Marine Iguana

Meet Maren Vitousek who you heard featured on the Marine Iguana episode. We asked her a few questions about her work. Here is what she had to say:

Where do you work?

University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA as a Postdoctoral Research Associate

What do you study?

I study relationships between behavior and physiology, and how these processes can affect survival and evolution.

What are three titles you would give yourself?

Physiological ecologist, evolutionary biologist, mother

What do you like to do when you are not working?

Hiking, camping, skiing, and spending time with my family

What do you like most about science?

My favorite part of science is the thrill of discovering new information about the way the world works. I also love the adventure and challenge of field work, and the process of sharing these discoveries with the rest of the community.

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The Podcast of Life series is brought to you by the Encyclopedia of Life and Atlantic Public Media with a consortium of marine education network partners. The podcasts highlight marine species with high kid appeal and rich, relevant classroom resources available through the education partners. Each activity also covers one or more of the Ocean Literacy principles.

See below for activities and links to resources:

Activity Disappearing Marine Iguanas: A Case of Population Collapse
Source: National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
Overview: Students read a case study about the link between El Nino Southern Oscillation and population decline in Galapagos marine iguanas and answer questions following each of three parts.
Age Level: ages 14-18, grades 9-12
Subject Areas: Ocean Life
Keywords: case study, ENSO, marine iguanas, marine reptiles, map/chart
United States National Science Standards: Non included
Ocean Literacy Principles (OLP): 3c, 5f

Activity: Marine Reptiles
Source: University of Arizona Marine Discovery
Overview: Students learn about sea snakes, crocodiles, marine iguanas, and sea turtles by making observations about preserved specimen.
Age Level: ages 8-11, grades 3-5
Subject Areas: Marine Life
Keywords: biology, crocodiles, discussion, marine iguanas, marine reptiles, sea snakes, sea turtles
United States National Science Standards: Included
Ocean Literacy Principles (OLP): 5d

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Images

Click on the thumbnails to see larger images.

Audio extras

Hear how marine iguanas may actually shrink, absorbing some of their bones to better survive lean times during an El Niño. Researcher Michael Romero from Tufts University explains.

Listen to iguana researcher Maren Vitousek explain how she pursued her love of science and nature as a child by running a kind of Insect Olympics.

Species Information

Learn more about species you heard about in the podcast on the Encyclopedia of Life species pages:

Marine Iguanas, Amblyrhynchus cristatus

Galapagos Mockingbirds, Nesomimus parvulus 

Galapagos Hawk, Buteo galapagoensis

Fun Facts:

Watch videos of marine iguanas hatching, swimming, feeding, and more at www.arkive.org. 

Ancestors of the Galapagos iguanas probably reached the islands millions of years ago, after floating on a log or other debris from South America. Marine iguanas get rid of excess salt by blowing it out of glands near their noses. These salty sneezes can make the faces of the dark lizards appear white.

Researchers are using DNA from mockingbirds collected by Charles Darwin to guide the reintroduction of mockingbirds to the island of Floreana in the Galapagos. Read more here.

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