Field work is supposed to be where ecologists get to play Indiana Jones. The reality with swing-dancing joke-cracking fish-loving UC Davis research scientist Jim Hobbs is somewhat different: wet, muddy, smelly, and mostly involving either waiting for leopard sharks or harvesting leopard shark vomit.
Leopard sharks are a shallow-water coastal species, with a range extending from southern Oregon to southern Baja California. They are the most abundant shark species in the San Francisco Bay.
There are lots of pretty pictures of the 3,000 nudibranchs species already discovered, but few specifics. Key elements of their fundamental biology are still poorly understood, or not understood at all. Or not even examined.
How Much Water Does it Take to Grow an Almond? And more Bay Area nature news...
Over five years ago, Nalani and Anna Heath-Delaney, ditched their water guzzling lawn and planted a colorful and diverse native plant garden. They have since saved water, provided habitat for local species and created a native plant sanctuary. With the current drought, now is the perfect time to consider transitioning your garden and "going native."
The great egret colony at Martin Griffin Preserve in West Marin failed to fledge any young egrets in 2013, the first time in the preserve’s 62-year history, leading Audubon Canyon Ranch to change public access to the preserve for 2014.
Do monarch butterflies need space on the North American summit agenda? And more Bay Area nature news...
Love them or hate them, squirrels are everywhere. But how common are black squirrels?
Monarch butterfly populations in California’s coastal overwintering sites showed a slight -- and surprising -- rebound in 2013 after more than a decade of dwindling numbers.
Could California's drought last 200 years? And more Bay Area nature news....
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