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April 20, 2009

Research fishery biologist April鈥檚 featured speaker at 网曝门 Museum of Natural History

A research fishery biologist will deliver a public lecture about the elusive manta ray and sawfish as April鈥檚 guest speaker at the Natural History Museum, located in Sandel Hall, on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Dr. Jan Hoover will speak at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, on the topic 鈥淧ostcards From the Edge: Historic Portraits of the Manta Ray and Sawfish.鈥� He will explore the few known details about these mysterious marine 鈥渕onsters鈥� based on old photographs, postcards and first-hand written accounts.

Manta rays and sawfishes grow to extremely large sizes and are highly distinctive species. Their biology is relatively unknown and few specimens are preserved for in museums or available for research.

Existing documentation demonstrates that these species were common during the first half of the 20th century. Now rare and endangered, these unusual fishes are in critical need of conservation, according to Hoover.

Hoover is a biologist for the Waterways Experiment Station, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, in Vicksburg, Miss. He is an active member and former officer of the American Fisheries Society and in the North American Native Fishes Association. His special interests are in the biology and conservation of ancient fish species including gar, bowfin, paddlefish, and sturgeon.

The Friends of the Museum of Natural History hosts the monthly lectures at the museum to provide the public an array of scientifically based topics throughout the spring semester.

The lectures are also an opportunity for the community to enjoy the interesting and educational displays the museum offers, including significant research collections of fishes, reptiles and amphibians, plants, fossils and archeological artifacts.

For information about the upcoming lecture, or to become a member of Friends of the Natural History Museum, contact Professor John Carr at 318-342-1796 or carr@ulm.edu.

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