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6th-8th
Grade Elephant Seal Curriculum - Point Reyes National
Seashore
This lesson plan assumes that you will be making a field
trip to view elephant seals, but the excellent set of activities
can be modified and used by non-coastal classrooms as well.
The site has all the information that at typical middle school
science program would need. Can also be used in High School
life science courses.
Angelica’s
Story: Alaska Sea Life Center
This site tells the story of a sick elephant seal pup nursed
back to health by the Center and set free with a radiotransmitter
attached to her. Complete with video and a map showing the
pup’s journey.
http://www.alaskasealife.org/angelica.html
Animal
Diversity Web, University of Michigan: Northern Elephant Seal
A brief scientific overview of the northern elephant seal,
including taxonomy.
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/mirounga/m._angustirostris$narrative.html
Año
Nuevo State Reserve and Northern Elephant Seal Behavior
Contains a section on Ano Nuevo, its history, a map of the
park, and suggestions for hiking and viewing elephant seals.
It also has a section on elephant seals, including a talk
with a park ranger and how to identify elephant seals.
http://www.sfgate.com/getoutside/1996/feb/anogeninfo.html
Año
Nuevo Island Live Video and Sound
by SeeMoreWildlife & California State Parks
This is an extremely exciting experience
when it works, so keep coming back and trying. It is not easy
maintaining high tech equipment in a marine environment. Also,
be aware that at this location, the species hauled out are
generally California Sea Lions in summer and Northern Elephant
Seals in winter. Please note that there is a separate camera
operated by our university at a nearby rookery that provides
the archival images and weather data you will use in the classroom.
Also, be sure to check out our VRML model below to give you
an idea of the "lay of the land" around Año
Nuevo Island.
Burke
Museum's Mammals of Washington Checklist
A description of northern elephant seals, with links leading
to more information and a video.
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/mammalogy/mian.html
California
Wildlife Habitat Relationships System: Northern Elephant Seal
Covers distribution, abundance, seasonality, specific habitat
requirements and life history.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/M173.html
Christian
Science Monitor
article - Move over: Elephant seals take to the beaches
A 2000 article about the recovery of northern elephant seal.
http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/07/27/fp12s1-csm.shtml
Dawn
Noren's Home Page
Dawn, a doctorate student at UC Santa Cruz, studies how the
blubber layer and body composition of northern elephant
seal
pups changes during the postweaning fast, the thermoregulatory
abilities of elephant seal pups, and ultimately, survivorship
during
their first foraging trip to sea.
http://www.biology.ucsc.edu/people/williams/dawn/index.htm
Northern
Elephant Seal Photographs
Golden State Images is a website that provides Natural
History photographs from the state of California, including
an excellent set of elephant seal images.
http://goldenstateimages.com/elephant.htm
El
Niño
Impacts on Northern Elephant Seals in the Channel Islands,
California
Includes a bulleted list of facts about elephant seals in
the Channel Islands, and a chart of pup counts from 1958-1994.
This website also compares impacts of El Nino on northern
fur seals and California sea lions.
http://nmml.afsc.noaa.gov
Encyclopedia
Brittanica.com: Elephant Seals
Briefly describes both northern and southern elephant seals,
and their characteristics.
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/0/0,5716,32920+1,00.html
Final
Report: Determination of the Relative Sensitivity of the Northern
Elephant Seal
and other California Pinnipeds to the Toxic Effects of Co-Planar
Polychlorinated
Biphenyls and Dioxins
A study to determine the susceptibility of the Northern Elephant
Seal, Mirounga angustirostris, California Harbor Seal,
Phoca vitulina, and California Sea Lion, Zalophus californianus,
to the toxic effects of co-planar PCBs, and PCDDs on energy
metabolism and adipose tissue function.
http://es.epa.gov/ncerqa/final/tjeerdema.html
Friends
of the Elephant Seal
A non-profit group dedicated to educating the public about
elephant seals. This site provides information about the colony
of elephant seals in the Pt. Piedras Blancas area, near San
Simeon, California, and about elephant seals in general.
http://www.elephantseal.org/index.html
Get
Outside! Año
Nuevo State Reserve
Offers a overview and a history of the reserve, as well as
a lot of elephant seal information.
http://www.sfgate.com/getoutside/1996/feb96/index.html
Journal
of Experimental Biology paper: Effects of buoyancy on
the diving behavior of northern elephant seals
Examines the relationships between radical seasonal changes
in body composition, buoyancy and diving behavior in northern
elephant seals
http://www.biologists.com/JEB/201/16/jeb1603.html
Journal
of Experimental Biology paper: Heart rates of northern
elephant seals diving at sea and resting on the beach
Heart rates of northern elephant seals diving at sea and on
land were monitored to test whether a cardiac response to
submergence is an important factor in their ability to make
repetitive, long-duration dives.
http://www.biologists.com/JEB/200/15/jeb0887.html
Journal
of Experimental Biology paper: Respiration and heart rate
at the surface between dives
in northern elephant seals
Describes research measuring northern elephant seal respiratory
rate and heart rate at the surface between dives.
http://www.biologists.com/JEB/203/21/jeb2849.html
Marine Mammal
Center - Northern Elephant Seal Description
A brief description of the northern elephant seal.
.http://www.tmmc.org/elphntseal.htm
Northern
Elephant Seal
Marine mammal researcher J.D. van der Toorn's elephant seal
page, covering a broad variety of information.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/elepseal.htm#northern
Ocean
Oasis Field Guide: Northern Elephant Seals
Information on the seal's range, habitat, status and natural
history.
http://www.oceanoasis.org/fieldguide/miro-ang.html
Ortiz
Lab - University of California at Santa Cruz
This university lab is studying elephant seal physiology.
http://www.biology.ucsc.edu/people/ortiz/public_html/lab/
Park
Science
article: Mirounga massing at Point Reyes National Seashore
Resource managers balance species recovery, public safety,
wildlife harassment, transmission of diseases between seals
and dogs and cattle, and disruption of colonization at new
beaches.
http://www.aqd.nps.gov/parksci/vol19(1)/16allen.htm
Physiological
and behavioral determinants of lactation efficiency in the
northern elephant seal
Description of a research project by Birgitte McDonald, a
graduate student at Sonoma State University.
http://www.sonoma.edu/people/c/crocker/gitte.htm
Research
on Marine Mammal Diets
An interesting page about why and how people study the diets
of marine mammals.
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~nhi104/seals/why.htm
San
Diego Earth Times article: Where do elephant seals
go?
A 1995 newspaper article about elephant seal research conducted
by Hubbs-Sea World scientists.
http://www.sdearthtimes.com/et0395/et0395s4.html
Seal
Conservation Society: Northern Elephant Seals
A description of the northern elephant seal, lifestyle, status
and statistics
http://www.greenchannel.com/tec/species/nelephnt.htm
Skulls
Unlimited International
Provides replicas of elephant seal skulls and teeth.
http://www.skullsunlimited.com/Pinnipedia.htm
The
Elephant Seal Example
Excellent site providing scientific information about elephant
seal migration and diving behaviors.
http://nmml01.afsc.noaa.gov/education/science/studymmsealexample.htm
The Sounds
of Science: Sound and Elephant Seal Behavior
Audio files of elephant seal sounds as well as information
on behaviors and some video.
http://philo.sfsu.edu/sos/esealframe.html
State of California - Año
Nuevo State Reserve
Describes Ano Nuevo State Reserve, including a live camera
view of the elephant seals and contact information.
http://parks.ca.gov/central/bayarea/ansr228.htm
U.S.
Pacific Marine Mammal Stock Assessments: 1996
Describes the California elephant seal breeding stock, and
fishery-induced mortalities.
http://swfsc.ucsd.edu/sars/SAR1996/NoEle_Seal.htm
WhaleNet
Satellite Tagging Data, Maps and Information
General information on satellite tagging and data, instructions
on how to interpret data, activities, resources and more.
http://whale.wheelock.edu/whalenet-stuff/stop_cover.html
WhaleNet
Tagged Elephant Seals "Mac" and "Arthur"
Story of two rehabilitated seals set free with radiotransmitters,
including data sets, tracking maps, and background information.
http://whale.wheelock.edu/whalenet-stuff/sealele_cover.html
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