has implications for many other species that forage in this zone.
Click here for the full story!
Tracking data from the seals Sarah sampled
elephant seals. She collected samples from 75 seals that foraged
all over the north Pacific and discovered surprisingly high levels of
Mercury (many times higher than bluefin tuna!). This is likely due
to mercury accumulation at mesopelagic depths (200 - 1000m) and
has implications for many other species that forage in this zone.
Click here for the full story!
Tracking data from the seals Sarah sampled
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Video tour of Ano Nuevo Island
Accessing many parts of Ano Nuevo Island often requires crawling
on hands and knees to avoid disturbing the abundant sea lion and
bird populations. However, there are some periods when researchers
can walk freely and I took this opportunity to take a video. This
walk-though shows the inside of several building and several research
groups packing up to head back to the mainland after a successful day.
The UC Natural Reserve System and UC Santa Cruz maintain the
old foghorn building that is now used by researchers as a work/sleep
area. The old lighthouse keeper's house was abandoned long ago
and is beyond easy repair.
Ano Nuevo Island is full of life and provides incredible study
opportunities to a diverse group of researchers.
on hands and knees to avoid disturbing the abundant sea lion and
bird populations. However, there are some periods when researchers
can walk freely and I took this opportunity to take a video. This
walk-though shows the inside of several building and several research
groups packing up to head back to the mainland after a successful day.
The UC Natural Reserve System and UC Santa Cruz maintain the
old foghorn building that is now used by researchers as a work/sleep
area. The old lighthouse keeper's house was abandoned long ago
and is beyond easy repair.
Ano Nuevo Island is full of life and provides incredible study
opportunities to a diverse group of researchers.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Shark attacks on elephant seals
Over the past few weeks, we have seen several elephant seals with either severe or fatal shark bite wounds.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Online predator track analysis
The elephant seal tracking data collected by researchers at Ano Nuevo is used for a variety of teaching applications. The most recent is a website that combines data from several top predators in the north Pacific and allows the user to do some basic analysis such as kernel density or associations with primary productivity. It is a very slick web-based interface and includes detailed teacher instructions for several modules.
Check it out by following this link:
http://oceantracks.org/
Check it out by following this link:
http://oceantracks.org/
Ano Nuevo researchers win awards at international conference!
Two researchers studying elephant seals at Ano Nuevo won awards at the International Biologging Science meeting Last week. Congratulations to Taiki Adachi for winning best talk and Sarah Peterson for winning best poster!
Read the conference abstracts below to learn about their work:
Searching prey in 3D environment: hierarchical foraging behaviour of northern
elephant seals
Adachi Taiki 1, Costa Daniel 2, Robinson Patrick 2, Yamamichi Masato 3, Naito Yasuhiko 4,
Takahashi Akinori 1,4
1: Department of Polar Science, the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Japan (im.taiky@gmail.com)
2: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, USA
3: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, USA
4: National Institute of Polar Research, Japan
Predators are expected to adjust their movement path according to the spatial distribution pattern of
prey. In the marine environment, diving predators exploit three-dimensional (3D) environment where
small-scale prey patches are often nested within large-scale patches (hierarchical distribution). However, few studies examined the fine-scale foraging behaviour of deep divers in three dimensions. Here we applied spherical first-passage time (SFPT) analysis on 3D diving path of four female northern elephant seals during their foraging migrations. We also examined prey encounter events along the 3D diving path using mandible accelerometers. SFPT analysis showed that area-restricted search (ARS) behaviour occurred at the small spatial scale of 8-10 m (i.e. radius of sphere), which was nested within the larger ARS scale of 17-19 m. Small- and large-scale ARS behaviour occurred 4.7 and 5.9 times in a single dive on average, respectively, and covered only the small proportion (9 and 22%, respectively) of the total distance traveled during the bottom phase of dives. However, a large proportion of prey encounter events (71 and 84%) occurred during the small- and large-scale ARS behaviour, respectively. These results suggest that elephant seals effectively use nested ARS behaviour to enhance foraging success in the hierarchically structured 3D marine environment.
Elephant seals: biologgers of contaminants in the mesopelagic North Pacific
Peterson Sarah 1, Ackerman Josh 2, Covaci Adrian 3, Debier Cathy 4, Costa Daniel 1
1: University of California Santa Cruz, USA (saepeter@ucsc.edu)
2: United States Geological Survey, USA
3: University of Antwerp, Belgium
4: Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris), mesopelagic (200-1000 m) marine predators that
forage in the coastal and open-ocean North Pacific, integrate contaminants into their tissues while
foraging. We used satellite-tracked adult females (with time-depth recorders) as biologgers of mercury and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to examine links between foraging ecology and contaminant accumulation, as well as to determine how contaminant distribution may vary geographically. At the end of a foraging trip, we sampled 78 seals for total mercury (blood and muscle) and a subset of these (N=23) for POPs (blood and blubber). Total mercury in blood and muscle fell among the highest concentrations reported for marine predators. Moreover, foraging ecology influenced mercury exposure, with the highest concentrations observed in offshore, deep-diving females. We observed differences in mercury and POP concentrations across the foraging range of elephant seals, suggesting varying geographic distributions and bioaccumulation of specific compounds. Our results indicate that mesopelagic predators may be at greater risk for contaminant accumulation than previously assumed and provide insight into the potential for contaminants in elusive and vulnerable mesopelagic species. We also demonstrate how quantifying animal behavior using biologging technology can be used in conjunction with animals as biological integrators of their environment.
Read the conference abstracts below to learn about their work:
Searching prey in 3D environment: hierarchical foraging behaviour of northern
elephant seals
Adachi Taiki 1, Costa Daniel 2, Robinson Patrick 2, Yamamichi Masato 3, Naito Yasuhiko 4,
Takahashi Akinori 1,4
1: Department of Polar Science, the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Japan (im.taiky@gmail.com)
2: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, USA
3: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, USA
4: National Institute of Polar Research, Japan
Predators are expected to adjust their movement path according to the spatial distribution pattern of
prey. In the marine environment, diving predators exploit three-dimensional (3D) environment where
small-scale prey patches are often nested within large-scale patches (hierarchical distribution). However, few studies examined the fine-scale foraging behaviour of deep divers in three dimensions. Here we applied spherical first-passage time (SFPT) analysis on 3D diving path of four female northern elephant seals during their foraging migrations. We also examined prey encounter events along the 3D diving path using mandible accelerometers. SFPT analysis showed that area-restricted search (ARS) behaviour occurred at the small spatial scale of 8-10 m (i.e. radius of sphere), which was nested within the larger ARS scale of 17-19 m. Small- and large-scale ARS behaviour occurred 4.7 and 5.9 times in a single dive on average, respectively, and covered only the small proportion (9 and 22%, respectively) of the total distance traveled during the bottom phase of dives. However, a large proportion of prey encounter events (71 and 84%) occurred during the small- and large-scale ARS behaviour, respectively. These results suggest that elephant seals effectively use nested ARS behaviour to enhance foraging success in the hierarchically structured 3D marine environment.
Elephant seals: biologgers of contaminants in the mesopelagic North Pacific
Peterson Sarah 1, Ackerman Josh 2, Covaci Adrian 3, Debier Cathy 4, Costa Daniel 1
1: University of California Santa Cruz, USA (saepeter@ucsc.edu)
2: United States Geological Survey, USA
3: University of Antwerp, Belgium
4: Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris), mesopelagic (200-1000 m) marine predators that
forage in the coastal and open-ocean North Pacific, integrate contaminants into their tissues while
foraging. We used satellite-tracked adult females (with time-depth recorders) as biologgers of mercury and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to examine links between foraging ecology and contaminant accumulation, as well as to determine how contaminant distribution may vary geographically. At the end of a foraging trip, we sampled 78 seals for total mercury (blood and muscle) and a subset of these (N=23) for POPs (blood and blubber). Total mercury in blood and muscle fell among the highest concentrations reported for marine predators. Moreover, foraging ecology influenced mercury exposure, with the highest concentrations observed in offshore, deep-diving females. We observed differences in mercury and POP concentrations across the foraging range of elephant seals, suggesting varying geographic distributions and bioaccumulation of specific compounds. Our results indicate that mesopelagic predators may be at greater risk for contaminant accumulation than previously assumed and provide insight into the potential for contaminants in elusive and vulnerable mesopelagic species. We also demonstrate how quantifying animal behavior using biologging technology can be used in conjunction with animals as biological integrators of their environment.
Monday, August 25, 2014
New elephant seal migration record!
An adult female elephant seal from Año Nuevo, currently at sea,
has traveled farther west than any other seal we have tracked
over the past two decades. She is over 5,300 kilometers from
home and just 1,700 kilometers from Russia! (She traveled well
beyond the international date line to 173-degrees east).
Click here to track her in real-time to see if she ventures even
farther before heading home for the breeding season this winter.
has traveled farther west than any other seal we have tracked
over the past two decades. She is over 5,300 kilometers from
home and just 1,700 kilometers from Russia! (She traveled well
beyond the international date line to 173-degrees east).
Click here to track her in real-time to see if she ventures even
farther before heading home for the breeding season this winter.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Elephant seals provide data to IOOS
The elephant seals at Ano Nuevo are collecting oceanographic
information that is fed into a much larger multi-platform observing
network called IOOS (Integrated Ocean Observing System).
Click here to visit the IOOS Animal Telemetry website.
And click here to listen to a NOAA podcast about how marine
mammals are collecting data for IOOS.
information that is fed into a much larger multi-platform observing
network called IOOS (Integrated Ocean Observing System).
Click here to visit the IOOS Animal Telemetry website.
And click here to listen to a NOAA podcast about how marine
mammals are collecting data for IOOS.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Google Scholar Page
Ano Nuevo now has a google scholar page!
Click Here to see the cumulative scientific impact of all the work being
done at the reserve. If you would like to read a full-text article, search
for the title on the UC Natural Reserve System website.
Number of citations to scientific publications from work conducted at Ano Nuevo
Click Here to see the cumulative scientific impact of all the work being
done at the reserve. If you would like to read a full-text article, search
for the title on the UC Natural Reserve System website.
Number of citations to scientific publications from work conducted at Ano Nuevo
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Seals collect important climate data
Researchers all around the world are attaching biologging tags to
seals to study their at-sea behavior and physiology. These tags
are also collecting important information about the physical environment.
The data augment more traditional data sources to help researchers
understand complex processes such as global climate change.
Click Here for more information.
seals to study their at-sea behavior and physiology. These tags
are also collecting important information about the physical environment.
The data augment more traditional data sources to help researchers
understand complex processes such as global climate change.
Click Here for more information.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
New website to track elephant seals!
Dan Costa's lab at UC Santa Cruz is attaching satellite tags
and time-depth recorders to 20 adult female elephant seals
at Ano Nuevo State Park to track their movements in real-time!
Please follow this link to view the live data (updated daily).
http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=1000
and time-depth recorders to 20 adult female elephant seals
at Ano Nuevo State Park to track their movements in real-time!
Please follow this link to view the live data (updated daily).
http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=1000
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Novel egg data loggers deployed at Ano Nuevo!
Professor Scott Shaffer and a team of researchers developed
and deployed novel egg loggers to record the nest environment and
egg-turning behavior of seabirds on Ano Nuevo Island.
Check out their new publication!
and deployed novel egg loggers to record the nest environment and
egg-turning behavior of seabirds on Ano Nuevo Island.
Check out their new publication!
Rhinoceros auklet update
Oikonos researcher Ryan Carle provides a nice summary of
the recent efforts to protect the rhinoceros auklet population
on Ano Nuevo Island.
Click here to read more!
the recent efforts to protect the rhinoceros auklet population
on Ano Nuevo Island.
Click here to read more!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Weanling tracking data: the first trip to sea!
UC Santa Cruz and a collaborator from CNRS in France
(Christophe Guinet) attached satellite tags to two weanling
elephant seals. Each seal was equipped with two tags (to tell
the difference between tag failure and mortality). This is the
first migration for these seals, so we are very interested to
see where they go!
Click here for the live tracking data!
(Christophe Guinet) attached satellite tags to two weanling
elephant seals. Each seal was equipped with two tags (to tell
the difference between tag failure and mortality). This is the
first migration for these seals, so we are very interested to
see where they go!
Click here for the live tracking data!
Elephant seals are important for climate change research
The elephant seal research being conducted by Dan Costa and
his team of researchers is being highlighted as an important project
for understanding the effects of climate change in our oceans.
Click here to see the full story!
his team of researchers is being highlighted as an important project
for understanding the effects of climate change in our oceans.
Click here to see the full story!
Friday, April 4, 2014
Gull foraging behavior revealed with GPS tags
Dr. Scott Shaffer, a professor at San Jose State University, and his
students have been studying the western gull population at Año Nuevo
Island. By attaching small GPS loggers to them, he can track their
movements during foraging trips. His preliminary results show that
some gulls forage at sea, but many simply head down to the Santa Cruz
Resource Recovery Facility (i.e. the dump).
students have been studying the western gull population at Año Nuevo
Island. By attaching small GPS loggers to them, he can track their
movements during foraging trips. His preliminary results show that
some gulls forage at sea, but many simply head down to the Santa Cruz
Resource Recovery Facility (i.e. the dump).
Friday, March 28, 2014
Coyotes developing a taste for fish and elephant seals!
UCSC researchers are studying the diet of the coyote population
at Año Nuevo using stable isotope analysis. They discovered that
coyotes are relying much more on marine resources, including
elephant seal carcasses, than they had in the past.
Click here for the San Jose Mercury News article.
at Año Nuevo using stable isotope analysis. They discovered that
coyotes are relying much more on marine resources, including
elephant seal carcasses, than they had in the past.
Click here for the San Jose Mercury News article.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
New paper: elephant seal pup mortality
Life his hard, especially for elephant seal pups at Año Nuevo.
Not all of the pups born here survive beyond the breeding season
and researchers are starting to investigate why. There is no single
culprit: it is a mix of blunt trauma, starvation, bite wound, drowning,
and still-births..
Click here to read the full scientific paper.
(elephant seal mother and pup, moments after birth)
Not all of the pups born here survive beyond the breeding season
and researchers are starting to investigate why. There is no single
culprit: it is a mix of blunt trauma, starvation, bite wound, drowning,
and still-births..
Click here to read the full scientific paper.
(elephant seal mother and pup, moments after birth)
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Leptospirosis study on California sea lions
Leptospirosis is a disease caused by pathogenic spirochetes and is
known to cause mortality in California sea lions (and many other animals).
Researchers from UCLA and The Marine Mammal Center are studying this
disease in sea lions at Año Nuevo Island. They have already discovered
that ~40% of sea lions are carrying Leptospira without symptoms. Their
ongoing work will help us understand the cyclic dynamics of this disease.
Click Here to read their recent scientific publication!
known to cause mortality in California sea lions (and many other animals).
Researchers from UCLA and The Marine Mammal Center are studying this
disease in sea lions at Año Nuevo Island. They have already discovered
that ~40% of sea lions are carrying Leptospira without symptoms. Their
ongoing work will help us understand the cyclic dynamics of this disease.
Click Here to read their recent scientific publication!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Another Post-Breeding Elephant Seal Migration Begins!
Researchers in Dan Costa's lab at UC Santa Cruz are deploying
another set of tracking tags on adult female northern elephant seals.
These tags track their movements and diving behavior while the seals
are foraging far out in the north Pacific. Satellite tags allow researchers
to track the seals in real-time. Please follow the link below to view
the live data!
http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=971
another set of tracking tags on adult female northern elephant seals.
These tags track their movements and diving behavior while the seals
are foraging far out in the north Pacific. Satellite tags allow researchers
to track the seals in real-time. Please follow the link below to view
the live data!
http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/?project_id=971
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Año Nuevo seals visit other colonies
Elephant seals from Año Nuevo occasionally visit other colonies.
This season, several of the seals carrying satellite tags are heading
south to either Piedras Blancas or the Channel Islands.
Click here to view the live tracking data to see when and where
the rest of the seals decide to haul out and give birth!
This season, several of the seals carrying satellite tags are heading
south to either Piedras Blancas or the Channel Islands.
Click here to view the live tracking data to see when and where
the rest of the seals decide to haul out and give birth!
Elephant seal research helps ocean conservation
Dan Costa's team at UC Santa Cruz has been studying elephant seals
at Año Nuevo and have helped to develop and test the latest
technologies that are used to help conservation efforts around the world.
This recent article on the National Geographic website highlights the
importance of technology in ocean conservation and focuses on
a recent scientific paper written by Dan Costa.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Live Science article highlights graduate student research
Caroline Casey, a graduate student in Dr. Colleen Reichmuth's lab
at UC Santa Cruz, was featured in a recent Live Science article
based on her talk at a recent scientific meeting. She is studying
threat call communication between big adult male seals.
Click here for the full article!
Click here to visit the Reichmuth lab website!
at UC Santa Cruz, was featured in a recent Live Science article
based on her talk at a recent scientific meeting. She is studying
threat call communication between big adult male seals.
Click here for the full article!
Click here to visit the Reichmuth lab website!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
290 Scientific publications from Año Nuevo!
Researchers working at Año Nuevo are producing a
remarkable number of peer-reviewed publications: nearly
300 in total dating back to the 1920's (and 17 so far this year!)
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Entangled seal is rescued!
A group of researchers from The Marine Mammal Center
and UC Santa Cruz removed a plastic packing strap that
was wrapped around the neck of an elephant seal. The
strap had sliced deep into the blubber layer and would
have been fatal.
and UC Santa Cruz removed a plastic packing strap that
was wrapped around the neck of an elephant seal. The
strap had sliced deep into the blubber layer and would
have been fatal.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
New study shows human impacts on marine predators
Researchers just published a study looking into the level
of human threats to marine predator populations along the
California coast. Data collected at Año Nuevo was a key
part of this analysis.
Read the Santa Cruz Sentinel article
of human threats to marine predator populations along the
California coast. Data collected at Año Nuevo was a key
part of this analysis.
Read the Santa Cruz Sentinel article
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Island webcam is working!
The webcam located on Año Nuevo Island has been
fixed and is now streaming a live view of the island.
Check back throughout the year to see all of the various
species of marine mammals and birds!
Click Here for the video stream
Explore a 3D elephant seal track!
Would you like a chance to explore a three-dimensional
elephant seal track using google earth?
Download this google earth KMZ file:
To view this track, first be sure you have "google earth"
installed on your computer. (it is available for free online).
If you would like assistance navigating within google earth
please watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Click Here to read a scientific paper about elephant seals
foraging on seamounts.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Juvenile gray whale spends a month at Año Nuevo
A juvenile gray whale was observed by Pat Morris just
offshore from Ano Nuevo Island on several occasions during
the last month. She also observed some interesting interactions
between the whale and the local sea lion population!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Año Nuevo seals in Canada!
Elephant seals are being seen more often on the
beaches in Canada. Click here for more info.
This past molting season, biologist Paul Cottrell
(Fisheries and Oceans Canada) found ~40 individuals.
At least two of them (both juveniles) were carrying
green flipper tags from Año Nuevo! Observations like
these help scientists learn about movement and
demographic patterns.
UPDATE: Check out the amazing website set up by the
researchers at Race Rocks... including webcams!
http://www.racerocks.ca/wp/home/
beaches in Canada. Click here for more info.
This past molting season, biologist Paul Cottrell
(Fisheries and Oceans Canada) found ~40 individuals.
At least two of them (both juveniles) were carrying
green flipper tags from Año Nuevo! Observations like
these help scientists learn about movement and
demographic patterns.
UPDATE: Check out the amazing website set up by the
researchers at Race Rocks... including webcams!
http://www.racerocks.ca/wp/home/
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Photos of elephant seal prey!
UC Santa Cruz collaborators attached small customized infrared cameras
to the head of elephant seals and captured these images of two prey species.
These fish were captured at more than 500 meters in depth far offshore
in the northeast Pacific and represent the first glimpse of elephant seal
feeding behavior!
Click here for the full scientific paper!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
UCSC marine mammals class visits Año Nuevo
Sunday, July 21, 2013
New Visitor Center Displays Highlight Research
We recently installed a new display at the Año Nuevo
Marine Education Center to highlight the elephant seal
research program. Below are the two presentations
currently being displayed:
Thursday, July 11, 2013
New video about mercury in elephant seals
Check out this new video highlighting the study being
conducted by Sarah Peterson, a graduate student at
UC Santa Cruz. She is studying how toxic mercury
builds up in top predators like elephant seals.
click here to see the video
conducted by Sarah Peterson, a graduate student at
UC Santa Cruz. She is studying how toxic mercury
builds up in top predators like elephant seals.
click here to see the video
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
One of the researchers who recently worked
at Año Nuevo as part of her PhD dissertation
on elephant seal diving physiology will be an
astronaut at NASA.
Congratulations, Jessica Meir!
Click here for the full story
Click here to see her published elephant seal study
Thursday, May 23, 2013
New satellite tracking data!
We are deploying satellite tags on a new group of
adult female northern elephant seals that are about
to depart on their long post-molt migration.
Click HERE to view the latest tracking data.
(it is updated daily, so check back often!)
adult female northern elephant seals that are about
to depart on their long post-molt migration.
Click HERE to view the latest tracking data.
(it is updated daily, so check back often!)
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Male elephant seal travels into the Bering Sea!
An adult male elephant seal was satellite-tagged earlier
this year and has now traveled all the way through the
Aleutian Islands into the Bering Sea. This is a very rare
behavior! Click this link for daily updates on
his position:
http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?tag_id=56483
this year and has now traveled all the way through the
Aleutian Islands into the Bering Sea. This is a very rare
behavior! Click this link for daily updates on
his position:
http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?tag_id=56483
Monday, April 29, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
ABC News Story
Ano Nuevo is getting some national media attention yet again.
Click here to read the latest story from ABC News!
ABC News - Elephant Seals Could Reveal Insights on Planet's Health (ABC News)
Click here to read the latest story from ABC News!
ABC News - Elephant Seals Could Reveal Insights on Planet's Health (ABC News)
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