How to Track Baboons!

What this episode covers

What is it like to be a field biologist? A lot of students probably wonder what it's like to do biological field research. In fact, most people probably have little idea what biologists do in the field. While field biologists are as diverse a bunch as you might get, Rob and Haley took a trip to the Mpala Research Station in Kenya to get a feel for one study in progress by a diverse crew of biologists. In this ground breaking project on baboons, the researchers are using cutting edge technology (GPS collars), and good old field research (tracking the baboons on a daily basis) to help ask how groups of animals make decisions. To do that, they needed to capture an entire troop of baboons and put these radio collars on them. It's not as easy a task as it might seem. This video should show your students a great glimpse into the world of field biology, which can be both difficult, and entirely thrilling at the same time. For more information about this particular study, Rob and Haley put together a few links and descriptions about the individual researchers at this link (www.untamedscience.com/baboons).

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