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Showing posts from January, 2019

The Monarch Butterfly's Mulit-generational Migration and the Bicycling Biologist Sara Dykman

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The Monarch Butterfly’s Multi-generational Migration Overwintering It’s March 2017, in the volcanic mountains of central Mexico. Millions of monarch butterflies cling to the branches and trunks of the towering Oyamel pine trees. These butterflies are about to begin an amazing journey. Sara Dykman, a biologist and founder of Beyond A Book is migrating with them—on a bicycle! Sara and four generations of monarchs will travel approximately 10,000 miles from Mexico, across the USA to Canada, and back again in nine months. Weights and Measures Sara feels a kinship with the monarchs by bicycling. She’s using her legs to pedal while the butterflies use their wings to fly. With all of Sara’s luggage—tent, sleeping bag, camera, computer, phone, clothes, toothbrush, stove, pocket knife, tools, and more—her bike weighs about 32kg (32000 grams). A monarch weighs up to 0.75 grams and they don’t carry any luggage.    Mass Migration Sara knew it was time to leave when mi

Interview with Whale Biologist Christine Gabriele and the Whale with Three Names

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The Whale with Three Names Chris Gabriele, a whale biologist at Glacier Bay National Park (NP) in Alaska, never expected to be holding a rope attached to a 35 ton humpback whale. A call to park headquarters had come in at 3:00pm—a dead whale was floating in the bay. It didn’t take long to identify the whale as Snow, a female, biologists had tracked since 1975.  The nickname Snow came from the spray of white dots on her flukes. Fluke markings are unique to each whale just as your fingerprints are unique to you . “Snow’s was one of the earliest recorded flukes in the Whale Tail Catalog,” says Chris, “her second official name was Whale #68.” From the SE Alaska Fluke Catalog. Photo credit NPS No one at headquarters could believe Snow was dead. “Snow was a healthy adult,” says Chris. “We agreed a necropsy should be performed to determine the cause of her death.”  Three boats dragged the 45.5ft whale ashore. Dr. Gulland, from the Marine Mammal Center in California, and a six-person