The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) has named Ally Coconis, a mammal expert, as its new curator of mammalogy.
Coconis join the curatorial staff who provide the expertise behind the museum’s exhibits; steward the millions of specimens, artifacts and documents in SBMNH collections; and give access to researchers from around the world.
Coconis, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Nevada in Reno, said she is excited to conduct and facilitate research with the museum’s mammal specimens.
She has experience with many aspects of museum work, from the fieldwork of collecting specimens to the educational work of discussing science with the community.
SBMNH preserves numerous mammal specimens that represent southern California’s historic biodiversity: bones and pelts that were collected during the first half of the 20th century from locations that were subsequently developed.
SBMNH holds the best collection of mammal specimens for the Central Coast, including significant holdings representing the biodiversity of the Channel Islands, the museum reports.
Associated information about when and where these specimens were collected aids scientists and policymakers in understanding the past populations and ranges of California’s wildlife.
Coconis previously worked for the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City, and completed her doctoral degree with research on woodrats at the University of Nevada in Reno.
She is keen to continue her research on rodents at SBMNH, though aware that the animals which interest her are not everyone’s cup of tea.
“Ground squirrels and gophers may frustrate gardeners and farmers; I absolutely get it,” she said.
Yet even vilified rodents provide services, such as helping aerate the soil, providing shelter in their burrows for a variety of species, and furnishing food for mid-sized carnivores.
“I’d like to help people understand the roles that mammals play in an ecosystem,” Coconis said. “Woodrat nests have been dubbed centers of biodiversity where microclimate conditions create great homes for many arthropods, lizards, other small mammals, and even snakes.”
Rodents can also help illuminate wider phenomena for researchers. “Small mammals have fast reproduction and life cycles,” Coconis said. “And that constant turnover makes it easier to see the effects of rapid climate and land use change, which are ever more apparent in this century.”
Coconis plans to explore the roles played by small mammals in post-fire landscapes, among other projects inspired by the museum’s mammal specimens and the landscapes of the Central Coast.
Read the full interview with Coconis on the SBMNH website and learn more about the Museum’s Collections & Research Center at sbnature.org/collections-research.