Chris Otahal
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wildlifebiologist.bsky.social
Chris Otahal
@wildlifebiologist.bsky.social
Wildlife biologist interested in conservation of biodiversity. I work in the Mojave Desert, California, USA.
October 13, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Just chillen with my pollinator garden buddies like this Mojavia achemonalis - we all need to just take a step back and take a breath.
October 4, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Phidippus californicus from my pollinator garden ... just sharing since he is such a cutie!
September 26, 2025 at 3:54 PM
March 2, 2025 at 6:59 PM
A Day in the Life of a WISDOM (Women in Science Discovering Our Mojave) - really neat video! www.facebook.com/mojavedesert...

Internships are now open for Spring 2025 if you are interested in working in the Mojave Desert. See details at the link above.
1.4K views · 49 reactions | A Day in the Life of a WISDOM Intern | Come along on a day in the life of a WISDOM intern as they head into the field to gather data on bumblebees within Mojave Trails Nati...
Come along on a day in the life of a WISDOM intern as they head into the field to gather data on bumblebees within Mojave Trails National Monument! This...
www.facebook.com
February 16, 2025 at 11:14 PM
This little New Mexico Carpet Moth (Archirhoe neomexicana) showed up a couple of days ago in my back yard - what a beauty!
December 9, 2024 at 10:49 PM
Found this Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus) in my yard today. Thought I would share just because he is such a cutie.
December 5, 2024 at 2:39 AM
Another project I participate in is Notes from Nature - Big Bee Bonanza. This project allows Citizen Scientists help transcribe historical museum specimens to make them more accessible to researchers. Focuses mostly on bees of California. www.zooniverse.org/projects/md6... 🌎
November 27, 2024 at 4:47 AM
One of my favorite places to work (and play) is the Amargosa River in the Mojave Desert. Here is a video which talks a bit about this special place produced by one of the conservation partners I work with in the area: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyUa...
Amargosa Natural History
YouTube video by Amargosa Conservancy
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2024 at 12:06 AM
Nice little cutie I ran across yesterday while exploring in the Mojave Desert - Desert Tarantula (Aphonopelma iodius)
November 23, 2024 at 7:47 PM
In my free time I work on a Citizen Science project called iNaturalist www.inaturalist.org Thought some of you might want to check it out. The project could really use the assistance of additional expert identifiers of species from photos submitted. #citizenscience
iNaturalist
iNaturalist is a social network for naturalists! Record your observations of plants and animals, share them with friends and researchers, and learn about the natural world.
www.inaturalist.org
November 23, 2024 at 3:47 AM
Another exciting project that I have been working on over the last six years is the WISDOM (Women in Science Discovering our Mojave) program. This program provides STEM opportunities to underserved women. So far over 40 interns have participated in the program! www.blm.gov/blog/2023-05...
November 18, 2024 at 1:38 AM
One of the fulfilling parts of my job is doing restoration work on the Amargosa River in the Mojave Desert. He is a short blog post on a fun project I am working on: www.blm.gov/blog/2023-04...
November 18, 2024 at 1:30 AM
One of the species I work with is the Amargosa Vole - I have been working with many partners over the last 13 years to keep it from becoming extinct. You can read more regarding our recovery efforts here: www.blm.gov/blog/2022-09...
November 18, 2024 at 1:22 AM