A summer course in Marine Mammal Biology has just been listed in the Department of Integrative Biology (IB 41) at the University of California, Berkeley.

The course will include: evolution, functional morphology, behavioral ecology, conservation and management of cetaceans, sirenians, pinnipeds, and a few other marine carnivores (e.g., sea otters and polar bears). There will be trips to the collections in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology on the UC Berkeley campus and the Marine Mammal Center, training in field research methods, and some great guest lectures by marine mammal experts from around the San Francisco Bay Area.

This 2-unit course runs for 8 weeks, Mondays and Wednesdays 3-5pm, on the UC Berkeley campus, starting June 20.

Here is the official description from the course catalog:

A survey of marine mammal evolution, biology, behavior, ecology, and politics with a concentration on those species found in the North Pacific. Coverage will include: origin and evolution of cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, and sea otters; basic biology and anatomy of marine mammal groups, and North Pacific species in particular; ecological interactions and role in nearshore and pelagic marine communities; and interactions between humans and marine mammals.

This course is rarely offered at UC Berkeley and space is limited, so those interested should register soon at summer.berkeley.edu (Integrative Biology 41).