Dr. Catherine Macdonald

So proud!!! That’s the dream! Congratulations!

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has just been updated and now includes assessments of 1,266 species of sharks, rays, and chimaeras.

One Year After Klamath Dam Removal, 'There's Just Fish Jumping All Over the Place': Scientists Describe Improvements to Water Quality and Wildlife

Hanging onto every bit of good news

The river has come alive in the Klamath with wild Chinook salmon. The wider ecosystem is healing.

This most powerful story of Indigenous-led #rewilding after the largest dam removal in US history keeps getting better.

lostcoastoutpost.com/2025/oct/9/o...

Greater noctule bats prey on and consume passerines in flight Despite billions of passerines seasonally migrating during the night at high altitudes, only three bat species have been found to consistently tap into this rich prey resource. However, it remains unk...

EXTREMELY COOL BAT STUFF: A study out in Science today found that the greater noctule bat, Europe's largest, hunts and catches *migrating birds* while in flight. In at least one case, a bat climbed to more than 1200 feet, then chased a robin downward FAST until it caught it near the ground.

Many sea stars begin life as young fairy-like creature (called a brachiolaria) that float through the open ocean. Eventually, a small star forms within them (here in yellow). The fairy-like brachiolaria sinks under the star’s weight, and the star pops out!
🎥@the_story_of_a_biologist (on Insta)

Marine biology: your NSFW is our W

I don’t know whether to feel good or bad about the degree to which this is, to me, a thing it seems completely normal to do?

years ago heard an interview w/ a biologist who worked on interspecies comm and identified the ways birds and monkeys share info, including the way they announced the presence of a jaguar. one day in the jungle he heard the jaguar call, wondered who was getting hunted, and realized "oh, it's me."

FWIW I don’t know anyone who feels like they’re peak brain right now.

🏁🐡🚁🐡🚁🏁🐡🚁🏁🐡🚁🏁 Huffle SZN is in full swing! Where do all these checkered pufferfish go in Autumn? What are they up to?? #checkeredpuffer #pufferfish #pufferfishofcoralcity #huffle #huffleofpuffers #school #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #biscaynebay #coralcity

Once threatened with extinction, Oregon coho salmon could be removed from federal ESA list Coho salmon numbers have greatly improved in Oregon's coastal rivers. They may qualify for removal from the Endangered Species Act in coming years.

Oregon coho salmon making major recovery after facing extinction 🦑🌎🧪🐠

At least on me, it would work better as clickbait

Maybe it wouldn’t (though I’m not necessarily convinced that’s true).

Even if it is—I suppose the NYT cares about that, but I don’t have to. 🤷‍♀️

A great hammerhead fin-bumped the Cam to enter the Coral City Catalog of Fishes at species #219; our 17th species of shark and ray! 🔨🦈 #greathammerhead #hammerheadshark #sharksofcoralcity #coralcitycatalogoffishes #shark #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #biscaynebay #coralcity

‘She Could Have Killed Me’: Scientist Survives Shark Bite to His Head

I wish they had used this beautiful quote he offered in the story as the headline instead:

“She was scared also. It was not her fault.”

Webpage on the hidden curriculum of applying to ecology and evolution grad programs in the US (a lot of the info applies to other fields too, but perhaps less well): applyingtoeeb.info

#AcademicSky 🧪

This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

It seems the GRFP solicitation is FINALLY released (like 5 minutes ago)! Due dates have also been pushed back, thankfully! 🧪 🔭

www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

Also this really isn’t super-esoteric information available only to experts. There are details about sharks that media gets wrong that are genuinely nuanced or obscure, but this is literally the first result if you google “hammerhead shark catch and release”:

a man sits on a bench with the words " this is my favorite time of year " Alt: a man dressed as a priest sits on a bench with the words " this is my favorite time of year "

Salmon sharks a few weeks ago:

Feels like “Salmon Murder Week” would be more accurate?

major traffic incident

A primer on what the high seas treaty is and how it will work The approval of a high seas treaty means new protections will be possible for international waters for the first time.

A good, short primer on what the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction means and what comes next.

The US has signed, but yet ratified the treaty. Ratification requires a 2/3 votes in the to the US Senate. Add ratification of the High Seas Treaty to your regular constituent call.

Amazon options to buy a notebook in Green, Purple, or Shark.

Ah yes, the three primary colors

High Seas Treaty Ratification Tracker At least 60 countries must sign and ratify the High Seas Treaty for it to become international law. Join the #RaceForRatification. Ask leaders to ratify the Treaty Now!

At yesterday's 80th @UN General Assembly, the High Seas Treaty was FINALLY ratified! 🌊 🦑

Aka the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions (BBNJ) Agreement, it now officially enters into force in 120 days, becoming international law in Jan 2026.

highseasalliance.org/treaty-ratif...

Hope you’re cruising into the weekend like these sleek and shimmering silver kings ✌️🪙👑🐟✨🐟✨🐟✨ #tarpon #silverking #silver #sleek #shimmer #cruising #weekend #tgif #coral #coralhead #coralcitycamera #miami #portmiami #biscaynebay #coralcity

Fair! Although I think in the right sketchy circumstances I’d find them pretty equally terrifying.

An amazing day on the water with the The Natural History Society of Maryland- we caught, sampled, tagged, and released a big tiger shark and two nurse sharks!

I don’t think I described bears as carnivores?

They only work when the shark breaks the surface of the water (so the tag can talk to the satellite) and the location data is…generally not all that precise.