Clik here to view.
Field Frame Friday: Mosquito
Did you know that different species of mosquito have different tastes in blood? The species pictured above, Culex tarsalis, is native to California and prefers to bite birds, though it will also bite...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sunday Sketch: Coral Beauty Angel
If you visit a tropical Indo-Pacific coral reef, you are likely to encounter the two-spined pygmy angelfish, Centropyge bispinosa, as it is the most widely distributed species of marine angelfish. Art...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sunday Sketch: White’s Tree Frog
White’s tree frogs are type of frog you can keep as a pet. They are typically green in color and can turn brown or grey when they are cold, sick, or stressed. Males have a breeding call, which they...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Newsroom: What do cattle want and how do we ask them?
According to scientist Dr. Marianne Dawkins, animals in captivity are considered to have good animal welfare if they are healthy and get what they want. Since animals can’t tell us what they want, how...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sunday Sketch: Butterfly
Butterflies need to land on a flower to consume its nectar, often preferring large or densely clustered flowers that can support their weight. Using their proboscis, they feed on the nectar. If you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Throwback Field Notes- The Tale of the Pilot Study: Where little goes as...
Summer is well underway for many parts of the world, and with it, lots of researchers have scurried off to their field sites. Take a break from the heat and hit the coast with us for this week’s Field...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Field Frame Friday: Counting Corals
Tropical coral reef ecosystems are threatened by ocean warming, pollution, and other human impacts. To understand how reef ecosystems are changing, scientists survey the abundance and diversity of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Creature Feature: Coyote
Coyotes (Canis latrans) are one of North America’s most iconic tricksters. Their species name, which means “barking dog” in Latin, might come from their nighttime vocalizing. They’ve had a powerful...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sunday Sketch: Whale Shark
Whale sharks are the largest fish-like vertebrates in the world. They use filter and suction feeding to have a greater diversity of food choices, as they can’t take in large volumes of water. They can...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Throwback Creature Feature: Peacock Spider
Everyone knows the classic example of a flashy male peacock showing off its flamboyant feathers to attract a female counterpart. These traits are considered the epitome of the products of sexual...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Throwback Newsroom: Pair-living limpets
Join us this week for a throwback Newsroom piece by previous Editor-in-chief Jessica Schaefer! The love lives of lone limpets may be lackluster, but limpets in pairs are luckier in love. A new study...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sunday Sketch: Ladybug
Ladybugs can come in colors such as red, orange, and black. Predators learn that these colors signal that the prey has an unappetizing taste. Some ladybugs can release a foul smell if attacked, while...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Creature Feature: Aggregating Anemone
The aggregating anemone (Anthopleura elegantissima), a sea animal closely related to corals and jellyfish, gets its name from the sprawling clusters it creates along the shores of the Pacific Coast....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Field Frame Friday: Salmon Alevins
These tiny fish, only a few days old, are newly hatched salmon. They still have their yolk sacs (bright orange in this photo) and are called “alevins.” During this time, they do not yet show regular...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sunday Sketch: Grizzly Bear
Grizzly bears have a large shoulder hump. This hump is where a mass of muscle is attached to their backbone, giving them the strength to dig into the ground to create their dens or search for food....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sunday Sketch: Mouse
Mice prefer to live in enclosed spaces and favor vertical cover to avoid being seen, as protection from predation. They are less active in areas with little cover. Art and fact by Kristina Leslie,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Creature Feature: Flapjack Octopus
“You guys made me ink!” is the iconic line from Pearl, the octopus in Finding Nemo. Pearl is a flapjack octopus (genus Opisthoteuthis), and – despite Pixar’s allusion – flapjacks and other deep-sea...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Arts & Crafts: Swimming with Sea Otters!
Have you ever seen a cute, fuzzy creature twirling around in the ocean waves and wondered “What’s that?” You probably spotted a sea otter! These mammals are especially important to California’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Field Frame Friday: Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) are large, widespread raptors which largely hunt at night. They can begin nesting as early as the winter season, and they often make use of old nests made by other...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sunday Sketch: Mean Girls Flamingos Edition
Like humans, flamingos are social, and their social behavior can contribute to a longer lifespan. They choose their friends, and gain support from their friend group to handle conflicts with rivals....
View Article