Today, Prof. Jay Rotella, Lead Scientist on the Erebus Bay Weddell Seal Population Study, begins his travel to The Ice from his home of Bozeman, Montana. Soon he'll join the rest of the 2024 Field Team at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Here is Jay's 2024 bio sketch:
Hi, I'm Jay! I'm a wildlife biology professor in the Ecology Department at Montana State University, where I’ve worked since 1992. I am the principal investigator on the seal project and have been conducting research on the Erebus Bay Weddell seal population since 2002. I also work on population studies on a variety of other species of mammals, birds, and fish in Montana and the surrounding area. I'm really looking forward to working with the team for the whole field season and seeing all the rapid changes that happen over the 2.5 months we’re working. I think we will tag 680 pups this year. If I could have one animal adaptation, I would want to be able to dive under the ice like a Weddell seal so I could see what they’re up to under the ice!
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