NOAA Fisheries reposted this
University of California, Santa Cruz continues to make a splash in Science Magazine, this time on the cover of its most recent issue! The slumbering seal mother and pup are the faces of a new study led by professor Roxanne Beltran and co-authored by 14 undergraduates who took an immersive field course she teaches with Patrick Robinson, director of Año Nuevo Natural Reserve. That's where northern elephant seals gather by the thousands to breed and molt. For nearly 60 years, generations of UC Santa Cruz marine biologists have studied how these animals move and feed in our oceans—gathering over 350,000 observations on more than 50,000 seals. Now, Dr. Beltran and a new generation of researchers—collaborating with scientists at NOAA Fisheries—are carrying this impactful, long-term project into the future!