Seahorses: Amazing, Threatened Fishes of the Coastal Oceans with Healy Hamilton, Ph.D

Seahorses have done more to change the body plan of a fish than any other fish in the sea. With their upright posture, horse-like heads, monkey-like tails, effective camouflage, and amazing behaviors like pair bonding dances and true male pregnancy, seahorses are some of the world's most incredible fish. Although humans have long been fascinated by seahorses, we know relatively little about them.  In this presentation, Dr. Hamilton will introduce the world of seahorses, and explain how her lab uses techniques of DNA sequencing and analysis to help answer questions that are needed to conserve seahorses.

Dr. Hamilton grew up in San Rafael, the daughter of Lee Ross, a local environmentalist. She completed her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley. Dr. Hamilton heads the Center for Biodiversity Research and Information at the California Academy of Sciences, and serves as adjunct professor in the Department of Geography at San Francisco State University. Her interests range from researching the effects of climate change on biodiversity to the evolution and conservation of cetaceans and seahorses. Among her latest expeditions was a trip to New Caledonia to find seahorses, pipehorses, and pipefish for genetic analysis.

The Marin Science Seminar is a one-hour lecture/presentation with a question and answer period targeted at high school students in the San Rafael High School district, but open to all interested teenagers and their families.