Field
biologists study animals out in the wild (some field biologists study plants,
and many study both plants and animals). Field biologists work to
understand how an animal lives, how it interacts with its environment,
and often how we as humans effect the animal by what we do each day.
Field biologists study animals by watching the animal and recording what
it does, what it eats, and more. Many field biologists count the
animals that they see, in order to figure out how many animals live in
an area. Many field biologists work for the government (in the state
or national parks, for example), while others work for schools or
universities, and some work for private companies.
Many field biologists work towards protecting animal and plant species from the threat of extinction. By learning what an animal needs to survive, we can help to make sure that there are always animals and wild places for us to see and enjoy.
What would you like to be when you grow up?
Do you like animals? Do you like to spend a lot of time outside?
Maybe you would like to be a field biologist, too!
Field biologists use many tools in their work.
Some of the most common are shown below. How many of these things
do you have?
Binoculars.
With binoculars, you can see things clearly even when they are far away.
This is important with many animals, as it is sometimes hard to get close
to them.
A
camera. Field biologists often record
what they see by taking a picture of it. This gives us a permanent
record of what an animal looks like, how many animals were in the area,
and what the animals were doing at that time. Any camera will do
(even the disposable kind!), although many biologists use strong camera
lenses to let them take pictures of things that are far away.
A video camera. A
video camera is another way to record animals in the wild. Video
recordings are great, because they let you capture what the animal is doing
(and even what it sounds like), not just what it looks like!
(photo courtesy of Sony Corporation)
A
notebook and pens. It is important to
write down what we see, so that we can remember it later! Writing
things down makes it easier to share what we have learned with others.
Also, field biologists often sketch or draw what they see, especially if
a camera is not available.
Now that you know what you need to be a field biologist, you can try it yourself! (Remember, all you really need is a notebook and a pencil!) We watch harbor seals, but you can watch any animal that you like (birds on your street, banana slugs in your backyard, squirrels in the park). What kind of animals do you see? How many of them live there?
We
use data sheets to record how many seals we see, what they look like, and
what they are doing, and what human activities effect the seals.
You can make up your own data sheet, and record how many animals you see
in your neighborhood, and what kind of animals they are, or whatever interests
you. If you have a camera, you can also take pictures of what you see.
Or, you can draw the animals that you see.
Going to a park like Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, or Tilden Park in the East Bay, will often allow you to see many different kinds of animals, but there are many animals that live in the cities with us (pigeons, bugs, squirrels, and raccoons, for example). The California Department of Fish and Game has a great page called "Watchable Wildlife" that lists places to watch all kinds of animals, including harbor seals. And don't forget plants -- if you have a backyard, you can look at what is growing there, sketch it and look it up in a plant book from school or your local library.
If you want to see marine mammals (like seals
and sea lions) in the Bay Area, California sea lions can almost always
be seen at Pier 39, in San Francisco. Northern elephant seals can
be seen at Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, and Ano
Nuevo, south of San Francisco. Harbor seals can be seen off Pescadero,
also south of San Francisco. At Point Reyes, you can see all three,
if you're lucky, plus many more animals, plants and birds. The Bay
Area has many great places to go to watch wildlife!
Here are some questions you could use on your data sheet:
1. What kinds of animals do you see?
How would you recognize these animals if you saw them again?
2. How many animals do you see?
3. Can you see them eating? What
are they eating?
4. Where do they live? In a tree?
or a hole in the ground? or somewhere else?
5. If you go back to your study site
(the park, your backyard, or wherever), are the same animals there?
How do you know?
Remember, it is usually better to just
look and not touch.
Look at the photo below. It shows a harbor
seal "haul out" area (a place where seals come out of the water unto rocks,
or sand). How many seals do you see? How many have red coats?
Do you see any baby harbor seals, called "pups"?
Harbor seals are marine mammals, and spend most of their time in the water. What do you think these seals are doing out on the rocks?
Can you find two seals who are just coming out of the water, on to the rocks?
One seal has his front flipper held up in the air. What do you think he is doing?
The answers can be found at the bottom of the page (but don't look until you've tried to guess the answer...).
There are 23 seals on the rocks, including the 2 who are just getting out of the water.
There are 4 red coat seals on the rocks (most have red heads).
There are no pups on the haul out in this picture.
Seals come out of the water onto a haul out to rest, to be with other seals, to nurse pups, and/or to stay warm while they are molting (shedding their old coat and growing a new one).
Did
you find the 2 seals which were just hauling out?
Here they are...
This
seal might just be stretching, just like we do sometimes. But, he
might be "thermoregulating" -- this means that he is trying to cool down,
getting rid of excess body heat by stretching out his flipper. He
is making his own air conditioning...
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