Biodiversity
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Lemurs and Leeches and Snakes, Oh My!
Yael Wyner's passion for protecting the endangered black and white ruffed lemurs recently took her to the rain forests of Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa. Research there was hard work, and full of adventure. After leaving the town, she drove on dirt roads and over wobbly bridges for three hours. Then she hiked for 12 hours through thick forest. Along the way, Yael spotted a snake eating a frog. Later, Yael discovered that she was covered with leeches. YUCK! Yael recalls, "It sounds gross but they don't hurt." To collect samples of DNA, Yael shot some lemurs with tiny darts to collect samples of their blood. The darts didn't hurt them, and hopefully these valuable DNA samples will help protect this species of lemur by creating laws to protect its habitat. She also placed radio collars around their necks to track their movements.
Date of Birth: February 12, 1972
Hometown: Maplewood, NJ
Position: conservation biologist at the American Museum of Natural History
Education: B.S., Yale University; Ph.D., New York University
Known for: studying lemurs
When Yael was a kid, she wanted to be:
a historian
a bird breeder
an ice skater
Correct!
She has always liked history. Yael's interest in history extends past American history, and ancient history into geologic time. Her study of lemurs and how they have changed over time is really just her own way of looking at history.
While Yael was searching for lemurs in Madagascar, she also spotted a:
tarantula
giraffe
tree frog
Correct!
Madagascar has incredible wildlife. Along with lemurs, Madagascar has an array of chameleons, frogs, and snails. Tree frogs are bright little amphibians that can be found all over the world. Ribit!
While doing research in Madagascar, Yael saw a bird egg twice the size of her head!
Fact
The extinct elephant bird probably weighed about 1,000 pounds! This giant bird went extinct over 350 years ago. Sometimes people find the eggs -- but they don't hatch!
Studying lemurs gives me the chance to help these amazing creatures. I hope they will be around in the future so others will have the chance to know them, too.
Yael Wyner