Katie Todd is a PhD student with me at @sbac-manmetuni.bsky.social. She researches whisker growth and layout in pinnipeds, working with many zoos across the world. Her work is featured on the Pairi Daiza website. They have been a fab collaborator in our studies! www.pairidaiza.eu/en/together-...

We absolutely loved doing this study, and the data from @oceannetworks.ca are incredible!

Excited to share our new paper "Head and Whisker Behaviours Observed During Foraging in Northern Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris)" lnkd.in/e-sXgZkA @wileyecology.bsky.social The first description of infrasound and whisker movements occurring together! Check out the video: lnkd.in/ef6mRSTx

Excited to share our new paper on otter whiskers: academic.oup.com/jmammal/adva... This was a paper led by Amisha, and the second paper from her MSc at Manchester Met, in collaboration with the Wildwood Trust, Kent. Fab job Amisha!

We are calling for Reviews, Commentaries or research papers for our upcoming Special Issue: The Integrative Biology of Reproduction, covering the reproductive process, from mate selection, mating pregnancy/egg-laying through parental care deadline 30 June bit.ly/3ZT42hY

I had a fabulous day yesterday filming spinifex hopping mice, cloud rats, pygmy dormice and steppe lemmings with MSc student Georgia at Lakeland Wildlife Oasis in Cumbria. A beautiful sunny day, filled with science 🔆

The "bags of science-ing" are packed and ready to go for a week of data collection! Exciting!

The first paper of our Mammal Review @mammalsociety.bsky.social Special Issue is published! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... by David Lindenmayer

We’re interested in folks applying from all manner of disciplinary backgrounds. Biology, zoology of course. But also computer science, remote sensing, architecture. If you’re keen to work with LiDAR and point clouds, we’d like to hear from you!

We are advertising a Sensory Ecology, Zoo Biology funded PhD opportunity, led by @cbrassey.bsky.social in partnership with Chester Zoo. Using some super-cool 3D scanning techniques and thinking about visual fields and enclosure design. Send round all your friends! www.mmu.ac.uk/study/postgr...

Just as well I kept my super old laptop, which is now the only computer that can run my highspeed video camera! My old faithful! I feel there are many weird old computers littered around universities that are kept around to run that one machine or one programme!

I spent a fabulous afternoon at Stroud Green Primary School in London, chatting about all things whiskery and what I do as a scientist.

Absolutely thrilled to be a part of this awesome special issue on Sensory Perception in a Changing World. And if you are interested in how whisker sensing might be affected in a changing world, then do check out my contribution: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

Our new paper studying cortisol and behaviour during seal pup rehabilitation. Another fabulous output from Michal Zatrak's PhD. authors.elsevier.com/c/1mOZQcF2O~...

I am having an amazing time observing the grey seals in Norfolk this week. There is a lot going on here, lots of young shedding their white coats and growing up!

Have a great winter break, and a nice Christmas to anyone who celebrates.

Don't worry; it's not all doom -- the seals are amazingly resilient, and the story also features an adorable ginger albino pup called Golden Boy & a team of scientists at the top of their various games, including Jody Weir, Wendi Roe @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social & @robyngrant.bsky.social 👩‍🔬🦭🧪

Photographer Richard Robinson & I spent the spring documenting the toughest time of year for Kaikōura's fur seals. In the last 2 years they've faced starvation and a new virus -- now, as bird flu looms, what will this breeding season hold? nzgeo.com/stories/silent-spring 🧪🦭 @nzgeo.bsky.social

I watched the online premier of the @beavertrust.bsky.social #BalancingTheScales yesterday. It was beautifully filmed and lovely to see such a complex story summarised.

We're looking for a new postdoc on our new BBSCR grant (Graham Taylor/Tim Guilford/Cait Newport). See link below! my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

Catching the end of #SuperSeabirdSunday to show you a pic from our recent Albatross tour in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Amazing!

I am reviewing all my new kiwi footage wearing my new kiwi t-shirt... which quite exciting :)

Applications for Winter 2025 conference attendance grants are trickling in, awarding up to £500 with a high success rate (if eligible). Deadline isn't until 1st October, but don't forget to get referee statements in by then too! All the info you need is here: www.asab.org/conference-g... @asab.org

*****EVERY EPISODE OF COUNT DUCKULA IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON ITVX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*****

I had such a great time at Orana Wildlife park yesterday planning our first research projects together. Exciting :)

Join us for #ASABWinter2025 in Edinburgh Dec 15-16 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Abstracts for posters/talks due Aug 29 More details here: asabwinter.github.io/2025/

Harry Gill first PhD paper is out, applying @deeplabcut.bsky.social to dog gait analyses ... and it worked pretty well :) You can access the paper here: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lXNEcF2Ow... @cbrassey.bsky.social

New Comparative Anatomy Textbook! Completely free to read and open access! doi.org/10.59319/YHF...

Kaikoura seal colonies, NZ, are just fantastic, there is just so much going on there! The behaviour is astounding and the whiskers are fabulous!

I had an amazing day with the Kaikoura NZ Department of Conservation Team learning about their seal conservation work. What great work they do!

We have a new paper on rictal bristle development in Tawny Frogmouths: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @isdp.org

Excited to share my review @jphysiol.bsky.social : Can we study whisker movements to gain insights into the natural sensory behaviours of mammals? doi.org/10.1113/JP28... I recommend developing more social and active foraging tasks and including a wider variety of species in lab studies

I'm so excited to share my latest paper out now! How did the ancestors of mammals make the switch from sprawling to upright, taking over the world in the process? Spoiler alert; it's complicated! journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

We are looking for a Research Assistant to contribute to our ongoing analysis of dolphin acoustic data from West Wales - collaboration between @wtsww.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social 🐬 Deadline is 29th June - please share widely! www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...

🦭🔥Hot off the press! 🔥🦭 Check out this exciting work from @robyngrant.bsky.social and colleagues looking at the wonderful world of whiskers! #anatomy #comparative #whiskers

Check out our new paper in @journalofanatomy.bsky.social with @cbrassey.bsky.social using FEA and bend tests to show that seal whiskers are stiffer - in both shape and material - than terrestrial species. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Have you seen our new #MammalReview call for papers on Surveying and monitoring mammals in a changing world? If you have an idea for a suitable review, do submit :) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal... @mammalsociety.bsky.social

Have you seen our new #MammalReview call for papers on Surveying and monitoring mammals in a changing world? If you have an idea for a suitable review, do submit :) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal... @mammalsociety.bsky.social

Our latest paper on harbour seals is out. We draw from a vast collection of harbour seal skeletons at the University of Kiel—hundreds of specimens lost to a phocine distemper virus outbreak. Now fully sexed, weighed, and aged in the collection, we begin with... the penis bone doi.org/10.1111/jzo....

We have just published our first #PracticeInsights article. A brand new article type in #MammalReview and an exciting way to publish your review articles that have direct practical implications for Mammal conservation or ecology. Do have a read to find out more 😸😺🐈

Apply now for a four year Research Fellowship at Kew. £41,020 per annum Closing Date 20/04/2025 opportunity to become an independent researcher with some startup funds for research and travel. careers.kew.org/internal/vac...

⏰ DEADLINE IS TOMORROW (15 April) ⏰ Submit your abstract now! 🚨 #BOUasm25 | A day at the museum: collections-based ornithological research in a changing world 📅 18 Nov 2025 | Natural History Museum, London 🔗 bou.org.uk/event/a-d...#BOUasm25 #ornithology 🪶🧪

This week I am running a workshop with the Mammal Society on how to act as a reviewer for scientific articles. Do join if you want to learn more.

Porcupine whiskers are amazing!!! We are starting off some fun whisker enrichment studies as part of an MSc student project.

Finally on route home after a 6 day data collection trip and 6 day conference stint, at 2 conferences... And check out that amazing whiskered print from the mammal society conference photo comp i got 😃

MMU PhD student is presenting today @mammalsociety.bsky.social conference on whether you can use whisker spot patterns for individual ID in pinnipeds

We worked with the Science Journal for kids to adapt our research article for young people. Check out the summary and resources for teachers! 👇🏼

The otters went crazy for their whisker enrichment today at #FlamingoLand! This is all part of an MSc project for our ace #ZooConservationBiology course.

We’re really excited to have Dani start her PhD with us. And wonderful to have the @dogstrust.bsky.social as partners!