Jason’s Report #1: Supercool Squirrels, Hollow Fur, and Summer Snow

Yesterday was our first full day in Alaska, and several of the other MBL Fellows and I spent the day visiting with the University of Alaska Fairbanks’s (UAF) spectacular scientists.

UAF’s scientists have many exciting research projects underway, and it has been fun learning about several of them. We’re about to hit the road for the long haul to Toolik Lake, so I’ll just leave you with some photos from yesterday, and a quick factoid or two.

Here, MBL Fellow Christine Dell’Amore holds an arctic ground squirrel. These tiny, yet rugged creatures have earned the title of Coolest Mammal or Bird in the World. During hibernation, their body temperature can drop as low as -2.9 degrees Celsius without causing any harm to the animal. That is the lowest body temperature ever observed in a mammal or bird. How do they do it without freezing? Through a process called “supercooling.” You can learn more about it here: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2003/12/61413
http://www.nps.gov/dena/naturescience/arcticgroundsquirrel.htm

During a visit to UAF’s Large Animal Research Station (LARS), the MBL Fellows had an opportunity to meet some reindeer (pictured above), caribou, and musk oxen. Biologist Perry Barboza was our fantastic guide through the all the pens and paddocks, patiently answering all our questions, despite having just come from the dentist.
You can learn more about LARS at http://www.uaf.edu/lars/

We may be in the far north, but it’s still hot here. Today, temperatures in Fairbanks reached 90 degrees. Standing in the heat in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt, I could understand why reindeer would molt during this time of year. Clumps of discarded under-fur and guard hairs (pictured above) littered the ground. It’s surprisingly soft and lightweight, and the guard hairs are hollow, making them an excellent insulator.
Want to know the difference between a reindeer and a caribou? Click here: http://www.uaf.edu/news/featured/04/reindeer/difference.html

And I’ll leave you with one last shot. I’m not sure if this picture does it justice, but we called it “summer snow.” When a gust of wind hit this trembling aspen (that’s it’s name, not it’s demeanor), the tree showered us with a picturesque flurry of fluffy, white seeds that floated all around us.