Marine mammals, such as seals, dolphins and whales, live in an environment that is foreign to humans. It is therefore difficult and expensive to study them in the wild. By making use of animals that wash ashore, we can gain insight into them and their environment. During this lecture, we will see how basic data and specimens are collected from dissected animals, and how these are processed to become part of a museum collection. We will also find out about the value of these specimens to science.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Greg Hofmeyr is a marine mammal biologist and has a PhD on pinniped behavior. He is curator of the marine mammal collection at the at Bayworld Museum. He is responsible for the stranding programme in the Southern and Eastern Cape.
