Question: Paddy what is the biggest thing you have ever disected

Paddy Brock answered on 12 Jun 2011:

The biggest thing I’ve ever dissected is a juvenile Galapagos sea lion (~80kg). We were trying to determine the cause of death as it was found near a fishing harbour. The fishermen of the Galapagos sometimes kill sea lions because they believe they eat the fish that they (the fishermen) are trying to catch; and since they are very poor, if they catch less fish, they will have less food to feed their family with. In fact, research has shown that the sea lions feed on completely different species. Part of our project is to talk to fisherman and give them a better idea of what is known about sea lion ecology from scientific study. However, it’s difficult to overcome ingrained superstitions. This is a problem in many ecosystems all over the world.