Joe Mueller

Joe Mueller is professor of biology at the College of Marin. He teaches classes and leads field trips in a wide range of natural history subjects, from mammology to marine biology to ornithology.

Do Any Bay Area Animals Hibernate in Winter?

January 1, 2003 • by Joe Mueller

Our temperate climate here in the Bay Area means that most inhabitants don’t have to hibernate. Hibernation is a form of adaptive hypothermia, a continuum of responses to climatic variations that allow an animal to save energy by temporarily abandoning … Read more

What are your chances of seeing a black bear in the Bay Area?

April 1, 2002 • by Joe Mueller

Black bears, Ursus americanus, are found in many forested regions of California. In the Sierra Nevada they occur in all forests down to about 1,000 feet. In the northwest part of the state, they may even roam beaches that border … Read more