The Ethogram

Field Frame Friday: Simply Ravenous Common Ravens (Corvus corax) are famously smart, adaptable and opportunistic, and while these traits serve them well, they can often get them into trouble, too. What kind of trouble do you think th…

Clever bird… now, who could it be? The raven of course! Ramshorn Haliburton photographed one tagged for research. Want to know what kind of research? Read on!
#SciComm #Raven #BirdResearch #WildlifePhotography #Photography #Ornithology #TaggedBirds #NatureFacts #Research #Birds

Science & Culture: Opening the Door to the Cell What are cell membranes? Every human is composed of billions of cells. Cells perform a multitude of important activities, like making energy, digesting nutrients, and managing our immune system. To…

Everyone remembers that mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, but what about cell membranes? What are they? Why are they so important to cells? Find out in Daniel Speer’s article!
#SciComm #CellBiology #CellMembrane #BiologyFacts #Research #Lipids #Cells #MolecularBiology #Biology

Alycia Drwencke captured a photo of a jaguar. 🐆 Did you know jaguar's sometimes use their tails to fish?🎣
#SciComm #Jaguar #WildlifePhotography #AnimalFacts #PredatorBehavior #Photo #NaturePhotography #Fishing #Nature #Cat #Adorable

Field Notes: From Predator to Plastics: Raising Awareness and Knowledge of Sharks in the Pacific Northwest In the Field “There aren’t any sharks out there” is something I commonly hear from people in Oregon and Washington. Truth is—there are definitely sharks out there. We just don’t know anything about…

Sharks are vital for healthy ecosystems! And they contain microplastics😱. Jess Schulte & Maddie English write about sharks in the Pacific Northwest, check out the article.🦈
#SciComm #Sharks #PacificNorthwest #MarineEcology #Microplastics #OceanHealth #Research #Conservation #Nature #Photography

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…

Coyotes often appear as tricksters in Native American folklore. They are also one of the few monogamous mammal species, and have adapted to life in cities. To learn more, check out Rebecka Halfen's article!
#SciComm #Animals #Nature #Coyote #WildlifeAdaptation #UrbanAnimals #Folklore #AnimalBehavior

Fun Fact Friday! Venomous Lizards There are two species of lizard with specialized venom in North America: the Mexican beaded lizard and the Gila monster. These lethal lizards contain venom in their saliva, and administer it into t…

What are two lizards with specialized venom in North America? 🦎
#SciComm #Venomous #NorthAmericaWildlife #Nature #Herpetology #Lizards #Wildlife

Sunday Sketch: Fluffy Fox, Endangered in the Sierra The Sierra Nevada red fox has been listed as endangered since 2021, and as of 2023, it may disappear from the Yosemite area without conservation efforts. These foxes are well-adapted to cold, high-…

Nicole Rodrigues writes about the Sierra Nevada red fox, an endangered species in Yosemite. Kayla De Guzman painted this beautiful fox! 🎨🦊 Learn more in the article.
#SciComm #SierraNevadaRedFox #EndangeredSpecies #WildlifeArt #SciArt #Yosemite #Conservation #Foxes #Nature #Watercolor #UCDavis

Field Frame: Sandpiper stripes The unique combination of color bands on this Spotted Sandpiper’s leg indicate his identity and allow researchers to track his whereabouts and behavior by observing him in the natural environ…

Joseph Yu captured a photo of the Spotted Sandpiper! 🐦✨ Check out the article to learn about Spotted Sandpipers.
#SciComm #SpottedSandpiper #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #Birds #Nature #Ornithology #Photography #Research

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.”

What are freshly hatched salmon called? Alevins! Cassidy Cooper photographed these tiny fish in their early life stage. 🐟📷
#SciComm #Salmon #Alevins #Fish #FishFacts #Photography #WildlifePhotography #AquaticBiology #NatureEducation #Nature

Sunday Sketch: Weather Bee Did you know? In honor of groundhog day, here’s an animal that can really predict the weather! Sensing drops in barometric pressure, as well as other changes in the environment, a honeybee hi…

Victor Santiago made this lovely honey bee art piece! Did you know honey bees can sense when it is going to rain?
🌧️⛈️🐝🌦️☔
#SciComm #Art #HoneyBee #Weather #InsectSenses #Pollinators #NatureFacts #SciArt #Nature #Insects #Rain

Field Fiasco: Unleash the Bees! Some of the greatest discoveries of how honey bee colonies work have been made using observation hives: glass-walled hives that allow scientists to monitor the activities of the colony. Setting up …

Ever wonder how researchers study honey bees? 🐝🍯 Adrian Perez describes one method: observing colonies in glass-walled hives. Imagine being stared at through the wall! 👀
#SciComm #HoneyBees #BeeResearch #Pollinators #Bees #Hive #Research #UCDavis #Insects

Field Frame Friday: What to do when you find a baby bird Earlier this week, I stumbled upon a small surprise in the middle of a busy downtown walkway: a baby bird, alone looking up at me, smaller than the palm of my hand. I wasn’t sure what to do at firs…

See a baby bird on the ground and not sure what to do? 🐤 They may not be abandoned! Sabrina Seaborn-Mederos explains what’s actually helpful and when it’s time to step in.
#SciComm #BirdRescue #WildlifeTips #BabyBird #NatureFacts #Nestling #Fledgling #WildlifeAwareness #Birds

Sunday Sketch: Dumbo Octopus Check out this cool creature named after a Disney movie!

Megan McElligott drew this inktastic Dumbo octopus. Oops, misspoke… they don’t even have ink sacs!
#SciComm #DumboOctopus #SciArt #Cephalopod #DeepSeaCreatures #MarineBiology

Ecotourism: National Parks This week, we conclude our series on ecotourism. This time, we are featuring opportunities that are a little closer to home. Whether they know it or not, many people in the United States engage in …

Allison Lau wrote about ecotourism and the beauty of nature—if you get the chance, check out our national parks! 🌲🏞️ Just remember: admire wildlife, don’t interact with them.
#SciComm #Ecotourism #NationalParks #Nature #WildlifeRespect #LeaveNoTrace

Creature Feature: Northern Rubber Boa What comes to mind when you hear the word, “boa?” Perhaps you are envisioning a three-meter-long snake in the Amazon Rainforest – a formidable predator that eats sweet little monkeys and hapless po…

Mmmm… chocolate boa? 🍫🐍 Ok, not actually made of chocolate, but close in color! PhD student Brandon R. Kong wrote about the Northern Rubber Boa and shares some awesome boa photos in this article.
#SciComm #Boa #SnakeFacts #Herpetology #WildlifePhotography #Photography #Snakes #UCDavis

Creature Feature: Death Valley Pupfish An unlikely creature for the hottest place on Earth

Ever wanted a pupper in fish form? 🐶🐟 Head over to Death Valley! Jacob Johnson writes all about the quirky and resilient Death Valley pupfish in this Creature Feature.
#SciComm #Pupfish #DeathValley #DesertLife #WildlifeFacts #Fish #EndangeredSpecies

Sunday Sketch: Peacock Spider In peacock spiders, to initiate reproduction, male spiders perform a mating dance for the females, wiggling around and displaying vibrant colors on their bodies during the dance. In response, femal…

So you think you can dance? 💃🕺 Male peacock spiders sure can! They dance to impress female spiders, as failure means death 💀. Check out this colorful artwork by @cocofufufufu on Instagram.
#SciComm #PeacockSpider #SpiderDance #SciArt #CourtshipDance #WildlifeFacts #InvertebrateArt #DanceOrDie

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 bi…

Dr. Geoff Attardo does magnificent macrophotography! Get up close and personal with mosquitoes! His photos reveal tiny details we miss.
📷🦟 attardo-lab.com/multimedia 🐜🦋

#SciComm #Macrophotography #Mosquitoes #Insects #Entomology #InsectPhotography #CaliforniaWildlife #Photography #UCDavis #Nature

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, whic…

Allen Butler-Struben (@BLIRTT on Instagram & Twitter) painted both the fronts and backs of White’s tree frogs, capturing their full charm in stunning detail! 🐸🎨
#SciArt #WhitesTreeFrog #FrogArt #Herpetology #WildlifeArt #Amphibians #BLIRTT #Frogs #SciArt #Painting

The Cat Who Caused an Ecological Disaster From the humor they provide in funny pet videos to the physical comfort of waking up next to a furry friend in the morning, your ordinary housecat is probably a source of  great joy in your li…

Cats make awesome pets and they can carry Toxoplasma gondii. 🐱 Sophie Zhu writes about how this parasite affects mammals, and why it’s important to study and manage the risks posed to humans and wildlife.
#SciComm #ToxoplasmaGondii #WildlifeHealth #Research #CatFacts #PublicHealth #Ecology

Creature Feature: Flapjack Octopus Check out this week’s 8-armed featured creature, and settle an age-old debate!

Flapjack octopuses look so cute and they're undeniably aesthetic! Do they have ink sacs? Have animated movies been lying to us? The answers and more are revealed by Claire Jones in this Creature Feature.
#SciComm #FlapjackOctopus #Research #DeepSea #MarineBiology #OceanLife #Cephalopod #Adorable

Sunday Sketch: Pacific Hagfish The Pacific Hagfish is often referred to as the slimiest fish in the sea due to its slime pores that produce copious amounts of colorless slime. This slime serves as a defense mechanism against pre…

Got slime? Hagfish do—they have slime pores! Want to know more? Read the article featuring awesome art from Squidtoons found on Instagram and squidtoons.com
#SciComm #Hagfish #Slime #MarineBiology #SciArt #Art #Nature

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.…

Let sleeping bears lie. 🐻 Noah Hoffman @tiny.bear.tracks on Instagram created this beautiful linocut print of a bear. Learn some bear facts in the article!
#SciComm #BearFacts #LinoPrint #Printmaking #WildlifeArt #Bears #NatureEducation #SciArt #Art

Sunday Sketch: Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a nematode. It can survive extreme cold weather at -80°C by entering a state of suspended metabolism called cryptobiosis. A similar mechanism to survive extreme cold weath…

Check out this amazing drawing of C. elegans by Wenzhe Li @dustybutkindofnice on Instagram! It’s a model organism used in research to study mitosis, meiosis, and can survive extreme cold. 🧬❄️
#SciComm #ModelOrganism #Celegans #SciArt #Mitosis #Meiosis #Cryo #Biology #Worms #Research

Creature Feature: Axolotl Imagine a creature with translucent skin, a headdress made of feathery membranes that it uses to breathe underwater, elusive in its natural habitat of subterranean or cavern pools.  Sounds lik…

If we lose a limb, it’s gone—while axolotls can grow theirs back! These amazing creatures are studied for their incredible regenerative abilities and are, sadly, endangered.
#Axolotl #SciComm #Regeneration #EndangeredSpecies #Amphibians #NatureFacts #WildlifeEducation #Research

Field Frame Friday: (Cai)man eater Many crocodilians (crocodiles, alligators, and caimans) in photos almost appear to be smiling wide. But make no mistake here, this Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare) from Brazil may grow almost as long …

Here’s a stunning photo of a crocodilian called a Yacare Caiman, taken by Alycia Drwencke. 📷🐊 To learn some fascinating facts about this endangered species, check out the article!
#SciComm #Crocodilian #Photography #WildlifePhotography #EndangeredSpecies #NatureFacts #Conservation

Field Frame Friday: Lizard push-ups If you’ve lived in California for a long enough time and paid close enough attention to our local western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) scuttling about nearly everywhere, you have p…

Here’s a lizard doing push-ups—caught on camera by Izzy Kier! 🦎💪📷 Check out the article to learn why they do this quirky behavior.
#SciComm #LizardBehavior #WildlifePhotography #NatureFacts #Herpetology #Lizard #Photography #Pushups

YouTube video by UC Davis UC Davis Campus Wild Turkeys Do's & Don'ts

Useful information for visiting the UC Davis campus! www.youtube.com/shorts/OLL5l...

Animated Animals and Their Impact on Wildlife Awareness If you grew up watching animated movies, you likely remember that breathless feeling of sadness as Simba mourned the loss of his father or the heartbreak when Bambi’s mother was killed by a h…

Here’s an article about how animated animals in movies can have a real impact—raising awareness about nature and helping us care more about the world around us.
🎬🦊🦌🐟🦁🐶🦓🐻📽️🍿
#SciComm #NatureAwareness #AnimatedAnimals #EnvironmentalEducation #ConservationThroughArt #NatureInspired #Nature #Movies #Film

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 ot…

Check out this gorgeous photo of a Great Horned Owl by Cassidy Cooper—plus some fun facts about these powerful birds! 🦉📸 So majestic, so fluffy.
#GreatHornedOwl #BirdsOfPrey #SciComm #Photography #WildlifePhotography #NatureFacts #OwlFacts #Owls