Biodiversity
Monthly Archive: December Biod
#ROMSriLanka Kicks off Month-long Expedition
![Scenic view of Yala National Park in Southern Sri Lanka, one of the destinations for Burton's team. Photo courtesy of Balou46 via Wikimedia Commons photo of a an elephant standing in a wetland in Yala National Park in Sri Lanka with jungle and a mountain in the background](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/lk-yala-elefantenfels_by_balou46_cc_wikimedia-2.jpg?itok=rWIy5P3_)
Guest blog written by #ROMSriLanka Communication team member Deirdre Leowinata
The ROM’s own Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, Burton Lim, along with his ROM Biodiversity team, are traversing the planet’s surface to reach the small and mysterious country of Sri Lanka between August and September for one purpose and one purpose only… to study the island's small mammals.
When the BioBlitz Turns into a Treasure Hunt
![The kids of the Ontario BioBlitz guided blitz program learning about amphibians. Photo by Anne-Sophie Blanc Children listen to a guided blitz leader explain some interesting facts about plants and amphibians.](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2015-06-13_bioblitz_anne-sophie_blanc-1_blog-2_0.jpg?itok=kW1pmpT8)
Guest Blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Anne-Sophie Blanc
The Bioblitz experience is educatiional and fun, but for kids it's even more than that, it's a real treasure hunt!
BioBlitz Bits: The Bat Pack at Baker's Woods
![Burton Lim untangles a Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) from a mist net during the 2015 Don Watershed Ontario BioBlitz. Photo by Samantha Phillips Burton Lim untangles a Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) from a mist net during the 2015 Don Watershed Ontario BioBlitz. Photo by Samantha Phillips](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/150613-bioblitz_sammy_phillips-23-2.jpg?itok=9_nwGocL)
Guest blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Kendra Marjerrison
EVC student Kendra revisits the 2015 Don Watershed Ontario BioBlitz to share a newfound appreciation for bats after spending an evening with ROM scientist Burton Lim during his guided blitz bat hike
"Pseudo-Nature" and Photographic Integrity
![A gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) sits on a tree branch at night. Photo by Sean de Francia A gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) sits on a tree branch at night. Photo by Sean de Francia](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2015_06_13_sean_de_francia_19-2.jpg?itok=9kggB3PD)
Guest blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Sean de Francia
A look into the ever-changing world of wildlife photography - would you stage a photo to get that perfect shot? What are the consequences of manipulating a scene with wild photo subjects?
Our Darling Dermestids - A Visit to the ROM's Bug Room
![Hell or haven? To a Dermestid beetle, the ROM's bug room is an ongoing feast in paradise. Photo by Robert Elliot A photo of the sign posted outside the door of the ROM's dermestid beetle colony quotes Dante's Inferno, "Abandon all hope ye who enter here"](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/robertelliotblog1-2.jpg?itok=uLMpNKD3)
Guest blog written by 2015 Environmental Visual Communication student Robert Elliot
How does the Royal Ontario Museum get their Skeletons so clean without compromising their integrity? A well-kept colony of hide beetles cleans every crevice of the various cadavers in the ROM’s bug room with incredible efficiency. A steel walled, dark humid room filled with corpses; a veritable beetle heaven is home to these hard working bugs. Follow EVC student ROM into their domain to get a unique perspective on the ROM.
Antonia and Deb’s top ten favourite things about Bioblitzes
![Don Bioblitz 2015. Ontario Science Centre Species Depot. Photo by Krystal Seedia. Bioblitz 2015. Ontario Science Centre Species Depot. Photo by Krystal Seedia](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2015-06-13-bioblitz_krystal_seedial-17_.ed_.jpg?itok=zVqWD1dH)
Top ten favourite things about Bioblitzes from Antonia and Deb
BioBlitz Bits - Elusive At-Risk Birds
![ROM Scientist Kevin Seymour studies a map of Rouge Park during the 2012 Ontario BioBlitz with the bird team. Photo by Stacey Lee Kerr ROM scientist Kevin Seymour looks at a map with the bird team at the 2012 Ontario BioBlitz in Rouge park, deciding where the team will survey](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2013-09-15_slk_bioblitz2013-5-2.jpg?itok=paSvQoUR)
Blog by ROM Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology Kevin Seymour
This is the fourth installment of our "BioBlitz Bits" Series - ROM scientists share their favourite stories from past Ontario BioBlitz events
BioBlitz Bits - A Tale of Two Bugs
![ROM scientist Antonia Guidotti collects insects at night during the 2012 Ontario BioBlitz. Photo by Evan Hall ROM scientist Antonia Guidotti lifts a jar up to a white sheet lit by a blacklight to collect insects attracted to the sheet during the 2012 Ontario Bioblitz](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2012-06-15_ewh_-13-3.jpg?itok=FcvO13V2)
Blog by ROM Entomology Technician Antonia Guidotti
This is the third installment of our "BioBlitz Bits" Series - ROM scientists share their favourite stories from past Ontario BioBlitz events
BioBlitz Bits - Fungi Findings
![ROM scientist Jean-Marc Moncalvo explains the finer points of fungi to a young bioblitzer. Photo by Vincent Luk ROM scientist Jean-Marc Moncalvo gestures to a young boy to explain something about fungi during a guided bioblitz hike through the forest during the 2014 Ontario BioBlitz](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/2014-05-24_bioblitz45-2-2.jpg?itok=oKKokbWE)
Blog by ROM Senior Curator of Mycology, Jean-Marc Moncalvo
This is the second installment of our "BioBlitz Bits" Series - ROM scientists share their favourite stories from past Ontario BioBlitz events
BioBlitz Bits - Night of the Newts and Salamanders
![You never know what you'll find in the forest at night during an Ontario BioBlitz event! Photo by Brennan Caverhill A forest scene at night lit only by headlamps from the ontario bioblitz teams as they survey in the dark](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/1-2012-06-15_119_.jpg?itok=GMdsVs6G)
Blog by ROM Herpetology Technician Amy Lathrop
This is the first of our "BioBlitz Bits" Series - ROM scientists share their favourite stories from past Ontario BioBlitz events