Marking An Environmental Success Story (Science Ink Sunday)

ByCarl Zimmer
March 03, 2013

Alyssa writes, “I’m a wildlife biology student at UC Davis with a particular obsession with ornithology, as well as a strong love for the rich, diverse ecosystems we have along the coast of northern California.  Somehow seeing Brown Pelicans flying by, their bizarre combination of obvious goofiness with an odd elegance never fails to put a smile on my face.  I also appreciate that (offshore oil drilling problems aside), their population growth after ESA listing is about as close to a success story as we have in conservation. My tattoo is based of a painting by one of my heroes, John James Audubon.  I asked the tattoo artist to darken the hind-neck and redden the gular pouch to reflect the characteristic breeding coloration the pacific subspecies, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus. I also asked for the foliage to be removed to better reflect the roosting habitat in California. The tattoo is by Chris Arredondo at Royal Peacock Tattoo Parlor in Sacramento, CA.”

You can see the rest of the Science Tattoo Emporium here and in Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed.

And if you live in Connecticut, you’re invited to hear me speak at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University on Thursday at 5:30. Admission is free. (Poster here.)

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