Dr Michelle LaRue
@drmichellelarue.bsky.social
Antarctic wildlife ecologist, Rutherford Discovery Fellow, Assoc Prof UCNZ, speaker, children’s book author
@natgeo Secrets of the Penguins
drmichellelarue.com
@natgeo Secrets of the Penguins
drmichellelarue.com
Reposted by Dr Michelle LaRue
Imagine never showing signs of aging and having zero risk of cancer. This is the reality for some animals, and now, scientists are exploring their secrets. 🐋 🦇
Can Animal Super-Agers Teach Us Their Secrets?
Some animals seem to defy the rules of aging. Understanding how they do it could help us live longer, healthier lives.
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Imagine never showing signs of aging and having zero risk of cancer. This is the reality for some animals, and now, scientists are exploring their secrets. 🐋 🦇
I love Weddell seals so much I will pick up their poop and put it in a small vial just so I can get a chance to be near them and watch them hanging out on the ice.
(AMLR permit to LaRue 2025)
Also the cute of this pup was TOO MUCH.
🧪🌎🦑🦊
(AMLR permit to LaRue 2025)
Also the cute of this pup was TOO MUCH.
🧪🌎🦑🦊
November 17, 2025 at 10:50 PM
I love Weddell seals so much I will pick up their poop and put it in a small vial just so I can get a chance to be near them and watch them hanging out on the ice.
(AMLR permit to LaRue 2025)
Also the cute of this pup was TOO MUCH.
🧪🌎🦑🦊
(AMLR permit to LaRue 2025)
Also the cute of this pup was TOO MUCH.
🧪🌎🦑🦊
We have deployed satellite tracking devices on all our animals now (10 seals and 10 penguins), plus collected feathers, blood, whiskers, etc., for more information about the animals.
ACA Permit 2025-010
🧪🌎🦑🦉
ACA Permit 2025-010
🧪🌎🦑🦉
November 15, 2025 at 4:14 AM
We have deployed satellite tracking devices on all our animals now (10 seals and 10 penguins), plus collected feathers, blood, whiskers, etc., for more information about the animals.
ACA Permit 2025-010
🧪🌎🦑🦉
ACA Permit 2025-010
🧪🌎🦑🦉
Here are the satellite tags attached to the penguins who will be carrying them for the next several months. Do you have a favorite?! Tell us!
AMLR permit to LaRue 2025
🧪🌎🦉🦑
AMLR permit to LaRue 2025
🧪🌎🦉🦑
November 11, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Here are the satellite tags attached to the penguins who will be carrying them for the next several months. Do you have a favorite?! Tell us!
AMLR permit to LaRue 2025
🧪🌎🦉🦑
AMLR permit to LaRue 2025
🧪🌎🦉🦑
We captured 18 birds today and then we surveyed the colony for bird flu, which we thankfully saw no evidence of.
Cape Crozier remains magical!
🌍🧪🦑🦉
Cape Crozier remains magical!
🌍🧪🦑🦉
November 11, 2025 at 4:52 AM
We captured 18 birds today and then we surveyed the colony for bird flu, which we thankfully saw no evidence of.
Cape Crozier remains magical!
🌍🧪🦑🦉
Cape Crozier remains magical!
🌍🧪🦑🦉
🧪🌎
US scientists uncover oldest directly dated ice, preserved for 6 million years
The ice holds tiny air bubbles that act as “time machines,” granting a look into the planet’s past climate
interestingengineering.com/science/olde...
The ice holds tiny air bubbles that act as “time machines,” granting a look into the planet’s past climate
interestingengineering.com/science/olde...
6-million-year-old Antarctic ice offers window to ancient Earth
The 6-million-year-old ice, now recognized as the oldest sample on Earth, was found in East Antarctica's Allan Hills region.
interestingengineering.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:50 PM
🧪🌎
Hot off the press at Remote Sensing in Ecology & Conservation is Alexandra Strang’s latest paper!
Alexandra discovered there’s a caveat in using imagery to detect change at Adélie penguin colonies: Small population change is undetectable 🧪🌎🦑🦉
zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Alexandra discovered there’s a caveat in using imagery to detect change at Adélie penguin colonies: Small population change is undetectable 🧪🌎🦑🦉
zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Ground‐truthing of satellite imagery to assess seabird colony size: A test using Adélie penguins
Adélie penguin colony size can be estimated from space using very high-resolution (VHR; 0.3–0.6 m resolution) satellite imagery due to the contrast between their guano stain and the surrounding terra...
zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Hot off the press at Remote Sensing in Ecology & Conservation is Alexandra Strang’s latest paper!
Alexandra discovered there’s a caveat in using imagery to detect change at Adélie penguin colonies: Small population change is undetectable 🧪🌎🦑🦉
zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Alexandra discovered there’s a caveat in using imagery to detect change at Adélie penguin colonies: Small population change is undetectable 🧪🌎🦑🦉
zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
One of my favorite sights, Mount Erebus on Ross Island. Seeing it from this vantage point usually means we are in a training (survival, field training) and getting ready to go do some fun things. Cape Crozier, here we come!
🌎🇦🇶
🌎🇦🇶
November 1, 2025 at 8:48 AM
One of my favorite sights, Mount Erebus on Ross Island. Seeing it from this vantage point usually means we are in a training (survival, field training) and getting ready to go do some fun things. Cape Crozier, here we come!
🌎🇦🇶
🌎🇦🇶
K051 (my “event number”, the unique identifier for each science project) made it to Antarctica! Flew on a C17, only delayed by an hour, too. Thanks US Air Force and Antarctica NZ, now the fun begins.
🧪🦑🦊🦉🌎
🧪🦑🦊🦉🌎
October 28, 2025 at 8:15 AM
K051 (my “event number”, the unique identifier for each science project) made it to Antarctica! Flew on a C17, only delayed by an hour, too. Thanks US Air Force and Antarctica NZ, now the fun begins.
🧪🦑🦊🦉🌎
🧪🦑🦊🦉🌎
Reposted by Dr Michelle LaRue
This is SUCH an important point. Most people are worried about climate change: but most people feel helpless and think nothing’s being done (so why should they do anything?)
This is why my weekly newsletter always includes good news on climate solutions as well as actions we can take!
This is why my weekly newsletter always includes good news on climate solutions as well as actions we can take!
October 20, 2025 at 4:21 PM
This is SUCH an important point. Most people are worried about climate change: but most people feel helpless and think nothing’s being done (so why should they do anything?)
This is why my weekly newsletter always includes good news on climate solutions as well as actions we can take!
This is why my weekly newsletter always includes good news on climate solutions as well as actions we can take!
🌍🧪🦑🦊
New blog post, and it's a long one: all about the fossil record and evolution of "eared seals" - or, the fur seals and sea lions. I review their anatomy, current and former diversity, phylogeny, macroevolutionary patterns, and sexual dimorphism. 🦖🦑🐬🧪 #marinemammals #paleontology #evolution
The fossil record and evolution of fur seals and sea lions - the family Otariidae
A life restoration of the early fur seal Pithanotaria , hiding within a kelp forest off the California coast during the late Miocene. Artwor...
coastalpaleo.blogspot.com
October 20, 2025 at 4:26 PM
🌍🧪🦑🦊
Reposted by Dr Michelle LaRue
Green turtle rebounds, moving from ‘endangered’ to ‘least concern’
Green turtle rebounds, moving from ‘endangered’ to ‘least concern’
The green turtle, found across the world’s oceans, is recovering after decades of decline, according to the latest IUCN Red List assessment. The species has been reclassified from endangered to least…
news.mongabay.com
October 17, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Green turtle rebounds, moving from ‘endangered’ to ‘least concern’
Reposted by Dr Michelle LaRue
WOW! Our survey of scientists who stopped using Twitter and started using Bluesky is now the #1 most-shared on social media article in the history of the journal Integrative and Comparative Biology! Thanks for reading it, everyone! @sicbjournals.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... 🧪
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... 🧪
Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky
Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For
doi.org
October 15, 2025 at 7:29 PM
WOW! Our survey of scientists who stopped using Twitter and started using Bluesky is now the #1 most-shared on social media article in the history of the journal Integrative and Comparative Biology! Thanks for reading it, everyone! @sicbjournals.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... 🧪
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... 🧪
Reposted by Dr Michelle LaRue
New Zealand - Aotearoa folks and otherwise interested folks: The Auckland Council has an opening for a Climate Analyst careers.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/job/Central-...
Climate Analyst
Climate Analyst
careers.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
October 16, 2025 at 6:58 PM
New Zealand - Aotearoa folks and otherwise interested folks: The Auckland Council has an opening for a Climate Analyst careers.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/job/Central-...
A Weddell seal mom wearing a hat* and taking a snooze next to her wonderfully-fed pup. They will continue to chill here together until mid-December when the pups wean and mom heads to the ocean to forage and regain mass.
*satellite tracking device
AMLR permit to LaRue 2024
🧪🌎🦑🦊
*satellite tracking device
AMLR permit to LaRue 2024
🧪🌎🦑🦊
October 16, 2025 at 8:43 PM
A Weddell seal mom wearing a hat* and taking a snooze next to her wonderfully-fed pup. They will continue to chill here together until mid-December when the pups wean and mom heads to the ocean to forage and regain mass.
*satellite tracking device
AMLR permit to LaRue 2024
🧪🌎🦑🦊
*satellite tracking device
AMLR permit to LaRue 2024
🧪🌎🦑🦊
Good question, I’m not sure… I know mammals can definitely get themselves into weird situations too…
What do you all think?
🧪🌎🦉
What do you all think?
🧪🌎🦉
Reminds me of a duck that was nesting once on a rooftop across the street, totally ignoring it is supposed to be a ground-nesting bird. Is unsual nesting more often observed for birds than for other animals?
October 16, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Good question, I’m not sure… I know mammals can definitely get themselves into weird situations too…
What do you all think?
🧪🌎🦉
What do you all think?
🧪🌎🦉
This is what Adélie penguins attempting to nest on ice looks like. They aren’t supposed to do that.
🌎🧪🦑🦉
ACA 2019-006
🌎🧪🦑🦉
ACA 2019-006
October 16, 2025 at 5:48 AM
This is what Adélie penguins attempting to nest on ice looks like. They aren’t supposed to do that.
🌎🧪🦑🦉
ACA 2019-006
🌎🧪🦑🦉
ACA 2019-006
Adelie penguins porpoise because it's efficient and it allows them to breathe while they are hurrying to wherever they are going which in this case was back to the colony at Paulet Island
🧪🌍🦑🦉
🧪🌍🦑🦉
October 14, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Adelie penguins porpoise because it's efficient and it allows them to breathe while they are hurrying to wherever they are going which in this case was back to the colony at Paulet Island
🧪🌍🦑🦉
🧪🌍🦑🦉
Cinematographer Sara Matasick and Producer Heather Cruickshank visited us at UC for a screening of National Geographic’s Secrets of the Penguins & a behind-the-scenes tour of the production.
We celebrated Antarctic Season Opening, 25 years of Gateway Antarctica and of course… emperor penguins
🧪🌎🦉🦑
We celebrated Antarctic Season Opening, 25 years of Gateway Antarctica and of course… emperor penguins
🧪🌎🦉🦑
October 12, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Cinematographer Sara Matasick and Producer Heather Cruickshank visited us at UC for a screening of National Geographic’s Secrets of the Penguins & a behind-the-scenes tour of the production.
We celebrated Antarctic Season Opening, 25 years of Gateway Antarctica and of course… emperor penguins
🧪🌎🦉🦑
We celebrated Antarctic Season Opening, 25 years of Gateway Antarctica and of course… emperor penguins
🧪🌎🦉🦑
Reposted by Dr Michelle LaRue
So much this!! Code is so valuable and literally the thing that creates your results. When you include it in your paper it can be such a valuable resource to everyone (plus earn you a couple more citations).
This:
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Absolutely yes. And I'm proud that @asn-amnat.bsky.social has led the way on this with requiring code and data editors checking code for about five years now!
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Absolutely yes. And I'm proud that @asn-amnat.bsky.social has led the way on this with requiring code and data editors checking code for about five years now!
Stop treating code like an afterthought: record, share and value it
Scientists, research institutions, funders, libraries and publishers must all improve software practices.
www.nature.com
October 9, 2025 at 5:15 PM
So much this!! Code is so valuable and literally the thing that creates your results. When you include it in your paper it can be such a valuable resource to everyone (plus earn you a couple more citations).
Reposted by Dr Michelle LaRue
When most of us think of #whales and #dolphins, we imagine elegant blue whales, or striking orcas, but the whale and dolphin family (collectively called #cetaceans) contains over 90 living species; many of them unusual and some stranger than fiction.
www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...
www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...
Spiral tusks, big square heads, strange pink skin: 10 weirdest dolphins and whales on the planet | Discover Wildlife
From unicorn-like narwhals to pink river dolphins and whales with boxy skulls, the ocean is home to some truly bizarre-looking cetaceans.
www.discoverwildlife.com
October 8, 2025 at 4:43 PM
When most of us think of #whales and #dolphins, we imagine elegant blue whales, or striking orcas, but the whale and dolphin family (collectively called #cetaceans) contains over 90 living species; many of them unusual and some stranger than fiction.
www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...
www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...
Reposted by Dr Michelle LaRue
New orca calf brings hope to endangered J pod near Vancouver Island 🦑🌎🧪
New orca calf brings hope to endangered J pod near Vancouver Island
Researchers are celebrating the birth of a new orca calf in the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population — a rare bright spot for the struggling J pod.
cheknews.ca
October 7, 2025 at 2:52 PM
New orca calf brings hope to endangered J pod near Vancouver Island 🦑🌎🧪
When I was on the ice w Nat Geo, we visited the emperor penguins at Atka Bay which is a colony that hops up onto the ice shelf rather than staying only on sea ice. This means that when chicks fledge they have a high-dive of a jump to reach the water. Which they do. With spectacular inelegance. 🧪🌍🦑🦉
October 7, 2025 at 3:18 AM
When I was on the ice w Nat Geo, we visited the emperor penguins at Atka Bay which is a colony that hops up onto the ice shelf rather than staying only on sea ice. This means that when chicks fledge they have a high-dive of a jump to reach the water. Which they do. With spectacular inelegance. 🧪🌍🦑🦉
Sir, I am not getting the cheese out just for you. I’m not making anything with cheese.
Larry: …
Me: *proceeds to get cheese out of the fridge just for him, which he ate proudly and then ran out of the kitchen as though he just got away with a crime*
Larry: …
Me: *proceeds to get cheese out of the fridge just for him, which he ate proudly and then ran out of the kitchen as though he just got away with a crime*
October 5, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Sir, I am not getting the cheese out just for you. I’m not making anything with cheese.
Larry: …
Me: *proceeds to get cheese out of the fridge just for him, which he ate proudly and then ran out of the kitchen as though he just got away with a crime*
Larry: …
Me: *proceeds to get cheese out of the fridge just for him, which he ate proudly and then ran out of the kitchen as though he just got away with a crime*
Reposted by Dr Michelle LaRue
Just posting this. Everyone knows why.
October 5, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Just posting this. Everyone knows why.