Ano Nuevo: The Secret Life of Elephant Seals

Año Nuevo Reserve Director and UC Santa Cruz Lecturer Patrick Robinson earned his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Santa Cruz, in 2009 and B.S. in Marine Biology, UC Santa Cruz, in 2003. His primary interest is in understanding how marine predators make a living in the open ocean. To do this, he works with a variety of researchers to attach biologging instruments (e.g. time-depth recorders and satellite tracking tags) to free-ranging seals and sea lions. Using these data, he works to answer these types of questions:

-How do these animals navigate accurately across thousands of kilometers of feature-less ocean?

-Where do these animals find the best prey resources?

-Can oceanographic features be used to predict where animals will find prey?

Answering these questions will lead to understanding the Secret Life of Elephant Seals.