Photo by Samuel Mann/Creative Commons
Holly McCoach/Staff Writer
Care to take a walk in someone else’s shoes? Take a walk on the wild side and wander through the life of an animal instead.
The World Through Predators’ Eyes will be hosted this Friday by Dr. Mike Heithaus, Executive Director of the School of Environment, Arts and Society, at Zoo Miami.
This event, which is third in the Zoo FIU lecture series, will consist of a lecture by Heithaus, as well as a traveling exhibition via Crittercam, a special camera that is hoisted onto animals that allows researchers to see from their perspective and to collect important data. The Crittercam is an environment data sensor that is designed to fall off at a certain point in time for the animals’ safety.
Being an executive director of SEAS, Heithaus will discuss mostly marine creatures.
“I will be talking a lot about tiger sharks, sea turtles, sea cows, a bit about humpback whales and seals. I will be talking about the research we’ve done all around the world,” said Heithaus.
Heithaus has worked on the Crittercam deployments before, traveling the world to discover more about the lives of particular animals. With research done in Australia, Greenland, Hawaii, Florida and Africa, Heithaus and other Crittercam users have discovered vital information about animals. He also is associated with National Geographic’s Remote Imaging Program and hosted the Crittercam television series from 2002 to 2003.
Through the Crittercam, researchers discovered how to protect the feeding areas of monk seals, the most endangered marine animals in the world. Green turtles are thought to be strict herbivores, eating plants such as sea grass. With the Crittercam, however, researchers have discovered that green turtles actually enjoy eating jellyfish, having staring contests with other turtles, and cleaning themselves on rocks and sponges.
Visitors to the event can obtain this sort of information through the Crittercam exhibition. The series will continue throughout the year with talks about amphibian conservation in September, the canine senses in October, the secret lives of bats in November, and desert antelopes in December.
Maureen Donnelly, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences, will also be discussing her area of expertise in September with her talk Amphibian Conservation in the New World Tropics. These presentations are beneficial for both FIU and Zoo Miami.
“I think this is a fairly recent and ongoing enterprise that brings parties that are naturally interested in these kinds of conservations questions,” said Donnelly, “It allows them to share what we know academically across a broader community.”
The World Through Predators’ Eyes will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 26 and is free to the public.
holly.mccoach@fiusm.com
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