A very common question I get when interacting with guests here at the Academy is whether I am a taxidermist. I suppose that in a way, I am, but I consider myself a study skin preparator rather than a taxidermist.

So, what’s the difference? Well, see for yourself!

Traditionally, taxidermists create “live mounts” – mounted specimens that are posed to look as though they are still alive. They’re posed in life-like ways and have realistic glass eyes. Study skins, on the other hand, aren’t posed in a way that you would find in nature – they are flat and compact, which is typical for specimens in a museum collection. While they may not seem as interesting to look at, study skins are essential to our research collection. These specimens take up much less space than live mounts and are prepared in a standardized way among museums, so it’s much easier for researchers to come through and look at a series of a species. Imagine trying to look at a feature of an animal if they’re all posed in different ways!

So, why do we have so many study skins in our collection? The average visitor might find it strange that we have thousands of bird and mammal skins, but it’s not strange at all. Here at the Academy, we’re a library that houses collections of life rather than books. These study skins are essential for bird and mammal researchers to use for their studies. They may be doing a comparative study about plumage differences in birds, or might take small samples from each skin in order to analyze DNA.

While I have yet to begin preparing live mounts, I love making study skins. The fact that they’ll be a part of the collection for hundreds of years and may help answer scientific questions in the future is very exciting to me. They may not look like they’re still alive, but these study skins have a life of their own in scientific research.

Laura Wilkinson

Curatorial Assistant and Specimen Preparator

Ornithology & Mammalogy

So I’ve been back from the field for about a month now, but there is still so much to tell about my experience as a part of the ‘Our Planet Reviewed’ Initiative, Papua New Guinea 2012-2103 Expedition.

The goal of the expedition was to document as many species as possible from the Madang Lagoon, to get a sense of the level of biodiversity of this part of the Coral Triangle.  Through this kind of fieldwork, not only do we discover new species, but we also collect baseline data to see how diversity can change in a region over time.   I was part of a team that was looking specifically for nudibranchs and other sea slugs.  For four out of six weeks, our opisthobranch (sea slug) team consisted of two graduate students: myself and Jessica Goodheart from Cal Poly Pomona. My advisor Terry Gosliner joined for the last two weeks of the expedition. Though it was only a few of us as the main sea slug collectors, other divers also brought us specimens and were huge help.

Of the three legs of the expedition (terrestrial, shallow water, and deep water), the shallow water marine part (the part we participated in) had about 120 different participants from at least 18 different countries!  About 90 of these were scientists and the rest included photographers, people involved with SCUBA logistics, a scientific illustrator and even a sociologist. The whole expedition involved a HUGE amount of coordination!

As you can imagine, an expedition of this size needs a laboratory so that all of the scientists can observe and process their specimens. This temporary lab space must be able to accommodate many scientists coming and going over 6 weeks. We would spend anywhere from about 6 to 10 hours daily in the lab (others spent longer hours in the lab, but we spent several hours diving everyday in addition to lab time). Here is what our temporary lab space looked like:

There were lots of stations with the essentials: power outlets and desk lamps, and for many stations, microscopes. Our setup for sea slug collecting was pretty basic. Here is a peak at what our workstation looked like with some notes on the tools of the trade:

So what was it like to be in this temporary lab space?  HOT!!! The weather in Madang was roughly in the high 80s with high humidity.  It was also apparent that the heat would prefer to hang out in the lab with all the scientists rather than disperse elsewhere.  Imagine trying to take a photo of a slug that is the size of a grain of rice while you have sweat dripping down your face!  Good thing we had a fan, even if it did break during the last week.

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned for more about how we actually collect these slugs and preserve them…

Vanessa Knutson

Graduate Student, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology

Project Lab Coordinator

Scientists agree that the beetles (Order Coleoptera) contain the highest number of species of any animal on earth, with 400,000 described species and an estimated 1 million described and un-described species together. However, even their great numbers do not protect them all from threats of extinction. Environmental scientists have realized that the greatest threats to most species are the destruction of habitats caused by expanding human activities, and the introduction of invasive species, also linked to globalization and human activities.

This blog will examine the effects of habitat destruction and invasive species on a California native beetle, Elaphus viridis, the Delta Green Ground Beetle. This small green beetle is now only known from parts of Solano County, but it is thought to have once inhabited much of California’s central valley. It has been federally listed as Threatened since 1980. The main reason for its decline appears to be the destruction of its habitat, vernal pools. Vernal pools are perhaps one of the most delicate and threatened habitats in the central valley. Found in poorly drained low lying areas, vernal pools fill seasonally from winter rains, and by summer are dry. Their presence and quality have been diminished and degraded by tilling for agriculture, draining by landowners to grow crops, and poor management of grazing animals. In addition, remaining vernal pools are often infested with an introduced plant, the Garden Lipia, (Phyla spp.), which forms a dense mat, crowding out native species and making foraging for the beetle very difficult. The beetle’s life cycle is intimately synchronized with the wet-dry cycle of the pools. The beetle emerges in January, mates in February and March, and goes dormant by May when the pools dry up. Like all ground beetles (Carabidae), it is an active predator, feeding on soft-bodied arthropods. Vernal Pools are classified as wetlands, and are officially protected by the federal government. While some vernal pools are on protected lands, like the Jepson Preserve, many are on private property and are difficult to find, protect or conserve.

Till next time,

Vic Smith

Imaging Specialist /Curatorial Assistant

Entomology Department

What’s one of the most common things that everyone does multiple times a day? Sometimes we even do it without thinking about it, even though it’s one of the most important. We EAT! This morning for breakfast I had a cup of coffee, a piece of toast and an omelet. In order to eat my meal I used a fork and a cup for the coffee. Have you ever stopped to wonder why we use utensils to eat? Most likely it helped us get food into our mouths more efficiently. The Academy’s Anthropology department has a fascinating history of eating utensils at http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/utensil/index.html for those who are curious.

Here’s another question: what if you had wings instead of hands? Since birds wings are used for locomotion rather than grasping, their bill is their eating “utensil”. Depending upon their diet, birds will have bills that maximize their ability to catch their meal. The variety of bird’s bills never ceases to amaze me. Let’s discuss a few different birds to see how they use their bills.

This past week in the Project Lab I prepared a Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis) for the research collection. This bird belongs to a group of birds (family Tyrannidae) that are insectivores, meaning they eat insects. Often one can see flycatchers perched on a branch or on a fence and then in the blink of an eye they seemingly burst into the air, landing back onto their perch. What you may not have seen is that they snatched their meal out of the air, and if you had been listening carefully, you could have actually heard their bill snap shut! Just as if you wanted to swat a fly by clapping it between your two hands, these bird’s bills work the same way. Flycatchers have flat, wide bills that increase the surface area the birds have to catch their prey. Catching a flying insect with a bill like two straws would be difficult for even the most able acrobat, so the flycatchers have a wider bill best suited to their diet and hunting method.

The hummingbird diet requires a bill more like a straw. It’s easy to see the large difference between the bills of Pacific-slope Flycatcher and Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna). Hummingbirds use their long, thin bills to reach nectar at the base of the flower. Having a bill like the flycatchers would serve little purpose in reaching into a delicate flower!

The Crossbills of the Fringillidae (finch) family are another excellent example of bill specialization. Their bills are exactly like the name implies- crossed! Their diet consists of coniferous cone seeds, which are often closed tightly, keeping the seeds from being easily accessed. Similar to pliers, the mechanism of the crossed bill closing wrenches the seed from the cone. The Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a bird that can be seen wintering in the Bay Area as long as there are some good conifers nearby. It’s definitely worth taking a trip out to see these birds!

Today we’ve discussed only three different birds and there are over 900 bird species in North America. One last question- what does this mean? The answer is- it’s time to go birding!!!

Codie Otte
Curatorial Assistant and Specimen Preparator
Ornithology & Mammalogy Department

Note: See previous post on December 9

In my prior post, I talked about how sea slugs sense their environments using rhinophores (horn-like appendages on their heads). In this post, I will describe how sea slugs get oxygen from their environments. Unlike land slugs, which use lungs to breathe, sea slugs breathe using their gills. Like the rhinophores, the gills of sea slugs come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, and are often used in identification and classification. The gills can be quite beautiful and ornate, giving each slug a unique appearance. The gills are usually located on the backs or the sides of their bodies. However, there are exceptions to this. Sea hares, a group of sea slugs that have rhinophores resembling rabbit ears, have gills found deep within the body cavity.

Most dorid nudibranch sea slugs possess a feather-like plume on their backs, which surround their anus. Yes, they breathe in the same region of their bodies in which they poop! Despite this, the gills provide the slugs with enough oxygen from the water for them to survive. Some dorids, in the group cryptobranchia, can pull their gills into a pocket on the surface of their bodies. The name cryptobranchia describes their ability to do this. When touched or threatened, the gills will retract into the body as a form of protection.

Some slugs lack well-defined gills. Instead, gas is taken in through the tissue of specialized body appendages. These include cerata, which are finger-like appendages that run along the backs of the slugs in distinctive rows. These cerata come in an assortment of shapes, sizes, and colors depending on the species. These appendages are elongate to increase the surface area through which oxygen can be absorbed. The gills of some nudibranchs are tree-like in appearance. Each branch aids in the uptake of oxygen from seawater.

The sapsucking slugs are a group of sea slugs that retain and utilize chloroplasts from their algal food to produce energy. The Lettuce Nudibranch, Elysia crispata, a sapsucking slug, breathes through ruffled extensions of its body. These extensions resemble the edges of kale leaves, hence the name Lettuce Nudibranch. I should point out, that this slug is not a nudibranch, like its common name would suggest. It is a sacoglossan sea slug. Common names can be misleading with regards to classification. This is why scientific names are designated.

As you can see from the photos, sea slug gills are quite elaborate. As a side note, if you ever want to dress up as a dorid nudibranch, I suggest creating gills by pinning feather-dusters in a plume to your back-end! They look authentic!

Carissa Shipman

Gradute Student

Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology

What are sea slugs? Well, they are slugs that inhabit the ocean. Like land slugs, they are covered in slime and they crawl around on their foot. They leave slime trails, just like land slugs do. It was pointed out to me that the slime trails left by land slugs can act as a prism when hit by sunlight. This causes their trails to emit a beautiful spectrum of color.

Sea slugs unlike land slugs have adapted to the ocean in a variety of ways. Nudibranchs, a group of sea slugs, are known for their bright colors and ostentatious ornamentation. Their bright colors and diversity in shapes and forms have a purpose. What makes them so attractive and oftentimes strange is their frilly rhinophores and gills. What are rhinophores? They are horn-like structures which protrude from the front of the sea slug. “Rhino” means nose and “phore” means carrier. They are given this name since they give the sea slug their sense of smell. Our noses are capable of picking up chemical signals from the air. Rhinophores are able to pick up chemical signals in the water.

These rhinophores come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. They have been organized into categories based on their shape. Some of these categories are smooth, rolled, sail-like, branched, so on and so forth. Many rhinophores are very elaborate. These more advanced and intricate rhinophores increase the surface area of the organ, which enhances detection of chemicals in the water.

Rhinophores are very important for the survival of most sea slugs, however, there are some sea slugs, which lack them. These slugs have other structures, which aid in their sense of smell. Rhinophores allow sea slugs to find their food and other slugs to mate with, avoid predators, and even sense changes in water pressure and vibrations. Different nerves within the rhinophores send information to the brain. Dendritic nerve cells pickup chemicals and ciliated nerve cells aid in sensing vibrations or changes in water pressure.

Finally, rhinophores help us classify and identify species of sea slugs. Below are some gorgeous Macro images of some rhinophores from California nudibranchs taken by marine biologist Gary McDonald. Enjoy!

Annulate rhinophores of the sea slug Flabellina trilineata

Lamellate rhinophore of the sea slug Cadlina modesta

Smooth rhinophore of the sea slug Doto amyra

Perfoliate rhinophores of the sea slug Flabellina iodinea

Carissa Shipman

Gradute Student

Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology

From Madang, Papua New Guinea…

While the phyllidiids are the most common nudibranchs here, there are several other species that we encounter regularly.  But first, a little background…  For a review on the very basics of sea slugs and nudibranchs check out this older post.

Generally, nudibranchs are subdivided into 4 groups:

1. the dorids

2. the dendronotids

3. the arminids

4. the aeolids- these animals have a branched digestive system that passes through appendages on their backs called cerata.  The cerata also function as gills, and in many species they store stinging cells from the aeolid’s prey (such as corals, anemones and hydroids) that can be used for their own defense against prededators.

Here are some photos of three of the most common aeolids we’ve seen in Madang:

From the field…

One of the goals of this expedition is to document all the species of mollusks and other invertebrates that live in the Madang Lagoon.   Everyday a group of us “hunter-gatherers” goes out to look for species that we haven’t encountered yet.

When you are looking for animals, you are likely to find several that are pretty common, and you have to work a bit harder to find the other species.   There are several species that have been “common as muck” on this expedition. For nudibranchs, the most common we’ve seen are the phyllidiids, which in general are the most common nudibranchs on Pacific coral reefs.

You can see phyllidiids on just about every dive.   There are several different species and many are rather difficult to tell apart.  They are all rather tough-bodied and because they secrete some nasty toxins, you can’t keep them in a dish with other nudibranchs.   If you disturb them, you can actually see them secrete the white, milky toxins.  After touching phyllidiids you can even smell the toxins on your fingers.  Trust me, it’s not the most pleasant smell…

Note from the photos that phyllidiids do not have a typical gill on their backs like many other dorid nudibranchs.  Instead, they have respiratory structures on the sides of their bodies underneath the mantle.

Stay tuned for more notes from the field…

Vanessa Knutson

Project Lab Coordinator

Graduate Student

Invertebrate Zoology and Geology

Imagine exploring a new place and seeing a type of animal you’ve never seen before. Something that appears to have feathers like a bird, but is much faster and smaller than any bird you’ve seen before. Perhaps it’s a new species of animal – part insect and part bird!

This is what European settlers encountered when they first explored the New World and saw hummingbirds. You may not have previously known it, but hummingbirds don’t exist in the Old World (Europe, Asia, and Africa). They’re so commonly seen on a walk through Golden Gate Park that you might not realize what a special treat they are for some international visitors!

Photo courtesy of Laura Wilkinson

I recently prepared the most commonly seen hummingbird in this area: the Anna’s hummingbird. They are a larger species and have beautiful coloration (as do all hummingbirds, admittedly). Adult male hummingbirds have brightly colored feathers on their throats, and sometimes covering their heads, called a gorget. The gorget of the Anna’s hummingbird is a bright magenta color when it catches the light just right.

Photo courtesy of Laura Wilkinson

My last visit to the Project Lab blogosphere found me straying from my doctoral dissertation research in order to identify and describe a group of Australian beetles, which were new to science. Today, however…I return to my true passion: Snail Eating Beetles!

Scaphinotus interruptus. Photo courtesy of Joyce Gross.

Now you might fall into the category of folks who find beetles and other bugs creepy or even frightening but fear not, unless of course you are a snail! Harmless to humans, these relatively large beetles come out at night to hunt for native snails and slugs, which they approach and devour live.

Scaphinotus angusticollis. Photo courtesy of ©2008 Walter Siegmund.

Snail-eating beetles belonging to the genus Scaphinotus can be found across North America, including 15 species right here in California.  Scaphinotus has evolved a unique body shape or morphology, which aids them in feeding on snails. They have elongate heads and well developed mouthparts, as well as long legs. This means they can stick their heads up into the shell to reach the snail, while standing far enough away from the snail to prevent the mucus from sticking to their bodies. In this way, they are able to take advantage of a food resource that many other insects cannot.

Scaphinotus hatchi. Photo courtesy of Meghan Culpepper.

So aside from being veracious feeders what makes Scaphinotus so interesting? I am interested in understanding how the species of Scaphinotus are related to one another, where their ancestors may have lived many millions of years ago, and what factors might have led to their speciation.  The Entomology Department and Project Lab here at California Academy of Sciences have proved integral to my studies and to the studies of many other scientists from across the world.

Want to find Snail-eaters in your own back yard? Grab a headlamp or flashlight and head outdoors after the sun has set.  You may find Scaphinotus on their nightly prowl for snails and slugs. If you prefer the daylight hours for your beetle hunting try lifting rocks and logs, a popular hiding spot for many nocturnal insects!

Meghan Culpepper

PhD Candidate

Entomology Department