“No matter what religious or spiritual beliefs you hold, it’s impossible to deny we have been blessed with a planet that has everything we need to survive and be healthy. It is up to us to care for it and to keep it livable for ourselves and all of the living things that share it with us.” -David Suzuki I
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Each year DANTA offers a number of training courses in various aspects of tropical biology. Typically, the courses are one month long but shorter courses are also offered through our organization. The courses are intended for undergraduates or early graduate level students who have a keen interest in tropical biology and conservation, but have little or no experience of working
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Kelly Haggerty, Anthropology student at Bloomberg University of Pennsylvania, reflects on her experience with the Boruca during DANTA’s 2015 Methods in Primate Behavior and Conservation course in Costa Rica. “I want you to just sit here for the next 10 minutes and feel everything around you. What do you think, what do you smell, what do you hear, and tell
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A marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) basking in the equatorial sun of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Found only on this special chain of volcanic islands, this lizard is unique for its ability to forage in a marine habitat, diving as deep as 30 feet to feed on algae.
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We arrived at the Costa Rica field site late at night, groggy from traveling and completely overwhelmed by the pitch black of night. The sounds of the forest alive erupted at the back of our cabins. We secured our headlamps and shuffled quickly into our beds, kicking out unwanted insect-friends and wrapping ourselves tightly in our mosquito nets. Early the
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Feels Good! An awesome video recorded during DANTA’s Winter 2015 Methods in Primate Behavior and Conservation Course in the spectacular Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica by Kelly Haggerty, a course participant. For more information about our programs, please visit our website and/or contact us at conservation@danta.info.
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Although Lisa is the elephant expert on this blog, I share her admiration for their intelligence, grace, and beauty. This picture was taken on my first African safari, in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, and I was absolutely awestruck to be in the presence of these animals. We were on a tour boat, and before I took this picture all
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Besides the countless hours I spent working on my research in Rwanda this past summer, I had the lucky opportunity to do some traveling when my parents came to join me at the end of my project. First and foremost on my priority list was to trek up to see the mountain gorillas, made famous by Dian Fossey and also
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One of the most moving experiences I’ve had abroad was my chance to visit Bisesero Memorial in Bisesero, Rwanda. Also known as “The Hill of Resistance,” this location is one of the places where victims of the genocide banded together and stood their ground. There is no way I could do this story justice, or even write a comprehensible summary
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Long-term studies have contributed invaluable data regarding distribution, biogeography, physiology, behavior, and ecology of Madagascar’s primates. Lemurs contrast with many other primates in several behavioral features. What are these features? 1. Females Dominate Males Female dominance is variable, but still the common pattern 2. Female-Female Aggression Some lemurs have dominance hierarchies, some only seasonally Targeted and severe aggression emerges seasonally
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DANTAisms 