Migrations

"Animal migration is a phenomenon far grander and more patterned than animal movement. It represents collective travel with long-deferred rewards. It suggests premeditation and epic willfulness, codified as inherited instinct." (David Quammen, 2010.NG)

These fascinating seasonal movements are carried by a handful of species that have developed this Darwinian way to perpetuate themselves through the generations. Oriented by temperature, light, currents, or even magnetic fields, these animals have proved to be an example of evolution and a great source of knowledge, especially in changing environments.

Migratory patterns usually involve special behaviours of preparation and arrival, and require great allocations of energy. From vertical migrations of copepods to the great migration of the monarch butterfly, or of the sperm whale, what drives these animals is truly a sense of larger purpose. It is stamped on their genetic code and they only know the way to go as they are moving.

Let's take the example of sea turtles;

The loggerhead turtle swims to specific beaches around the world to lay its eggs. After all eggs are safe in a sand hole, the mother leaves and will only come back to the same place a few years later. The younglings are born without any parental control and go to the water as soon as they come out of the egg. When they enter the water, there is an immediate trigger that tells them where to go and eventually, when they are fully grown, they come back to the same beach where there were born.

The same goes for the monarch butterflies, which take several generations to get to Canada where they produce a super generation of monarch butterfly that alone will return to the place it all started - Mexico.

It is essential that we understand the importance of these species and their migratory behaviours. This is not a topic of general culture and basic knowledge of our surroundings. It can contribute for a better management of our habitats. In a changing environment, their sensory cues may be masked and thus, their migrations delayed or advanced. Also, the seasonal presence of these animals will contribute for a greater diversity in the receiving environment, thus reducing inbreeding and loss of genetic variation. Changes in migratory patterns should be seen as a warning to humans that there is a great change in the environment that could also affect us.

Migrations are a fascinating topic and are a great source of knowledge that, if put in good use, can improve the state of our ecosystems.

dreams...

Do you have dreams and hopes?Do you have plans for the future?Are those plans driven by love or career?

Since very young I had great hopes for my future. I am a scientist, a biologist, a student of life, but mostly, a student of marine life and hope I will always be one. I focused on marine mammal conservation and that is my truest, deepest dream; to work with whales, dolphins, seals, etc, until I am very old and cranky.

But sometimes...panic!!!!!!!!!!!

It's so hard to work on what you love, on what you have dreamed since you are little. There are so many tumbles in the way, so many obstacles that force you to stop and reconsider what you are doing and force you to make some choices.

But where does love come in all this?

I was once told that you can have only one of the two. If you choose career, you will never be fully dedicated to love; and if you choose love, you will never have a good evolution in your career.

That is b.s.

If you truly love someone, you are willing to give up anything for that other person, even risking your career. However, if the other person loves you back the same way, you choices can be made together to make your dreams come true. That's the way it should be for me.

Of course, your dreams shouldn't just be limited to the career, they should include a family, a house, a dog, anything you want and wish to have someday.

What do you think?Does having one thing compromises the other? Does it depend on the job or just on the person?

say no to finning!

Did you know that sharks are getting endangered?Do you have any idea why? Well, here's a hint: finning. For those who do not know it, finning is the cruel act of cutting the fins off sharks to sell in the asian market. Sharks' fins are quite valuable and hence, quite expensive! Usually, after cutting the fins of the sharks, fishermen throw the animals' carcass back into the water where they eventually die from asphyxia or from blood loss. Today I went to a small lecture about these things. It was mostly for children, but adults get the big picture...Unfortunately the current legislation is not enough to stop this practices and we need stronger measures to be taken. The fishing industry always gets its way around, or it has up to now. Here are some links for you guys to take a look at:

http://www.apece.pt/ - this one is only for Portugal and talks mostly about the initiatives this organisation has taken to protect sharks in Portugal.

http://www.ocean2012.eu/OCEAN2012 - this organisation concerns all fisheries' management issues in Europe.

http://www.sharkalliance.org/ - shark alliance in focused essentially on sharks too, but at a much wider scale.

You can also find them on facebook.

Remember to take action, don't sit around and wait from something good to come to you. You can make the change for a better protection of the world's greatest gift: nature.

I'm back!!

Dear readers,

I'm really sorry for being away for so long. Things have been going a bit crazy around here, but I will try to sum up everything and, of course, give you some nice pictures! For starters, I'm now back in Lisbon and I'm bored to death...For a while things didn't go so well in Norway, but most importantly, they ended well! I came to Lisbon on the 4th of September, but only after one week I had to go back and work some stuff out...After spending one week around the fjords, watching the northern lights and seeing the reflex of the stars in the water, I fell in love with Norway! Now that I am back, there is no day that goes by without me sending an email to get a job there. Two great jobs showed up in Scotland, with my wonderful sea creatures and I applied to them as well! Cross your fingers for me, will you? I keep waiting for positive replies, but so far nothing...It is really getting me down...especially today, that is pouring rain and all I wanted to do was to be in my own house, drinking a nice latte, and looking outside of my window and watching the rain in the fjords (it would even be better if there was a group of dolphins or whales passing by!). For now, all I can do is dream for that day to come...soon!Rainy days always give you this nostalgia...you feel like staying at home, watching a movie and getting a foot massage. It's a struggle when you need to go out... Anyway, now that it's darker and colder, my advice to everyone is just to enjoy the short moments you have with your loved ones, no matter where you are, and make it the best you can! I know that maybe you feel lazy and don't want to get out of bed, but you have to do something! To stop is to die! Remember, past is history, the future is a mystery, and today is a gift!!!

I hope you like my photos :)

Make some comments!

A Student of Life

On every whale safari people come to me asking if I am in Norway as part of a student exchange programme or if I am here to study whales...I try to be the most polite possible in my answer, but the truth is that I go crazy every time I hear the same question!uffff I am a student of life people, ok? I may look young (oh boy, maybe I do look really young!), but I'm 23 and ready to make a living out of my knowledge! Of course, you don't always know everything, but that is one of the wonders of life! So, the moral here is: Never judge a book by its cover and we are all students of life!

in mood for love and sunflowers

Although Noway has a breath taking landscape, it is very often that the weather is not on your side and you have to enjoy a not so panoramic view from the windows. It is quite alright though, it fills you with a great romantic feeling of staying inside, having some tea and just relaxing. It is time to hear your own thoughts, to hear your heart beat and explore the limits of your mind! Some crazy thoughts drop by, but I try to keep things flowing and set the mind free. I glass of while would be very welcome, if I wasn't taking antibiotics!But that's a whole other story...In the meantime, I just wonder how the Sun affects my mood, which brings me to the sunflower topic!!!It is a lot of fun watching the effect of extra 5º in the temperature on people. The layers of clothes change, the colors also change, but mostly people change as well!Somehow, on every trip that is warm and sunny, people lay down and just turn towards the Sun! I am no different. I love Sun, I love the warmth, I love how it makes you feel like staying outside the whole day just walking and going out with friends (typical portuguese)!So, whenever I can, I am a sunflower (not an onion anymore!), just facing the Sun and relax as its rays touch my skin and make my cells shake with delight.

Today however, the Sun seems to be hiding in an almost perfect way. Over the grey clouds and heavy rain, it is waiting for the right moment to allure us to the streets and out to great walks! It is not so bad though...I like the feeling of looking outside and listening to the rain. It is such a romantic and deep feeling!!!

Well, well...I just noticed that all I have been writing was about the weather! what a cliché! Anyway, it does affect us all in different ways, but it is still good to experience friendship and love with all kinds of weather and learn how to deal (and have fun) every time!

I am an onion!

Similarly to the famous movie "Shrek" , I would like to say that since I arrived to Norway I am an onion. Let me explain:

As a child I never liked using tights (collants) and as an adult I should say that I was glad to live in a country where even in the Winter I didn't have to use them. Now that I am in Norway I never wore so many clothes in my life...As an example, here's what I'm wearing today:

tights

underpants

socks

thicker socks

trousers

boots

undershirt

another undershirt

sweatshirt

polar jacket

water and wind jacket (double layer)

gloves

cap

What about that hum? It's amazing when you want to use the toilet!

And the funny thing is that, once I am at sea looking out for the whales I am still cold!!!!!

Although I am cold, during the minutes that we do have a great sighting of a whale, dolphin or seal, the cold seems to go away. BUT right after that, it seems even colder than before!

So, where we have some pictures that warmed my heart when my body was freezing :P

So far, the weather hasn't been very good, so the trips are not so frequent...Today we are going out, so cross your fingers for me for good weather, south wind and many sightings!!!