This giant red octopus can be seen at the California Academy of Sciences.

A week ago on Tuesday morning, a co-worker and I were able to go behind the scenes and visit with the Giant Red Octopus and his trainer. To get to his tank, we had to climb a ladder onto a deck surrounding one wall of the tank. There was a detachable wall blocking off the tank from the desk that was covered in astro-turf. Nancy, who works with the octopus, explained that an octopus can’t find suction on astro-turf and therefore cannot get the footing to climb out of the tank. There was also a lip of the tank out of public view. The “octopus garden” was displayed there as dozens of crab shells picked clean.

Nancy was awaiting a crab shipment later that day. She uses live crab as enrichment for the octopus. She also has puzzles made out of PVC piping she hides fish in for the octopus to solve. The octopus gets many visits, much like the one me and my co-worker were on, for enrichment as well.

Nancy took down the detachable wall and we came face to face with the octopus we had only every seen through glass. There were a couple of things I learned that day:

A giant red octopus can drench you in 10 seconds flat if he wants to. The siphon on an octopus is similar to gills on a fish and jettisons water in and out. When he was slightly above the water line, the siphon dumped about two gallons of water over the side and I was directly in the path. It took all day to dry out my jeans.

His skin felt totally different than I expected. I expected something like the scales on a snake. However, his skin was soft, super malleable and slimy. It felt totally weird touching him and my hands were super dry after playing with him for a half hour. I knew that an octopus was boneless before touching him, but it was altogether different to feel him.

Those tentacles have suction power! His trainer showed us how to lay our hands over his suckers and let him grab hold. He had one of his tentacles around my hand and I couldn't get him to let go. His trainer squeezed his tentacle further up and it relieved the suction enough that I could pop his suckers off my hand. They are strong too! At one point, he had suction across my arm and we were playing tug of war.

The giant red octopus knows and is bonded to his trainer. It was amazing watching them interact. I knew the octopus was intelligent before I got a close encounter with him but it was definitely reinforced after I saw how he interacted with us.

Part of why I love working at the Academy is moments like these. It reminds me why I am doing what I am doing for a living and that a special moment with an animal when I was small was what got me where I am today.

Notable African-American scientists Benjamin Banneker, Charles Henry Turner and Mark Dean. Image Credit for Mark Dean: Stanford University.

Black History Month is a remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African-Americans and takes place February of each year.

The remembrance was first founded in 1926 by U.S. historian Carter G. Woodson as a week of remembrance named "Negro History Week". It was originally in the second weekend of February as two famous birthdays book-ended the week, that of former President Abraham Lincoln who abolished slavery and Frederick Douglas, the famous abolitionist who overturned the fallacy that blacks were inferior to whites.

I am reminded of Black History Month every January and February when comments start to appear on two of my blogs: Famous African-Americans Scientists & Famous African-Americans Scientists & Innovators: Part II. Usually the comments are those of thanks for helping with a report. Apparently, many local schools in the area give out an assignment around this time to research a famous African-Americans figure. So with that in mind, here are three more who have led to the annals of science and innovation.

Benjamin Banneker (1731 – 1806)
Mathematician, Astronomer, Surveyor

Banneker was born into a family of free blacks in Maryland. He learned the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic from his grandmother and a local Quaker schoolmaster. However, most of his knowledge was self-taught. He is famous for accurately making a wooden clock after studying the inner workings of one. He finished it at age 21 and it worked faithfully, striking on the hour, until his death. In 1791, he was appointed to the District of Columbia Commission, which handled the survey work that established the city’s original boundaries. From there, he went onto to write and publish the Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia Almanac and Ephemeris. The books contained information on tides, future eclipses, and medicinal formulas. Benjamin Banneker has been coined the first African-Americans intellectual.

Charles Henry Turner (1867 – 1923)
Zoologist

In 1892, Turner became the first African-Americans to hold a graduate degree at the University of Cincinnati. In 1907, he also became the first African-Americans awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Even though he had a doctorate, he chose to teach at high schools. It is thought that he did so in order to devote more time to the observation of insects. He published 49 papers on insects; titles of them include: Habits of Mound-Building Ants, Experiments on the Color Vision of the Honeybee, and Psychological Notes on the Gallery Spider. Because of his observation and research, Turner proved for the first time that insects could hear and distinguish pitch.

Mark Dean (1957 to Present)
Innovator & Computer Scientist

Dean was born in Jefferson City, Tennessee. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee, a master's degree from Florida Atlantic University, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University – all in electrical engineering. He also holds three of the original nine IBM patents that brought about the IBM home personal computer. He led the team of IBM computer scientists that invented the ISA bus – the device enabled computer components to communicate to each other rapidly. This breakthrough made personal computers fast and efficient. He also led the design team that created the first one-gigahertz computer processor chip. For his contributions, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1997. He was also the first African-Americans to become an IBM Fellow, which is the highest level of technical excellence given at the company. Dean is still with IBM to this day as a Vice President. He oversees the company’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California.

A giant ground sloth (Eremotherium eomigrans) from the upcoming exhibit, "Extreme Mammals" at the California Academy of Sciences. © AMNH/D. Finnin

Time is measured a bit differently by those who work in a museum. Exhibits both permanent and temporary have a lot to do with this. When I first started working at the California Academy of Sciences, my whole schedule was dictated by "Chocolate: The Exhibit". When an exhibit is close to completion, there is a palatable energy felt by those who have worked on it. This is not a small number of people; most museum employees have some small part of making exhibits ready for the public – from installing, text work, cleaning specimens to graphics, marketing, and educating the public on the content. Time, for a museum employee, doesn’t so much change with the seasons but with new installments.

With that said, I was eager today to walk around the newly renovated, "Altered State: Climate Change in California" exhibit. The 80-foot-long blue whale skeleton still shadows the footprint of the space. However, there are some old favorites back on display such as the sequoia redwood round that is over 1700 years old. (The last time it was on display was for the Hotspot exhibit at our temporary facility on Howard Street). The exhibit also has a presentation area to learn about what guests can do to be more sustainable and a rotating globe front and center.

Space was also made in the exhibit to introduce an upcoming exhibit, "Extreme Mammals", which will run from April 3-September 12, 2010 on the second floor of the museum. There is a bare stage on the peripheral of Altered States. It has been set-aside for a specimen that will be extreme in size.

So what will "Extreme Mammals" be about? The exhibit will display the biggest, smallest and most amazing animals in the mammal family. It will have a montage of fossils, reconstructions, recent specimens and living animals. The exhibit will delve into surprising and extraordinary traits in extinct and living animals. Some questions that might be answered include:

Could a whale walk?

Could a bat be the size of a bumblebee?

Could a mother be pregnant for almost two years?

Staff has been counting down to April 3rd and the opening of "Extreme Mammals" – literally! There is a huge countdown calendar upon entry to the staff offices and everyone who works here sees it on a daily basis. We are currently on day 60. The countdown started on day 75 and will be complete on April 3rd. Like I said, new exhibits and installments measure time, for a museum employee.

One of the most amazing aspects of the cuttlefish is their skin. The skin contains up to 200 pigment cells per square millimeter that enables it to change its camouflage at will.

I have been working for the California Academy of Sciences for five years now this month. I have always held a fondness for the aquarium. On my first day of work, I took a tour with other new hires through the aquarium at Howard Street. We stopped at the giant sea bass’s tank. It was feeding time and we were given sardines to feed him. We were instructed by one of the biologists to hold the fish in two fingers just beneath the surface to let him suck the fish into his mouth. When it was my turn, I dutifully held the fish under the water and watched the huge fish round the tank and head my way. He approached quicker than I had anticipated and I got spooked. So I lifted the fish out of the water. Well he still sucked the fish up; but he also sprayed me with salt water and fish guts. So I started at the office, dripping in salt water and smelling of sardines.

Tonight after work, I descended down into the Steinhart Aquarium. It’s kind of an after-work tradition to tour the aquarium before heading home. I like to stop by and see the same giant sea bass that drenched me and the octopus next door when the lights have been dimmed and the halls are empty. I now often stop at the dwarf cuttlefish tank. Tonight, one of them was swimming around the top of the tank, shimmering in a varied and beautiful color display. The other dwarf cuttlefish was resting at the bottom of the tank, expertly matching the rocks around it.

One of the most amazing aspects of the cuttlefish is their skin. The skin contains up to 200 pigment cells per square millimeter that enables it to change its camouflage at will. It also has muscles in its skin that enable it to change its skin from smooth to rough. Different species of cuttlefish can change the color and texture of their skin to blend in with the environment around them, display spikes and bright colors to ward off predators, or even create a strobe color display to mesmerize prey.

As well, cuttlefish, part of the Cephalopoda family that includes squids and octopi, have one of the largest brain to body ratios of any invertebrate. They can take in input from sight, smell and sound in the form of pressure waves felt through their lateral lines. The reaction of color displays has demonstrated problem solving and biologists study them to learn more about invertebrate and possibly human intelligence.

I now keep a closer watch on this tank, in hope of seeing the new generation of dwarf cuttlefish. The Academy is the first aquarium in the US to have a captive breeding program for dwarf cuttlefish, Sepia bandensis. The program, launched by Academy biologist Richard Ross offers the Steinhart Aquarium and other institutions the chance to feature a species, which is both captivating and less resource-intensive to keep than larger cuttlefish species. Dwarf cuttlefish span only two to four inches in length. “By establishing a stable breeding population,” Ross notes, “our hope is to make it easier for aquariums to showcase cuttlefish and their remarkable characteristics without impacting wild populations.” It’s no wonder that traveling through the Aquarium has become my favorite part of the day. Even after five years of wandering, I still see something amazing with every visit.

For some great footage of cuttlefish in the wild, along with information about research on cuttlefish and an overview of their anatomy – visit this great site provided by NOVA.

Every Thursday, the California Academy of Sciences is transformed into a lively venue filled with music, provocative science, mingling, and cocktails for visitors 21 and older. Activities and performers change week to week. Image courtesy Jenny Oh.

Over lunch today, I got into a debate with my friend over which camp I fell into – nerd or geek. His understanding is I lacked the technical aptitude to fall into either category. Of course, I disagreed. I am quite confident that I am situated comfortably in the nerd camp. His rebuttal was that I throw parties for a living of which I countered that I throw “science” parties.

So at an impasse, definitions were in order – both are quoted form the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Nerd
Function: noun
Etymology: perhaps from nerd, a creature in the children's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950) by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)
An unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits

Geek
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from English dial. geek, geck fool, from Low German geck, from Middle Low German
1: a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2: a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3: an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity

“Slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits” definitely rings a bell. I love researching and I always have. In high school, the librarians knew me by name because I spent more time with books than peers. In college, I would pick paper topics specifically to gain access to the Bancroft rare books library at Cal. In school, it was easy to fuel my nerdy interests and get lost into a battle of wits amongst friends but in adulthood, I have had to search for like-minded people and events. Below is my list of favorites intellectual haunts in the city.

NightLife at California Academy of Sciences

Okay, I am totally biased as I manage the music and programming for the series. But I don’t think I would have explored so many other events if I wasn’t working on creating a “science” party of my own.

Down to a Science Informal Lectures at Atlas Café

This past Monday, I heard Brian Fisher talk about ants at this series. His stories, passion, and enthusiasm filled the room and the audience was captivated. Not only did we see into the fascinating world of ants but we found out why Dr. Fisher screens his calls. His number one question from the public is ‘How do I get rid of the ants in my kitchen?’

Down to a Science Book Club at Book Inc.

In January, we are reading Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice for all Creation which is one of my all-time favorite science books. In the past month, I was introduced to the amazing medical mystery of Prions. The discussion has been small and incredibly lively each time I’ve attended.

Exploratorium after Dark

Okay, I have to admit that I haven’t been to this particular event yet because I work on NightLife on Thursday nights. But I have a group assembled to go check it out during our hiatus in December. I love that they are doing a night like this as I HEART the Exploratorium. I have ever since I visited during bubble day and was able to step into a giant bubble thanks to a lot of bubble solution and a simple pulley system.

LoveTech usually held at Il Pirata

I attended LearnTech which is a part of this series to support my friend who built a navigation portal into fractals. This is a great event that plays with the intersection between art, electronics and music. LearnTech was set up as mini talks and tabling. The talks, interaction, and boundless creativity had me captivated.

Ask a Scientist Informal Lectures held at Axis Café

This is another informal Science Café that has great content. The last one I was able to attend delved into the science behind magic. Even thought the place was packed, the lecture and discussion were lively and funny to boot.

Bookswap held at Booksmith

Reading, being my portal into nerdiness, is a constant pastime. But there are very few times that I get to truly discuss a book let alone several. I brought Mary Roach’s Bonk and swapped it for a Ninja novel. I was also given the recommendation of World War Z. I read it in two days; itt was so well written and absolutely engrossing.

What’s wonderful about San Francisco is this is only a slice of science events in the city. Have you found a haunt in the San Francisco Science Scene? Feel free to share you’re favorites in the comment section below.

Artist's depiction of a megalodon chasing two blue whales (image credit: Karen Carr, the Virginia Museum of Natural History)
Often I am drawn back to one place at the California Academy of Sciences, staring down at the dancing forms in the Lagoon's shallow water. Rays and sharks glide easily just above the tropical sand. Eventually, I see the lagoon’s shyer inhabitant, the guitarfish, whose body markings and shape resemble an upside down guitar. Sharks, ray, and guitarfish all belong to the subclass Elasmobranchii within the cartilaginous fish class Chondrichthyes. The Elasmobranchii also includes the infamous megalodon, thought to be the largest carnivorous fish ever to have existed. The megalodon was famed to reach lengths between 45 and 90 feet, dwarfing even today's most fearsome Great Whites.

What I find most interesting about this subclass is the body make-up these creatures share. They do not have a bony skeleton like humans; their skeleton is made up of cartilage—a dense connective tissue that is tough yet elastic. Their grace, speed, and great success as predators come from the fluidity of their movement.

This also makes it difficult for Ichthyologists to agree on taxonomy within this class as fossilized remains of cartilaginous fish are often poor. The oldest fossil on record of a megalodon, 18 million years old, is the only bone in the skeleton: a tooth. From the tooth, several researchers have tried to reconstruct the jaw and piece together what the body would look like. The tooth also suggests what this massive prehistoric shark preyed upon: There are bite marks on whales, dolphins, porpoises and sea turtles.

As the sharks, rays, and guitarfish pass by in the lagoon, I imagine the shadow of their giant cousin, the megalodon.

I admit it, I watch way too much television. Some good television (KQED QUEST for example), but mainly bad television: American Idol, Amazing Race, pretty much anything on the VH1 channel. My brain was turning to mush.

After some cajoling from the wife, I trekked down to the library to check out the science section. I was amazed at the bevy of great pop science books. Most are accessible, quick reads on pretty much every science topic under the sun. However, I'm a social creature, I wanted to discuss science books with peers.

A few quick searches and voila! Science book clubs exist right here in the Bay Area (one of them hosted by myself so I'd have more control on book selection). Lively discussion and science books, it's a good combination.

Down to a Science Book Club

Book: "How We Decide" by Jonah Lehrer

When: Monday, May 25th, 7-9 PM

Where: Books Inc, 601 Van Ness @ Turk, 2 blocks north of SF City Hall

Details: Ever had a experience of option paralysis? Like when you are looking at the 11 different types of Cheerios in the cereal aisle? If you're anything like me, decision making is an "interesting" process. Jonah Lehrer tackles the neurobiology of decision making and points out a few ways you may be able to overcome that paralysis. Watch Jonah discuss decision making at the Commonwealth Club or listen to him discuss Choice on RadioLab.

California Academy of Science Book Clubs

Teens Talk Books: Underwater Explorations

Book: Shark Life: True Stories about Sharks and the Sea by Peter Benchley

When: June 6th, 11:00 am in Education Classroom

Where: California Academy of Sciences

Coming face to face with the jaws of a great white shark.  Chasing leaping orcas near Vancouver.  Swimming with hoards of hammerheads in the Sea of Cortez.  Benchley, the author of Jaws, shares his many underwater adventures with sharks and other marine creatures, while helping the reader learn more about these majestic creatures, how to swim with them safely, and why it is vital for us to protect our oceasn.  Join us for a discussion of Benchley's fascinating read!

Reservations: Free with admission to the museum, but participants should call the Naturalist Center at 415-379-5494 to reserve a space.

Bookworms (Adult Book Group): Why Do Oceans Matter?

Book: Sea Change: A Message of the Oceans by Sylvia Earle

When: June 16th, 6:30 pm in the Naturalist Center

Where: California Academy of Sciences

Details: In recognition of World Ocean Day this month, the group will read and discuss noted marine biologist Sylvia Earle's book which is both a plea for ocean conservation and a very personal story of her own lifelong exploration of life in the deep.

Reservations: Free.  Reserve a space by calling 415-379-5494.

This Week In Science Online Book Club – Hosted by TWIS.org

An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere

Details: Most of the time we hardly notice that we're moving through air. But when a storm system whips it into a whirling mass that grows into a tornado or a hurricane, then the air around us makes headlines. Science consultant Walker (Snowball Earth) presents a lively history of scientists' and adventurers' exploration of this important and complex contributor to life on Earth, from Galileo's early attempts to show that it has weight to the explorations by 20th-century scientists Oliver Heaviside and Edward Appleton of the ionosphere, which acts as a giant mirror bouncing radio waves from one side of the globe to another. Walker provides readers with easy-to-follow discussions of the science behind the discovery that carbon dioxide levels are rising exponentially.

Seahorses are sold as expensive ingredients used in
traditional Chinese medicine.
When I was a kid I rode horses and was an avid ocean swimmer, and I absolutely fell in love with all sea creatures. But there was a special place in my heart for the one that seemingly combined my land and sea passions, the seahorse. Come to think of it, I don't think I actually thought these undersea chimeras existed in real life…in my mind they lived in storybook land along with unicorns and Mr. Tumnus. I mean, I never saw a real one…so how could I know? But these days kids are getting familiar with the real deal thanks to the hard work of a handful of public aquariums, like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Steinhart Aquarium, The National Aquarium in Baltimore, The Shedd Aquarium, and The Birch Aquarium among others.

Not surprisingly, I jumped at the chance to produce the Quest "Seahorse Sleuth" story, but I will admit that the process of making this piece was demoralizing, to say the least. I spent days in San Francisco’s Chinatown trying to get shop owners who sell Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to talk to me about their trade, and specifically about seahorses. I must have visited 20 or so stores, multiple times, and I saw many hundreds of dried seahorses and thousands of shark fins, not to mention enormous piles of antlers, skins, penises, and whole dried animals. Though I tried many different approaches, no one would talk to me…I was clearly an outsider and not to be trusted. (Had I managed to garner the trust of one of the shop owners, I would have certainly included them in the piece). This experience made me even more impressed and appreciative of the hard work that the folks at Project Seahorse are doing, and exhausted at the thought of how far they still have to go to convince fisherman and governments around the world not to decimate their seahorse populations.

But whereas Project Seahorse must be measured and careful in their approach to these conversations about TCM in order to make headway, I feel that in this blog I can be more forthcoming about my feelings about the use of these animals, and all animals, in TCM.

Of course TCM has a rich history dating back at least 2,000 years, and at least a quarter of the world's population uses this form of medicine. I myself find acupuncture and herbal remedies to be very helpful and do not wish to debunk the efficacy of at least those two parts of the tradition. But I personally draw the line at the use of animals, because I'm a huge animal lover, and I am absolutely appalled at the use of endangered or threatened species for any use. This planet may have seemed endlessly bountiful 2000 years ago, but today we can no longer afford to take the survival of non-human species for granted. To add salt to the wound, it is my understanding that China does not, as of yet, perform the kind of rigorous testing of these products that we must perform for drugs in the U.S. to determine their effectiveness. (This is why we get products from China with arsenic in them, for example). One of the main uses of dried seahorses (and many other dried animals) in TCM is for male virility, though I do not believe there have been any studies that actually prove it has any effect on virility. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s dumbfounding that a country with an official one-child policy, which has led to female infanticide levels that have caused a significant gender imbalance in China, thinks they need to ingest threatened and endangered species to improve the potency of their male population. Let's put the pieces together here folks.

Ok, I'm going to get off my soapbox now, since I'm getting into territory that I am certainly not an expert in. But I did want to present this topic for open discussion – since that's what blogs are for. But before you get too riled up, let me suggest a few websites for further research.

First of all, learn what you can do to help save seahorses by signing on to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seahorse Conservation Page. You can also brush up on the specific uses of Endangered Animals in Traditional Chinese Medicine with this informative paper on Encyclopedia's “Advocacy for Animals” site.

TRAFFIC (The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network) has a new Chinese-language textbook aimed at raising awareness on how to best protect threatened species used in TCM. Lastly, check out The World Wildlife Fund’s FAQ page on Traditional Chinese Medicine.

And that’s just to get you started…the web has plenty of information on this topic…read it and tell your friends!

Watch the Seahorse Sleuths television story online.

One of the questions that was asked before beginning work on the new California Academy of Sciences was what should a natural history museum in the 21st century look like? The architect Renzo Piano felt that it was stripping away halls and letting light and transparency foster community and growth. The exhibit designers believed it was breaking down the linear stories and creating a space for people to formulate their own story through vignettes of content. Ryan Wyatt, director of the Planetarium and Science Visualization believed that the museum should not just be within the walls but rather mesh and evolve through multi-media.

Science in Action is metamorphosis of creating a "un-museum" through multi-media as well as a tie with the Academy's past. Our in-house news program filmed at the Academy was branded the same name. Today, Science in Action exists on the floor as a breaking news exhibit. The exhibit contains four screens that scroll through four breaking stories about science. One story is changed out every week, thus all stories revolve out within a month's time. Science in Action will not end there. The production team is working on the next phase of uploading content on the Internet along with surveys and special clips to facilitate interaction. Once a month, evening programming beginning in mid winter will use content in Science in Action for programming. The experts will be here in person to go more in depth. The stories are not just for the screen but spread out through the museum as well as through community partners and experts.

I was asked recently to join the content team for Science in Action to get a real feel for the production side in order to better deliver programs for the evening events. The production team consists of staff from research, the aquarium, production, public programs and education. We meet once a week to brainstorm and once a story is chosen the production team works in collaboration with the content team to make an idea into a news story with a week turn-around. Last week, we did a piece on the Cosco-Busan oil spill for its year anniversary. I was able to help edit the script through the mock up, rough-cut, interviews, and final visual edit. A colleague and I drafted a summary and survey of the piece to be used in connection. It was a great team effort. This team effort will take place every week to turn out more than 60 stories per year. It is also an evolving process with equal input from the content and production team and will generate not only content for the floor, but for the web, partners, iTunes, and public programs.

It is projects like this that make me love where I work, as I am challenged to be informed and enmeshed in all the amazing discoveries in technology and science. Natural museums in this day and age must be cognizant that information is available everywhere. Museums that strive to be current have to embrace the information age and be comfortable updating content on a more regular basis as well as interacting with their virtual audience. Exhibits and multi-media were designed for the Academy with this in mind and will change accordingly. Like research expanding with new discoveries, our public floor will change in pace with science.

Snow leopardRecently I had to return several bird specimens to the Ornithology and Mammalogy department at the Academy. This project afforded me an opportunity to go into the pelt and bird room. The room, essentially a large refrigerator, was a brisk 58 degrees and packed with all sorts of wonderful specimens. Birds of all kinds stood picturesque on shelves while pelts of lions, tigers, bears among other mammals lined the walls several feet deep.

Specimens were sorted into taxonomical groups with relation to each other. Some specimens were a century old if not older, including an elephant skin shot in Africa by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1908. As mammals are my greatest love in natural history, I was in awe of the great variety of specimens. One specimen in particular took my breath away. Buried below the pelts of tigers with their massive paws was the smaller and more elusive Uncia uncia better known as the Snow Leopard. The first thing that struck me about the pelt was the length of the tail. For balance on the slippery climes of mountainous central and South Asia, snow leopards use incredibly long tails for balancing while stalking their prey of mountain goats, wild sheep, and small mammals. They will traverse up and down perilous cliffs in pursuit of prey and do so with an extraordinary balance. Watching Planet Earth recently, I was enthralled watching live footage of an actual hunt on a cliff. The speed and agility of these animals is incredible.

It was studying the Snow Leopard that made me fall in love with the big cat family and set me on a course to learn about conservation. I had to give a report in fifth grade about the cat and I still can remember drawing the body out on the board to show that the tail was usually the same length as the cat's body. I was so nervous during the talk that my lips trembled giving me a horrible stutter through out. Yet, that was the first time I became really passionate about an animal and ultimately conservation. I remember thinking "This leopard could become extinct in my lifetime…"

This is still a very likely scenario, although they are now on the "Red List" of endangered species. There are only about 7,500 Snow Leopards in the wild and fewer than 700 in zoos around the world. This animal is a perfect example of an animal's needs and habitat battling against the needs of a local people and economy. Protection of the Snow Leopard includes research and tracking. It also includes education and empowering the villagers that share a habitat with them to protect them as well. Poaching of Snow Leopards has been one of the main causes for their demise. Historically they have been hunted for their thick fur and killed as a pest because in lean years they kill the goats and sheep of local villages. Conservation groups like the Snow Leopard Trust understand that conservation is not only about research but creating economical and educational opportunities for local people who live with these animals. I am hoping conservation endeavors will continue to protect animals living in the wild. It would be a shame if in my lifetime Snow Leopards were only noted as pelts hanging in museums like the Academy.