Would you like to submit a question to the community of Biologists?
What’s a field gear item/brand you’d recommend?
Ask a Biologist Monday 8/29/22
Answers from Biologists:
Sun hat
Carpenter’s pouch to hold bird bags while working at banding sites.
A buff or similar gaiter with UV protection.
Double front pants/bibs. Especially if you work in dense, brushy habitat.
Asolo hiking boots.
Under armor. Field gear that lasts a decade and can be found cheap at TJMaxx.
Lightweight long sleeve white shirts and wet bandana for the back of your neck on hot days.
Osprey packs. Mine has held up to a lot of abuse in wetland and you can get pro deals up to 40% off.
Osprey packs-most durable and comfortable.
Tactical boots instead of hiking boots. More comfortable, functional, and last longer.
Lacrosse rubber boots.
A leatherman.
Darn Tough wool boot socks for any weather, any season. Great warranty and product.
Dovetail work pants are so nice. They’re a female owned company for feminine workers.
Smartwool socks.
REI long sleeve sun shirts for desert and high elevation.
Duluth trading company women’s firehose pants. They have multiple great pockets.
Hot water/drink in a large thermos.
Dry socks in a sealed plastic bag.
Small dry bags for your phone/small things you want to keep dry.
Dan’s hip boot/waders. Expensive but worth the investment since they’ll last multiple seasons.
Frog toggs cooling towel during summer field work.
A good pair of wool socks.
5.11. Their rip stop pants.
Fleece lined field pants for the winter.
SIMS chest waders. Worth the price.
Kuhl women’s splash pants for working in the summer heat. Quick drying and pockets.
Decathlon field pants. So many pockets.
Bucket hats. Especially water proof and SPF gear.
Fanny packs are super useful for things you want access to.
Neck gaiters. Can be used to ward off bugs. as an eye mask to sleep, etc.
Kuhl cloth for those who squat to pee!
NRS straps.
Sun gloves. I hated that my hands were a completely different shade of brown.
Dry bag for personal gear so you don’t need to bring wet things inside the truck.
Duluth Trading Co’s gardening vest. Good for summer and more stylish than a fishing vest.
Gerber for multitools.
Coleman camping equipment.
The Original Bug Shirt! So much better than a head net.
Frog Togg cooling towel.
Venus to Mars pee funnel. Easy to travel with and use.
Kula cloth. I have 3. Support a small, women-owned, LGBTQ+ business and “Leave No Trace”.
Re-usable soft cups (great if you can’t use a Diva cup).
Gaiters. Helpful for keeping ticks and debris out of boots and socks while hiking.
Period underwear.
Outdoor Research wool gloves. Game changer!
Outfoor Edge knives with replaceable blades.
Headlamp>flashlight for night work. I try for 100 lumens and rechargeable.
Carhartt leggings. Durable , moveable, comfy and tons of pockets.
Boot/glove dryer. You can’t put a price on dry feet!
First Lite and Duluth Trading Co for women’s pants.
Ray Allen and Active Dogs for working dog gear.
Get a bug net for your head.
Prana Halle pants are the best.
Insulated water bottle to have cold water at the end of the day.
Columbia field/outdoor shirts. They keep the sun off, are breathable, and have pockets.
Snake gaiters. They don’t always rattle!
A multi-tool, particularly one with a scalpel.
Darn Tough socks are the only ones worth wearing in the field. Your feet will thank you!
Long sleeved, but lightweight clothing. Keeps you cool and sun safe.
Goodr sunglasses. Polarized, lightweight, fun colors, and affordable.
Gaiters for general fieldgear but @gowworkwear is my new favorite brand for field clothes.
Dickies pants are just as good as Carhartt and way cheaper.
A Leatherman multi tool.
Eddie Bauer petite pants are great for us short folks who have a hard time finding pants.
First Lite women’s pants. Quiet, comfy, 6 pockets, built in stretch, durable.
Coaltree trail pants.
Electric hand heaters. Any brand. Reusable and acts as back up battery.
Tasmanian Tiger backpacks. Expensive and modular but absolutely indestructible.
Muck boots consistently hold up in the wetlands and they’re comfy enough for hiking.
5.11
Camelbak.
Merrell for boots.
Dovetail workwear field clothes. Designed specifically for women.
A lunchbox you can use as a little stool for lots of squatty work.
Travel bidet (Tushy or Culo clean). No more leaves when you run out of toilet paper.
5.11 tactical pants. Durable and lightweight plus many pockets.
Work gloves. They keep the bugs off and protect my hands while bushwacking.
Outdoor Research, especially their head nets.
Grunden’s women’s Maris fishing leggings. So warm and comfy for winter fieldwork.
Grants: Where can you find them? Writing/application tips/tricks?
Ask a Biologist 8/22/22
Answers from Biologists:
Grants.gov
Have multiple people proof read it.
Grant Gopher
Work on your story telling within your proposal.
Don’t use complex jargon and define your acronyms.
Focus on the solutions you’ll enact with the grant.
Detail how you and your collaborators have needed expertise.
Budget to properly pay techs needed for the project.
Get letters of support/partnership.
As a grant reviewer: Make sure your math is solid and your budget is reasonable.
Related to above, include power analysis when possible.
Keep your audience in mind when writing.
Stay focused on the goals within your proposal.
Be organized and brief in writing.
Carefully read and meet all the application requirements.
Give yourself more time than you think to prepare your application.
Create a realistic timeline and outline how goals will be met within that time.
Keep attachments limited to those you need.
Don’t be afraid to call the posting agency to talk about the grant before submission.
Pay attention to formatting-use the same formatting as their call for proposals.
NSF.org
Follow instructions and application requirements closely.
Clearly define the outcomes of your project if successful.
Check the scoring criteria they’re using and try to focus on those things.
Make it clear in the narrative why you need the grant.
ASHA.org
What’s your favorite ecology-themed show/movie/podcast?
Ask a Biologist Monday 8/15/22
Answers from Biologists:
Movies
The Big Year
Chasing Coral
Hoot
Puff (Netflix)
Documentaries with David Attenborough
Secrets of the Zoo (Disney+)
Blackfish
Grizzly Man
BBC Earth
TV
Zoboomafoo
PBS Nature
The Crocodile Hunter
PBS Nature
The Wild with Chris Morgan
My Octopus Teacher
Princess Mobile
Podcasts
Tooth and Claw
Creature Feature
Birdnote
Get Out Alive
Songbirding
It’s A Wildlife
Big Biology
You’re Gonna Die Out There
This Podcast Will Kill You
Fish of the Week
The Wild Times
Birder’s Guide to Everything
In Defense of Plants
Completely Arbortrary
K9 Conservationists
The Field Guides
Herpetological Highlights
For the Wild
Golden State Naturalist
Beyond Blathers
Artemis
SquaMates
Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
The Anthropo Scene
Colubrids and Colubroids
Common Descendent
Fire University
The Wild with Chris Morgan
Youtube
True Facts by zefrank1
Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t
Mossy Earth
PBS Terra
Leave Curious
Terra Mater
How do you keep a good work/life balance?
Ask a Biologist Monday 8/8/22
Answers from Biologists:
I prioritize following my body and what it needs each day.
I make my work hours well known to my colleagues.
I work irregular days and don’t have work email on my phone so I don’t get emails on my days off.
Find friends or hobbies outside of work.
I make sure that work isn’t my entire identity. I’m not just a biologist!
Notifications for work email are turned off when not at work.
Google Calendar helps me set boundaries.
Having a kid forces the issue. Limit travel, maintain a 40 hour work week or overtime/comp time.
Make sure to make time for things that interest you and you’re passionate about.
Therapy, exercise, social life, and boundaries at work.
Make friends with different jobs and interests.
If traveling for work on a weekend/non-work day, take days off in lieu.
My work email isn’t checked on my personal phone.
I quit a program that didn’t respect boundaries.
I leave my work cell at the office as much as possible (when not in the field).
When I’m burnt out in the field, I find fun indoor activities for the weekend.
I use my PTO when I have it.
Close all my tabs and shut down my computer at the end of the work day.
Take my full lunch and any breaks I’m allowed.
Having hobbies unrelated to work. I’m personally working on this.
Actually taking sick leave when I feel ill.
My government job rarely approves overtime work and my work email is inaccessible from personal devices.
After 10 years, I had to walk away. I lost my balance.
Left a job when I realized it was toxic and harmful to my mental health.
I make sure to cultivate an identity outside of work.
Don’t answer any sort of work related messages past my working hours.
I make very clear to my technicians what circumstances it’s okay to call/text me under when I’m off work.
I delegate my tasks/responsibilities when I’m not going to be in the office.
I do nothing work related after hours.
I take all of my PTO and all of my breaks.
Give yourself at least one thing to look forward to not work related every month (concert, dinner, day trip, etc.).
If I am in a position to do so (money, power, dynamics, etc.) I set very firm work boundaries.
I always ask in interviews about the work/life balance of the company/organization.
If I work extra hours one week, I take those off the next week (salaried position).
Try to have fun on weekends.
I’m not signed into work email on my phone.
Schedule activities soon after work so it forces you to leave at the “normal” time.
I clarify my work responsibilities when starting a new job and try to hold those boundaries.
What is the weirdest or best artifact/thing you’ve found while doing fieldwork?
Ask a Biologist Monday 8/2/22
Answers from Biologists:
Illegal pot grow in the wilderness.
A dive torch (while diving) absolutely covered in bio fouling. It still worked.
A man baking a salmonberry pie in his semi-permanent camp in a National Forest.
A vibrator and a tire in the same stretch of river bank.
The knife my co-worker lost in the field the year before.
An unused tranquilizer dart.
Cocaine and black tar herion.
Old rusty beer can. The brand was the last name of our bio department’s head. It’s still displayed in his office.
A bone chandelier on a mangrove island.
Safes. So many safes in rivers. All busted open. One was next to a pile of deer bones.
A fridge that washed downstream during a flood still fully stocked with beer.
A single can of water from the 50’s, alone in the woods a long way in.
Three long guns that washed downriver in a flood.
A broken safe with purple heart medals in it.
An old trapper cabin with supplies.
A doll head in mud with a bullet hole in it.
A canabis grow operation tucked into the woods.
Went to pee behind a shrub and found a decapitated cow head.
Old hand-blown glass balls that used to be used for fishing net buoys.
A drug drop off spot in a hollow tree by a river.
Entire javelina skull after going a different way because of a rattlesnake.
The propane tanks from a meth lab.
Homemade cork and wooden duck decoys.
Porcelain-iron bathtub miles away from any road or building, literally at the top of a ridge.
An old typewriter.
An abandoned cemetery in the middle of the woods next to an old schoolhouse.
A small bomb from around WWII completely intact.
A cosmetology training head and a stuffed llama nailed to a tree.
A Crown Royal bag full of dildos.
Hermit crab using a doll’s head as a shell.
Pair of black necked stilt (bird) legs standing on a log. No feathers or body in sight.
A rabbit mascot suit head while crashing through mangroves.
A golden dildo in the middle of Joshua Tree National Park.
Baby dolls. They always creep me out when they’re in the woods!
Burned car, 3 miles down an old mining road.
Galapagos uninhabited island. Found a sealed jar on the beach, so excited! Runny poop pours out.
A backpack full of Scentsy products.
Burnt jewelry wrapped in duct tape with ducks on it with someone’s ID inside.
Thigh high pile of cow bones in an area I had to pack into.
Weirdest: dumping ground for large animal carcasses. Best: Fossils
A hydroflask in nice condition. Mine now!
Bowling balls half buried in the sand.
An illegal weed grow site.
An abandoned KKK meeting site., burned cross included.
Cruised a dildo looking for snakes.
An old locked bank vault in the middle of the Mojave desert.
Old cars in the middle of forests/deserts always give me the heebie-jeebies.
Old wooden owl call hanging on a branch near our field site.
Fleshlight in a national forest.
A pile of 10+ mannequin legs. Just the legs.
Doing pebble counts in streams and pulled a completely rusted ax out of the water.
A shot up porcelain doll with a note stating “I’m Abigail and I’m cursed”.
Tight with heels tied onto the feet dangling in trees.
Super old broken pottery from wrecked Spanish ships while working in the Gulf of Mexico.
A children’s car seat washed up on the shore of a Pacific atoll.
A red colored cloth tied to a stick to mark the grave of a russels viper inside of a tiger reserve.
Buoy in the forest.
Coast guard floating weather probe. Looked like a rocket.
Two cow skulls with bullet holes and bullet casings all around the area.
A whole decaying dolphin.
A roost of tent making bats while fishing for guppies in Trinidad.
We find a boat almost everywhere in Michigan, no matter how far inland we are.
25 pairs of discarded undies in various field jobs and travels.
An abandoned homestead with the story of the couple’s luck and loss written in the house.
Dual action sex doll next to a mannequin head.
A small grave for “Carl” in a random cow pasture on a school’s ranch (pretty sure it was for a dog).
A DVD titled “Outdoor Freaks Vol. 2”. We can guess what it was.
A random grave in the middle of the woods.
What should you look for in a grad school/advisor/program?
Ask a Biologist Monday 7/25/22
A professor that respects your work/life balance.
A professor that makes sure their lab is inclusive and pays their undergrads.
An empathetic and clear advisor and funding.
Someone who is willing to work with you to ensure you’re earing a livable grad stipend.
A kind human without a high drop out rate.
A fully-funded project with solid funding that won’t fall through during your project.
You don’t need a big-name school. Focus instead on a good advisor.
Don’t force yourself into a research project you don’t want.
Awareness of the needs of minority students and proactively supports them.
Make sure to get the inside scoop by talking to current and former grad students!
Funding. There were programs I had to turn down because of lack of funding.
Someone who will support your in your post grad school goals (eg: academia vs. industry).
A tuition waiver is key.
Make sure it’s funded and a project you’ll enjoy.
Only do non-thesis if you have extensive experience designing, managing, and funding projects.
Make sure they haven’t had a lot of students that recently left the program.
An advisor that you can actually discuss your research with.
Support staff for your statistics/coding helps a ton.
An online degree helped me continue to move up in my established career without having to leave it.
See if you can figure out past students finish rate. If only 50% of their students graduate, that’s bad.
Health insurance!
Full funding.
Talk to current grad students on the phone or in person (not email).
Someone willing to bring something to the table financially for conferences and training.
An advisor who is present.
Check with their former and current students. Some issues won’t arise until awhile into the program.
A person who understands your topic, pays a living wage, and has a decent sized lab (not too big or too small).
A project that is widely applicable and will give you a range of skills.
Someone who doesn’t just hire 4.0 GPA students and understands failure happens.
Kindness.
Financial support and networking opportunities (eg: conferences, relationship with state).
Funding. Don’t pay for grad school and look for a stipend that covers the cost of living in the area.
Just make sure your grad school tuition is paid for.
An advisor you can say “no” to. Especially about project ideas that aren’t feasible/achievable.
A program and advisor that puts student safety first and informs them about such.
Communication.
Make sure funding is provided by the school if the advisor doesn’t have it.
Be wary of advisors who say they are “hands off”.
An advisor who creates a good community among lab members.
What’s a recent exciting advancement in the field?
Ask a Biologist Monday 7/19/22
Answers from Biologists:
Focus on urban conservation and environmental justice.
Cloning endangered species with preserved genetic material (ex: black footed ferret).
Greater focus on traditional ecological knowledge.
Accelerometer (ACC) data from transmitters to remotely quantify animal behavior.
The push to pay technicians a living wage.
STEAM! The blending of art and science. It’s beautiful.
The focus on sci-comm and sci-art. Folks are realizing what powerful tools these are.
Tiny solar powered satellite tags for birds to track migration remotely.
We’ve started using LiDAR with our digital aerial surveys to measure flight heights of birds.
Drone DNA collection from the blows of whales. It’s like a video game to predict it.
Use of species range maps to prioritize land acquisition to promote biodiversity.
Continuous time movement modeling to quantify movement.
Stable isotope analysis of tissue and hair.
MOTUS network expanding and Nano tags.
Survey 123/Epicollect. Collecting data electronically saves time and you carry less.
Smaller, stronger GPS tags.
Underwater drones to survey for turtles.
Combining AI and citizen science to improve wildlife identification in photos.
Live camera feeds on bird nests.
Advancements in acoustic surveys to study bats, birds, frogs/toads, and more!
Using conservation dogs to do scent work on projects.
Anti-poaching transmitters that can even sense when the animal is under stress.
Using drones to plant trees.
Artificial intelligence to track deforestation and water loss.
Infrared imaging of animals.
Tips/tricks for hygiene/cleanliness in the field.
Ask a Biologist Monday 7/11/22
Answers from Biologists:
I carry a small cloth and a jug of water.
Always pack deodorant in my bag for long, hot days.
Always have an extra pair of dry, clean socks.
Squeezy water bottle. Can squirt on hands, face. Great for cleaning menstrual cups too.
I keep deodorant, wipes, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper in my bag.
Small bottle of camp soap in my field pack.
In dire situations, a smooth rock works pretty well for wiping.
Wet wipes and a pocket sized pack of tissues.
hellotushy portable bidet and homemade shower w/a weed sprayer.
Solar showers are awesome for long camping trips in warm temps.
It’s amazing what you can do with a small spray bottle of water.
Extra socks and underwear in the car in case I fall into the wetland.
Extra hand sanitizer-great for germs and tree sap.
Dry shampoo in the bag always.
Diva cup for when I’m on my period. Only needs emptying every 12 hours. Game changer.
Travel sized hand wipes and face wipes, a soapy water jug, and a change of clothes.
Always have a change of clothes.
Witch hazel as deodorant, moisturizer, bug repellent, itch relief.
A different pair of shoes and fresh socks for the ride home/at camp.
A stand to pee device like the p-style (made by a woman-owned company).
Soap buttons are awesome.
Lume deodorant and body wash cuts BO completely.
Wet wipes, hand sanitizer, water, and camp soap.
Facial cleaning pre-moistened pads.
Spare shoes and socks and a plastic bag to put my dirty ones in.
Washable gardening gloves are great for all kinds of grime and poison oak/ivy.
Absolutely the cucumber baby wipes for everything.
Biodegradable toilet paper.
I always have something to wash the sunblock/sweat/dust off my face.
Bandanas to catch the sweat. Works wonders and makes you feel less gross.
My p-style has come in handy.
Wearing natural fibers-less stink.
How do you deal with imposter syndrome?
Ask a Biologist Monday 7/4/22
Answers from Biologists:
Opening up to my friends in academia about these feelings. They usually feel the same way.
Mediocrity is everywhere. My worst effort will still be good enough. I’ll do better next time.
Daily affirmations, a loving support network, and lots of dog cuddles.
Distancing myself from people who add to it or make me feel small.
I try to remember science is collaborative and we all have skills/expertise to contribute.
I go through my photos to remind myself of what I’ve accomplished despite what I feel at the moment.
Therapy and self affirmations.
When my family/friends ask me bio questions, it reminds me that I’m more than my failed job.
Start looking at pictures of spiders or go find one in my house. They give me serotonin.
Therapy.
Talking about it and reminding myself I’m a badass.
I like to lean into it-if I’ve an imposter I must be pretty great at it to have made it this far.
List my accomplishments and contributions no matter how small/minor they are.
Read my resume.
Remind myself I’m not the only one.
I remember I’m always trying to learn and tell myself that I’m smarter than most.
Talk about it with my coworkers. They all feel similar.
Give it a funny voice. Mine sounds like Dwight from the Office.
Honestly I’ve been trying to stop thinking about it as having “imposter syndrome”.
Keep a journal of the great days where I feel like I really excelled to look back on.
Learning about it helped me. Hearing this feeling I had has a name let me know I’m not alone.
Talk about it!
Remind myself how far I’ve come.
Therapy and talking about therapy openly with peers, colleagues, and mentors.
Talk to my friends/coworkers. Remind myself that no one really knows what they’re doing.
I take screenshots of praise for my work and look through them when I’m feeling inadequate.
What jobs have you worked between seasonal positions?
Ask a Biologist Monday 6/27/22
Answers from Biologists:
Fast food and grocery store.
Pizza delivery, plumbing, security system installation, furniture mover. naturalist guide.
Bookstore clerk
File cleaning at a law firm.
Client support over the phone to sell fridges.
Retail and substitute teaching. I highly recommend teaching!
Veterinary clinic, food industry.
Assistant ranch manager, veterinary tech, horse trainer.
Vet tech, laundry attendant, UPS store clerk.
Swim instructor/lifeguard.
Shoveling snow.
Bartending.
Bartender, waitress, lab assistant, farm hand.
Farm hand and biology instructor.
Bakeries and coffee shops. People skills, networking, and time to write.
Bartender, nanny, warehouse package person.
Loading luggage at an airport, waitress.
Babysitter, waitress, unemployed.
Waitress.
Dog boarding kennel receptionist.
Local humane society.
Hotel front desk.
Ski instructor, hiking, backpacking instructor/guide, environmental education.
House and dog sitting, grass mowing, town laborer, elementary TA, liquor store clerk.
Dog day care. They liked that I had husbandry experience.
Substitute teacher. Only needed my bachelor’s in the state I was in. Flexible and good money!
Vet assistant.
Bartender, line cook, nanny.
Waitress.
Museum camps.
Cashier at a grocery store, customer service at Lowe’s.
Pet store employee/manager, computer part warehouse, Panera bread, and unemployment.
Barista in the fall/winter.
After school teacher.
Kitchen work. You can move anywhere and find work.
Restaurant hostess, unemployed, animal talent handler.
Vet assistant, outdoor gear retail, farmhand, unemployed.
Climbing gym receptionist, server, online freelancer.
Waitress, farm hand, substitute teacher.
Landscaper, housekeeping, retail, food service.
Substitute teacher.
Summer basketball coach.
DQ, bartender, retail, science programs for kids.
Retail.
Babysitting, Lyft.
Gardener, camp counselor, HR assistant, outdoor adventure guide, grocery store clerk.
College lab tutor/TA.
Bartender/server, jewelry sales associate, Amazon picker, afterhours stocker, and retail.
Vet tech/assistant.
Catering, cashier, Grubhub, pet sitting, hostess, snowboard instructor.
Movie theater employee, receptionist, cashier at a liquor store.
Weed farm, animal shelter, vet tech.
Uber eats, postmates, substitute teacher, dog sitting.
Daycare teacher.
Lowe’s
Waiting tables.
Program area director at a Scout camp. 2 of my classes were fishing and I loved it.
Seafood processing.
Substitute teacher.
Substitute teacher.
Sub teacher, bartender, camp counselor, receptionist.
Barista, delivery driver, farmer’s markets.
Cashier at a bait/snack store on a city lake.
Cross country coach and lots of pet sitting.
Front desk receptionist at a campground.
Starbucks while part time seasonally.
Babysitting.
Gardening/landscaping/hazard tree removal.
Grad school side gigs: stable hand, retail, waitress.
Amazon warehouse-benefits day 1.
Illustration for language learning materials.
Farmhand.
Fallback job on the same farm I worked at since I was 13.
Retail job.
Collecting unemployment.
Server, bartender, lifeguard, horse caretaker.
Zoo custodian, librarian assistant.
Warehouse worker at a college textbook company.
Target, Victoria’s Secret, restaurants.
Food service, usually coffee shops.
Housekeeper, ski lift, unemployment.
Hardware store.
FexEx, custom clothing company, a bank, a dog walker.
Naturalist, watch repair, bank teller, gym membership rep, server, horse wrangler.
Dog and horse sitter.
Coffee shop barista and assistant manager.
Harvested grapes for a university coop extension ag research program.
Server at a seasonal restaurant.
Aquarium ticker agent (w/MS degree).
My own beadwork business.
Customer service, Instacart, Rover.
What every day item have you used in your fieldwork?
Ask a Biologist Monday 6/20/22
Answers from Biologists:
Coffee cans attached to paracord to get water samples when we can’t wade in.
Gatorade bottle to hold staples.
Coin envelopes to put hair samples in.
Ziploc/glad bags instead of expensive sampling plastic bags.
Ziploc bags. Perfect for containing amphibians and keeping them moist.
Pringles cans to weigh angry kestrels.
A spoon to dig up a gopher hole and and place a trap.
Altoid boxes for bird bands.
Cloth bag that sheet sets come in to hold gulls if I’m solo banding.
Floor buffer pads to collect algae samples.
Spoons to collect salamander eggs that lay in vegetation.
Pringles can to weigh birds.
Pillow cases to weigh ground squirrels.
Film canisters to carry color bands.
Sock to weigh birds.
Big yogurt tubs to weigh salamanders.
Pringles cans for Merlin weights.
Spotify for owl calls.
Pillow cases to handle small mammals.
Dish soap for insect traps.
Tupperware for floating eggs.
Pillowcases to transport snakes.
Ziploc bags for amphibian, fish, and aquatic invertebrate ID while dipnetting.
Plastic storage tote to weigh fish so they don’t flop off the scale.
Morton salt containers to measure snow density.
Cottage cheese containers to catch coyote urine from pups in hand.
Bottle caps make good butterfly food dishes.
5 gallon bucket for carrying everything and anything.
Pillowcases for weighing bobcats.
Toilet paper roll for weighing birds.
Crochet hook for filling nanotags.
Socks over geese’s heads to keep them calm while waiting for processing.
Cut up pantyhose to wrap bats for weighing.
Crown Royal purple bags to weigh birds.
Pop bottle to focal trap ground squirrels.
Lube to insert vaginal trackers into deer to tell when they have given birth.
Old burlap sacks for holding ducks.
Minutemaid concentrate can to weigh birds.
Plastic film canisters for insect collection/viewing.
Yoplait containers for weighing birds.
Gallon plastic bag to put snakes in for weighing (with air holes).
Turkey fryer to boil water for imported fire ant mounds.
Talenti containers for field sharps container. Great excuse to eat icecream too.
Yogurt tubs to weigh clams and snakes.
Dish tubs to hold clams.
Spoons to dig up turtle eggs.
Turkey basters to feed tadpoles.
Plant saucers make excellent food dishes for willdife rehab.
Snakes in pillowcases for ease of transport.
Gallon Ziplocs to weigh skunks.
Telescoping automotive inspection mirror for nest checks.
Tea strainers to hold bait for camera traps.
Ripped t shirts to pad t posts when we slide a pole over.
Urine sample cups to hold pollinators while surveying.
A large El Pato tomato can to prop tortoises on top so they can't run away.
Socks with toes cut off to cover lamb's eyes and keep them calm.
Cat litter containers to hold flying squirrels when removing them from trees.
Morton salt canisters to measure snow density.
Lint roller to remove ticks.
Mesh laundry hampers to hold snakes while processing.
Tupperware to hold frogs for weighing.
Toothbrush cases to hold pre loaded syringes.
Rain gutters for track tubes.
Giant plastic cups to weigh lizards ava fishing poles to catch them.
Yogurt tubs to carry bait.
Stubby (beer) holders to keep critters warm while pitfall trapping.
Hole puncher for adipose fin samples.
Eyebrow tweezers into bead organizer tray for scale samples.
Plumbing tubing and stainless steel straw to apply gastric radio tags.
Wine bottles for octopus dens.
Modified icecream tubs for passerine recovery warm up bins.
What’s the most incorrect/frustrating nature “fact” you’ve heard?
Ask A Biologist Monday 6/13/22
Answers from Biologists:
Lacewing eggs are a type of flower that only blooms every 1000 years.
Cottonmouths/water moccasins chase people.
You can suck the venom out of a snake bite.
Mother birds will abandon chicks that have been handled because they “smell like humans”.
Any animal that seems smaller than what you’d expect is automatically a “baby”.
Snakes, scorpions, spiders, etc. are poisonous. (They’re actually venomous)
Alpha/beta/omega wolves.
Snakes are aggressive and chase people.
Coyotes interbreed with dogs and the hybrids are particularly dangerous.
House cats are a part of the ecosystem and belong outside.
Bats are blind.
Domestic “outdoor” cats are a great replacement for natural predators.
Armadillos can curl up into a ball and roll away.
Lettuce was being altered to have “strings” (meaning the cellulose and plant vascular system).
Rice isn’t from a plant. It’s made in a factory.
Opossums have rabies and that’s why they act like they do.
Birds abandon their young if you touch them.
Baby animals are abandoned by parents and need our help.
Fish don’t feel pain. People use it as an excuse for poor handling.
Armadillos are bulletproof.
Aya ayas are ugly/freaky looking.
Cottonmouths are aggressive. It’s a common misconception to defensiveness.
Okapis are a mix between a zebra, giraffe, and an antelope.
Moss is a fungi.
Daddy long legs are the most venomous spider but their fangs are too short to bite us.
Seals are just another name for sea lions.
Evolution “chooses” the best outcome for an animal/plant.
That grizzly bear and black bear encounters should be treated differently.
People pointing to golden silk orb weavers and calling them banana spiders.
Penguins are mammals not birds because they can’t fly.
All bats drink blood.
People look at the porcupine taxidermy in the visitor center and say “oh look, a long haired beaver”.
Giraffes got long necks by stretching to reach leaves on trees.
It’s okay to feed ducks/geese bread.
Dolphins are the only other animal that has sex for fun.
Skunks can only spray once.
You should run downhill in a bear encounter so the bear “trips and rolls”.
That all animals and their effects are natural.
Once a garbage bear, always a garbage bear.
Baby snakes are more venomous than the adults.
Bulls get angry when they see the color red.
Bats get caught in people’s hair.
When nurseries call drought tolerant plants a “California native”.
Chemicals are bad.
Coyotes lure dogs into the woods to lay siege.
Ocelots are habitat specialists.
Dolphin’s sonar lets them know we’re animals by our “bones”.
Sea turtles chasing people away from their young.
A crazy myth about big old eagles disappearing to molt their beak.
Pixar showing matriarchal animals as male led.
Axolotls can make you pregnant if you swim in streams with them.
Male skunks become venomous during mating.
Bears are bloodthirsty and will heat seek to kill you.
Climate change doesn’t exist.
Peeing on a jellyfish sting. No. Just no.
Wild game isn’t safe to eat because it hasn’t been “inspected” by a butcher.
Wolves kill cattle for sport.
Gray wolves were introduced to Wisconsin by the DNR.
Pygmy rabbits were being dropped onto private land with drones.
Owls can turn their head all the way around, 360 degrees.
Bottlenose dolphins are blue. They’re only gray in captivity because of chlorine in the water.
Orcas are whales. (they’re a dolphin)
All spiders, ants, pincer bugs are venomous and out to kill.
Turkeys don’t eat insects.
Hunting has no place in conservation and it’s evil.
All venomous snakes have cat eye pupils.
Wasps have no ecological function and we should kill them.
Owls are exclusively nocturnal.
Black squirrels are different from and more aggressive than gray squirrels and are taking over their range.
Raccoons seen during the day are rabid.
What is something you didn’t expect to learn from being a Biologist?
Ask a Biologist Monday 6/6/22
Answers from Biologists:
That it’s more about dealing with people than dealing with wildlife.
What I am (and am not) willing to put up with for the experience.
People management skills.
Leadership/conflict management. It’s not all about wildlife.
Managing wildlife is more about managing people.
I didn’t know that biology students and biologists were basically expected to work for free.
How difficult it is to land a job without relocating.
Ecotourism can negatively affect wildlife. It changed my perspective on that topic.
Dealing with people is the majority of the job.
How toxic academia/grad school can be. If I didn’t love my research so much, I would have left long ago.
How little communication there is between different departments.
How to jury rig anything with duct tape, sticks, or cord.
How to fix cars.
Making a good spreadsheet takes experience.
Extra data collection can equal new research.
Academia will use the “passion” argument to exploit you until all that is left is your burned out self.
Learning Wordpress.
Your superiors will make you do things they have no idea how to do themselves and expect greatness.
How to skin an animal.
Computer programming.
How to stand up for yourself. Before I started working in this field I was timid.
That a (dead) moose’s nose feels like memory foam.
Different shorebird species have different smelling poop.
How difficult it is to find a permanent or full-time job.
Enhanced people skills. Partnerships and collaboration is huge.
The importance of knowing different computer languages.
Spending more time with dead things than alive things.
How much working away for long periods of time impacts mental health.
That we don’t have all the answers and inter-trans disciplinary work is where it’s at.
How to build things like radio tracking towers, soft release enclosures, etc.
How much of a privilege access to library databases is.
When did you begin to feel like a Biologist?
Ask a Biologist Monday 5/30/22
Answers from Biologists:
When I started doing well at my first permanent job (age 29). Sometimes it takes a bit!
Graduate school and when getting the job with that title.
When people saw me as the go to for bug questions and general plant/animal ID.
When I was handed a project with no SOP and basically no training and told to figure it out.
When I started to see success and collaborate with successful peers.
When I got my first non-tech job and start working with like-minded people.
In grad school when someone gave me bad advice and I said “I don’t think so”.
Not even after getting a permanent full time job.
When I passed my state DNR malacologist test even though I’d done Bio for 10 years.
When I successfully collected my first blood sample from a nestling in grad school.
When I had expertise in my subject and without it I wouldn’t have been able to do my job.
When I got my first full-time permanent position.
When I landed my first job as a biologist after grad school.
When I could ID birds my bosses couldn’t.
First field trip. A handful of equipment, no idea what that was.
When I was a toddler catching frogs and snakes with my mom and she called me her biologist.
When you included me in your biologist artist gift guide.
When other biologists lifted me up and pointed to me as an expert in things.
When undergrads started to treat me as a mentor.
When I started handling animals and bleeding and I was really good at it.
My second or third tech position working with birds.
Whenever a layperson is wrong about something. I learned in college that I can correct them.
About a year into my first permanent full time biologist job. Age 33.
Third summer undergrad, designed and enacted a wildflower project.
When people would ask what I do professionally and then get quiet to hear what I have to say.
Haven’t felt it yet.
On my way to my first field day of my job when I realized little me would be proud.
When I could stand in front of a room of people and confidently explain my work and answer questions.
First summer field season doing my first independent research.
Getting a paper published. Although it still feels weird since I only have a BS.
When coworkers or techs started coming to me for questions.
My first field tech job.
When I was doing research at a field site an then hearing it was getting submitted for publication.
When I started writing a book and realized that I needed to call myself a biologist (not student) to fix the title.
A colleague casually referred to my crew and I as such and I finally allowed myself to own it.
When I first measured a bat as an undergrad technician. It felt like destiny, as corny as that may seem.
First lab job out of college.
Return of a favorite: What’s your favorite field meal/snack?
Ask a Biologist Monday 5/23/22
Answers from Biologists:
Chicken salad with crackers/bells peppers or PBJ, blueberries, and granola bars.
Overnight oats with lots of fruit, Mediterranean salad with lots of veggies.
Teryaki beef jerky, Annie’s fruit snacks, and everything bagels.
Tuna packets in a tortilla, trail mix, and granola.
Frozen smoothie that is defrosted by lunch time. Perfect for hot days!
Grapes, crackers, and cheese (if it’s not too hot) or zone perfect peanut butter bars.
Overnight oats, trail mix, dried mango, apples, PB&J sandwich.
Granola bars.
When it’s super hot we put ice-cream in our coffee.
Tuna packet, cheese stick, pretzels, perfect bar, fruit.
Granola or power bars, tangerines and PB&J.
Anything that can be eaten with a fork (dirty hands).
Fruit roll ups. I eat like 3 a day in the field.
Bumblebee tuna snakc packs are amazing (highly recommend rosemary flavor).
Gummy bears
Hard to beat classic PB&J. Cheap, easy, and delicious.
Peanut butter M&Ms. You can pour them right in your mouth. Dirty hands safe.
Dried mango.
Chocolate covered espresso beans and pecans. If it melts you get chocolate bark.
PB&honey and goldfish crackers.
Clif bars
Brazil nuts and dried cherries.
Fig/fruit bars, granola, and fruit leather.
PB and banana tortillas.
Smoked salmon, tuna, summer sausage, jerky, string cheese, raw veggies, fruit.
I always have 600 granola bars in my life jacket pockets.
Marinated baked tofu (can get it premade from Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, etc.).
Hard boiled eggs, dried fruit, beef jerky, banana chips, and cranberry juice.
PB&J, carrots, and crackers. Stuff that doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
Hearty sandwich, granola bar, almonds, fruit.
Cold pizza.
Hard boiled eggs and an apple.
Vegan jerky.
Summer sausage and packable cheese, bell peppers, baguette.
Vegan jerky. It’s the closest I can get to eating chips on the boat at work.
Clementines and string cheese.
Nuts, granola bar, bananas, and at least a gallon of water.
Hummus, flatbread, and hard cheese, paired with nuts and dried fruit.
Pepperoni and cheese.
PB bagel. All the calories pls.
Dried fruit and jerky.
A Tupperware of PB with chopped apples, honey, chocolate, and brown sugar.
Tuna fish, cliff bars, and leftover dinner.
I exist entirely on homemade trail mix.
Flavored almonds, sesame crackers, or fruit snacks.
Salami wrapped in cheese.
Don’t like PB so salami and cheese sticks, dried fruit, goldfish.
Slim jims, goldfish, cliff bars, apple sauce pouches.
Cucumber with spicy peanut sauce. Delicious and hydrating.
Hearty trail mix, cliff/zbars, fresh fruit.
Hummus mayo tomato, turkey on toast sammie. Extra protein, no mushy bread.
Smoked salmon, black bean tamales, and cherry tomatoes.
Hummus with veggies, wasabi almonds, dried chili mango.
The classic PB&J.
Peanut butter, cheese, cucumber, and honey sandwich.
Carrots and almond butter.
Salami and fruit.
Left over sweet potato chili in a tortilla.
Gomacro bars.
Nuts and walnut bread.
Chickpea salad with pasta. Use vegan mayo so it doesn't go bad.
Homemade stromboli frozen. Thaws in 1-3 days.
Nothing beats wild berries in late summer. Snack as you go.
Gushers fruit snacks! Gatorade, pretzels, and PB for dipping.
PB and honey tortilla and lemon larabar.
Blueberries and frozen grapes.
What is a job related stressor?
Ask A Biologist Monday 5/16/22
Answers from Biologists:
Did we put the boat plug in and did it get pulled out after?
Did I close the -30 freezer all the way? One time the answer was no.
Anything related to chemical control for invasive plant species in wetlands.
If we eradicated the entire colony of red imported fire ants near a ground bird nest.
That one of my motus towers will fall and crush someone.
Packing enough food for days in the field.
Forgetting to relay vital info to a tech.
Making sure I lock all the gates/freezers/cameras/pens/everything.
Whether I’ve truly found every plant species actually in plot.
Keeping current on constantly changing policies and making sure stuff if up to date.
Did I drop something in the field?
Trying not to step on nests that have been perfectly evolved to be hidden (plovert/tern).
That I didn’t release all my captured bees and there’s a stowaway in the cooler.
The public. Conservation in state/federal parks can be miserable because of the public.
Did I turn the temperature loggers on?
Regularly changing scientific names and staying up to date on new technologies.
Whether or not updating R will break my old computer.
Checking weather/trying to guess which creeks are low enough to sample.
Balancing perspectives of field staff, the public, headquarters, and politics to inform policy.
Locks. All the locks.
Releasing species information in a responsible and legal way.
How to survive summer in the field in the Mojave desert.
Whether I closed all the traps for the day even after triple checking them.
Did I make sure the collar was working before I let that animal go?
Are any health problems something that I could have prevented/noticed sooner?
I have stumbled into illegal marijuana grows (and people) while doing fieldwork. Not fun.
Correctly locking gates that keep bison in a pasture. I go back and double check a lot.
I have nightmares that I’ve left a mist net open. Didn’t actually happen.
Poor management.
Waiting for monarchs to enclose and praying it goes smoothly.
Making sure I take the magnet off the collar.
Whether our design accounts for most variables for best chance of success.
Technology not working. Especially government issues. Why is is so slooooow?
Asking property owners for permission to access privately owned land.
Did I actually turn on the detector before I walked away? Did I swap cards?
Leaving gate keys behind at the logging gate. Happened once, got them back. Idk if boss found out.
I misread the tides and my boat is high and dry when I come back. Or it’s just gone.
Illegal armed groups when going to new places.
Matching the SD card to the correct camera. Learned some sunscreen can erase sharpie.
Keeping date organized and usable.
Trying to find where I missed a parenthesis in R.
Snakes.
Injuries.
Safety of new techs. Especially during fire season.
What happens to my kids/students when they leave my class (home life, etc.)?
Making typos in the database.
Crass men at boat ramps who think they can say anything they want to me because I’m a woman.
Having to talk to private landowners about CWD.
Finding the nest before the chicks fledge (brood parasite mitigation).
Working temp jobs, not knowing where I’ll be working beyond 4-6 months at a time.
Insufficient information to be able to proceed forward and no one around knows the answers.
Worrying if doing nest checks might lead a predator to it.
Locking the truck keys in the truck, especially while in the field.
The patriarchy.
Grants.
Weather.
Did I properly close our shipping container or will it be full of thousands of angry bees tomorrow?
Is my tag properly activated when I put it on the bird?
Permits/regulations between agencies overlap and contradict but still need to be followed.
Rain for mistnetting birds. Run to close the nets ASAP in the north.
Tips for hot weather fieldwork.
Ask a Biologist 5/9/22
Answers from Biologists:
Gatorade/powerade powder
Swap bras for bikini tops-better for sweat (underwire ones available).
Water is good but don’t forget salty snacks with big water intakes-electrolytes.
Speak up if you need a break. Heat stroke/exhaustion is not joke.
Some sort of cooling towel (i.e. frogtogg)
Dress in layers. Places can be cold in the morning but hot by the afternoon. Moisture wicking bottom layer.
Always pack enough water, sunscreen, and salty snacks.
Take breaks in a shaded area whenever possible.
Keep a cooler with high water content foods like fruit.
Pedialyte on hand for emergencies.
Loose fitting quick dry everything.
The cooling neck/head gaiters really work.
Covering your head and the back of the neck can really help prevent heat stroke.
Drink lots of water but also include some electrolytes.
Wear fly fishing gloves-great for desert work (sun, bugs, irritating pants, etc.)
Pee often, pee clearly! Think you’re staying hydrated, you’re probably not.
Soak a buff or bandana before heading out-the evaporative cooling helps a ton.
Sunscreen!
Cover up. Synthetic sun shirts keep you cooler and prevent sunburn.
Wet bandana on your neck and lightweight white long sleeve. Both lifesavers.
Be sun-smart. Ventilated long sleeves or light drill cotton. Better to need to drink more water than deal with a sunburn.
Floppy hats that cover your ears and neck keep the sun off you better than ball caps.
Electrolyte packets are light. Throw a few in your bag to mix into your water when it gets hot.
Hydrate and skip the booze the night before a hot field day.
I freeze juice boxes and yogurt for cool treats on a really hot day.
Always eat, even if heat kills your appetite. Hyperhydration is a real threat.
A good hat to help cover your face when you work in a place shade.
Long sleeves and sunscreen. Make sure to reapply.
Keep packets of electrolytes drink mix in your pack and take frequent breaks.
Sunscreen is not optional.
There’s a neck tie called a “cool tie”-Lifesaver! Used it for years. Soak in water overnight.
Foam dog coats or foam neck wraps. Bring a cooler to repeatedly soak them in ice water.
Get old man dress shirts from Goodwill. They make really good sun protection in the heat.
Electrolyte water, cooling bandanas, drink electrolytes the night before.
Pickles!
I sometimes use a neck fan and freeze a gatorade and water.
Carry a small collapsible umbrella for instant shade and a first aid ice pack for instant cooling.
You can never go wrong with a bucket hat and a long sleeved button up from the thrift store.
Hydrate the night before to avoid beginning your day already dehydrated.
Crew Leads: Don’t ask the crew if they need a water break, just take one. If you stop to drink, they will too.
Drink electrolytes along with your water.
Wet a neck gaiter and refrigerate the night before. If you carry a cooler, keep an extra in there.
SPF shirts with long sleeves. The sun on your skin will roast you.
Long sleeve fishing shirts to keep the sun off and pickle juice!
Bring a change of clothes for the trip back and bring lots of water.
Sunscreen. Everywhere. Always. Don’t forget to reapply.
Bring some powdered electrolyte packs with you to add to your water.
Anti-tip: battery powered mini fans will be a waste of your time and money.
Electrolyte pills (to swallow, not dissolve). Take at the beginning and end of your field day.
Always always pack more water than your think you’ll need.
I wear long sleeves for sun protection, so I dip my sleeves in the river when it’s hot.
Have electrolytes, not just water.
Popsicles in pre-chilled hyroflasks filled with ice.
Remind yourself no matter how slow you have to go, it’s faster than passing out.
Mineral sunblock (zinc/titanium) works better than other sunscreens.
Lots of water and a cold electrolyte drink.
Start as early as possible. I’d rather get up at 4am and work in cooler temps if it’s an option.
Always pack extra water in the car for after fieldwork. I like to have a bottle of ice water.
Electrolyte packets. Be careful with over hydration in hot weather too.
Wear quick drying clothing, light colored bandana to keep around your neck.
I wear synthetic UV-protectant fingerless gloves (Simms). Hands sunburn/windburn too.
Bring ORS always. Things to cool-head, feet, arm pits, and groin. Don’t be embarrassed!
Pay attention to how much you’re sweating (especially if you stop!) Heatstroke sucks.
Have lots of extra water in your vehicle at all times. Sunscreen, electrolyte packets.
Freeze small gatorade bottles for your fieldbag. It’ll thaw midday and give you electrolyte slushies.
Put electrolytes in your water or bring a packet of liquid IV.
Always bring more water than you think you’ll need.
Leave a cooler with ice packs and water/gatorade in your car.
Make sure you tell people where you’ll be.
Freeze half your water bottles and put extras at the bottom of the bag so they’re insulated.
Keep sandals in your vehicle to put on after a long day. Your feet will be so happy.
Set a timer for sunscreen. It lasts 1-1.5 hours. Put it on naked if possible at the start of the day so you don’t miss any spots.
When you feel a hot spot on your face, cover it ASAP with a bandage to prevent blistering.
With work gloves for long periods, stuff mountain mint inside to prevent hand odor.
Bring a change of underwear for when it sweat through yours too prevent yeast infections.
Keep emergency chemical cold packs in your pack to treat people in the field.
What are your field safety tips?
Ask a Biologist Monday 5/2/22
Answers from Biologists:
Your life is more important than the data collection. Safety is first, data is second.
Always carry a form of ID on your person.
Trust your gut. It might be cliché, but it’s not wrong.
Try to park in a place that’s hard to box in.
Bring bear spray
Wear bright field gear with very obvious agency patch. Especially in less population areas.
Get Wilderness First Aid/First Responder training.
Invest in satellite messaging device, such as Garmin inreach
Pay attention to the wind/sky. Don’t rely on the weather forecasts alone.
Always turn the truck facing outward from your field site in case of emergency.
Leave a map or a log of where you’ll be that day.
Always carry more water than you think you’re going to need.
Have a turn around time and stick to it.
Makin sure your assigned Garmin device subscription is active.
Maxx Trax.
Stick to the plan you’ve told people.
Leave immediately if you find explosives or something suspicious.
Wear your sunscreen. Keeping your skin safe is important.
Wear something bright in the woods, even if not required to.
Hydration. If you’re thirty, you’re already starting to dehydrate.
Check for cell service or use a radio/satellite phone.
When boating, have a float plan and share it with at least one other person.
Carry benadyrl and epinephrine.
Life jackets aren’t optional in the water, no matter how safe you feel.
If you are diabetic, asthmatic, or anything else that could affect you in the field, inform your coworkers.
Backup batteries for phone/GPS.
If you’re really out in the field, pack smoke flares.
Pack water tablets and ration bars for emergencies.
Make sure you tell someone when you’re going somewhere without cell service.
Carry phone charging banks in case your phone dies or have a radio.
Always have a map and a plan of extraction.
Foam dog coats are a lifesaver in high temperatures. They make human versions.
Carry a knife or multitool.
Bear spray works for more than just bears.
Tell someone the latest time you’ll be back.
2-way radios for short range field communications when teams split up at a site.
Make sure you have a paper map for directions in case your phone dies or doesn’t have service.
If something goes wrong, stay calm. Shock can set in fast and hinder your ability to get yourself out.
In remote areas, Garmin inreach devices use satellites to send text messages in emergencies.
Invest in an InReach and always carry it with you in case there’s no cell signal.
Carry a whistle. Simple but I scared off a cougar that I caught stalking a coworker.
Bring forceps, tweezers, and a mini ziploc, insect collection vial, or tape for embedded ticks.
Pack/drink more water than you think you need.
Ask if your job will pay for Wilderness First Aid training.
Look before reaching into any hidden areas. You might find a friend that doesn’t want to be a friend.
Always keep your keys in a safe place. I clip them inside my bag.
Have superglue on you. It’s perfect emergency stitches.
In addition to wearing something bright, flagging is helpful to not get lost.
Take notice more often. Of changes in air temperature, what’s around you, landmarks.
Know what harmful animals and plants are in your area besides your study species.
If something doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts.
Mark vehicle entry/exit points on more than one device when going off trail.
Benadryl in your pack in case your have an allergic reaction happen.
Keep someone not with you updated on the day’s plans.
Always make sure there is an emergency jug of water in the truck during the summer.
Carry a knife, whistle, and water.
Buy a good electrolyte powder or tablet.
Regularly brush up on truck maintenance skills.
Pack gear for multiple weather scenarios and always have extra clothes.
Don’t step anywhere you can’t see the ground (snake holes, etc. can hurt you).
Be familiar with a compass and map. Know how to get out of the woods without a GPS.
You’re not obligated to talk to people who make you feel unsafe.
Know exactly where you’re at. Don’t trespass on private property.
Take survival gear and know how to use it.
Carry a knife, whistle, water, and a jacket.
Wear eye protection. I learned this the hard way.
GPS the truck location and the place you left the trail.
Avoid cotton clothes.
Redundancy in communication devices. Always have a back up plan.
Talk to the animals so they know you’re there.
Always wear sunscreen.
Drink lots of water.
Pack an “oh shit” kit with essentials, like food, rope, fire starter, etc. in case you’re stranded.
Always carry an extra container of water.
Have a first aid kit with you. Expect the worst.
What did you originally want to do and what do you do now?
Ask a Biologist Monday 4/25/22
Answers from Biologists:
I wanted to be a carnivore ecologist (bears, wolves) and now I work with birds.
Exotic animal vet. But I discovered wildlife ecology in sophomore year of undergrad and never looked back.
Big game disease work. Now I’m an environmental coordinator for a state agency.
Dreamt of ornithology. Real life job: Marine biology-sea turtle research
I wanted to be a wildlife vet but was bad at chemistry. I like research so I’m a mammal biologist now.
Marine biologist working with sharks, now I’m a bat biologist.
Work with wolves. Now I work with bighorn sheep.
Wanted to be a researcher, now I work as a consultant instead.
Paleontology vs. ornithology
Originally wanted to study grizzly bear physiology, now I study marine mammals.
A vet. Once I started to take more classes, I realized I had other interests.
I wanted to work in genetics and veterinary medicine. Now I study squirrels and movement ecology.
Wanted to work with big cats and carnivores. Now I work with a rodent species (tucos).
Was determined to be a herpetologist, ended up working with birds.
Conservation biologist. I actually work for a state wildlife agency doing oversight on development.
Wanted to study elephant behavior (and did). Now I study urban mammal ecology.
Dreamed about carnivore biology. I remediate DOE sites. I worked with black bears and red wolves in school.
Game warden. I currently work in habitat, but who knows for the future.
Originally herpetologist, then anti-poaching unit. Now I’m a bat biologist.
Restoration ecologist. Currently working in environmental education, moving back to insects and plants.
Originally wanted to study lemur behavior. Now I’m in avian toxicology.
I wanted to study animal behavior. Now I am a consultant because it pays.
Marine biologist but I got sick just looking at a boat so I’m a landscape ecologist.
A marine biologist. I work in freshwater and compliance now.
Wanted to be a bear biologist with the feds but ended up an environmental education with an NGO.
I wanted to be an English teacher and now I just finished a degree in biology and French.
Originally a physician. Now a naturalist.
Bear biologist. Now I’m an outreach specialist for bird conservation.
Wanted to study sea turtles and now I study small mammals.
To work with duck banding or waterfowl. Now I create wildlife habitat from old farm land.
Wanted to work with wolves (favorite animal and Indigenous) and now I’m doing it.
I wanted to study animal behavior but now I’m more focused on conservation genetics.
Originally wolves or foxes. Now I work with small animals (mice, rats, voles).
Cervids. I did and I still kind of do some cervid work but I keep coming back to prairie dogs.
Work with crocodiles, now I actually work with crocodiles.
Originally mammals, currently herps (tortoises).
Coral reef restoration or sea turtles. I work as an environmental consultant.
Ungulate work. Now I’m a fish biologist.
Wanted to work with sharks. Now work with salmon and trout.
I wanted to work with manatees. Now I am more interested in birds.
DNR/wildlife rehab. Now I’m a natural history collection manager.
I wanted to work with birds, now I plan and install natural habitats on agricultural lands.
I wanted to be a bat biologist and I guess I just stuck with that because now I work with bats.
I started as psychology. Switched to animal behavior and now I study songbirds.
Wanted to work in fisheries, now I work with mostly turtles and other species at risk.
Printed and small cats. Now local species, frogs, turtles, butterflies.
Thought I would travel the world doing field research. Now I’m a zoo educator.
A refuge manager. Now I’m a data specialist for imperiled species and it’s way more fun!
Wanted to be a vet, now I’m an evolutionary biologist working with reptiles and some amphibians.
Marine mammal vet and now I work as a water quality ecologist.
I wanted to be a forester. Now I work with a range of species, mostly birds.
Then: Herpetology. Now: Work in molecular bio
Marine biologist working with sea turtles, now work with Burmese pythons.
Originally wildlife rehab, now wildlife disease biologist.
Wildlife animal ambassador vs. education site lead.
Zoologist working with pollinators. Currently working in a hydrology lab.
I wanted to work with canine genetics, became an entomologist, gave up biology to be a veterinarian.
Also dreamt of working with wolves (and corvids) but ended up focusing on forest ecosystems.
I was going towards fish living near the Great Lakes, but the birds swept me off my feet.
I wanted to be a marine biologist. I work with water quality, water use, wetland ecology.
I work with wild canids, which means I actually mostly work with humans.
Big game biologist. Now I’m an ecologist that focuses mainly on plants and birds.
Wanted to (and still do in the future) work in fisheries. Currently a wildlife biologist with USFWS.
Vet, then mammal conservation. Now I study grassland songbirds.
Landscape geomorph processes. I work with invasive fish now.
Wanted to be a genetic counselor. Now I’m researching aquatic climate change ecology.
Going into undergrad I thought ungulates. Now I study wetland/waterbird ecology.
I wanted to do research on South American birds. Now I do invertebrates, mainly freshwater.
I wanted to work with octopus. Now I work with octopus, lobster, and abalone.
Coral reef ecology, then aquatic toxicology with inverts, now native/invasive reptiles.
Study nutrition in moose. Now I work to improve habitat on private land.
Vet and small carnivore bio. Now I’m a taxidemist!
Grad school-bats. Now I work with sage grouse and sage grouse steppe habitats.
I wanted to work with mammals or birds. Birds were easier, but now I work with all of the species.
Small wild cat (ex: ocelot) conservation, but now a wildlife health biologist (and love it!).
Wanted to work with bats. But became smitten with birds.
I started out obsessed with tigers when I was a kid. I’m a fish biologist.
Underwater archaeologist. Now wildlife biologist in Alaska.
Large animal vet. Now elk, wolves, and many more. Lots of math now.
Wanted to study frogs and behavior. Now studying landscape ecology and lizards.
Sea turtles. I worked with them for 1 season but now I work with tons of species including RCWs.
I wanted to work with big cats. Now I work with a variety of T&E species (threatened and endangered) (birds, small mammals, herps).
Forest tree ecologist (did that several years. Now R and D biologist in biotech.
Film maker and grizzly bear research. Now the professor the Charismatic Minifauna lab.
I wanted to be a forensic psychologist. Now a raptor biologist.
What is a crazy or weird nature fact?
Ask a Biologist Monday 4/18/22
Answers from Biologists:
Bobcats predate deer in Florida-they kills and hide the carcass and then return to eat for 3-5 days.
Coastal wolves eat sea otters, chiton, intertidal fish species, so many things!
The Mola mola is the largest bony fish in the world despite their primary diet being jellyfish.
The largest living organism is a fungus.
Some jaguars that range in coastal areas like to eat nesting sea turtles.
Peromyscus species will “foot drum” and hit their paws against dead leaves (or a trap).
There have been a number of different animals (that aren’t mammals or birds) that can perform pathogenesis (self-fertilization).
Opossums body temperature is so low that it’s extremely rare for them to have rabies.
Bats give bl$wjobs.
River otter families will use bird-like chirping noises to find each other when lost.
Male angler fish bite and fuse themselves onto the much larger females like a parasite.
The smallest and the fourth largest mammal both communicate via echolocation.
Ketamine is produced by Pochonia chlamydosporia fungi as an anti-parasitic.
Whale sharks are the largest non-mammalian creature-average size is 32 feet, 20k lbs.
Crested auklets smell like tangerines.
The toxin in the Destroying Angel mushrooms inhibits RNA polymerase.
Cactus ferruginous Pygmy owls in Arizona have exhibited incestuous breeding pairs.
Hoary bats have penis spines, the longest of which are ~1cm (6% of their body length).
Pallid bats can eat scorpions and are immune to the venom.
Deer will occasionally snack on birds (and dead salmon).
Wombat feces are in the shape of cubes. 80-100 each night!
Black bears can eat up to 20,000 calories a day when preparing for winter.
Garden spiders will eat their old webs as an added source of protein.
Armadillos have identical quadruplets.
Burrowing owls can make rattlesnake sounds when frightened.
Common dolphins watch gray whales mate. They actively follow to watch.
A narwhal’s horn is their tooth sticking through their head.
Some species of whiptail lizards are parthenogenic, meaning they are all female.
Most types of skunks can spray multiple times (up to 7).
Badgers and coyotes have been found to cooperatively hunt.
You can sex a beaver by squeezing its butt glands.
Polar bears are marine mammals.
Some wildlife at Chernobyl has adapted to continuously get rid of radiation to survive.
Opossum nipples are in a bullseye configuration.
Walruses have the largest baculum (penis bone) in the animal kingsdom.
Porcupines have an average of 30,000 quills.
The furthest inland a shark has been seen was near St. Louis, over 7000 miles from the ocean.
An adult Hawaiin petrel (‘Ua’u in Hawaiian) can fly over 6000 miles in one trip to collect food for their trip.
Sperm whales echolocate at 200 decibels per second, making them the loudest animal.
Copperheads smell like cucumbers.
Barred owls can crack turtle shells with their beaks.
Amphisbaenians…the fact that they exist!
Echidna males have a 4 headed penis but only use 2 at a time.
Saw whet owls have pink party pants that only show up under UV light (used to determine age).
Turkey vultures vomit when they feel threatened.
Bedbugs reproduce through traumatic insemination where the male just stabs and hopes.
Giraffes will munch animal bones to get extra calcium.
Crocodile penises look like the Tremors worm and a tulip had a baby.