Maureen Flannery

As the Ornithology and Mammalogy Senior Collection Manager, I manage over 140,000 bird and mammal specimens for scientific research. These specimens originate from all parts of the globe and range in size from an 80’ blue whale skeleton to tiny hummingbird eggs. My work involves various mammal and bird projects. Specifically, I serve as Principal Investigator on several grants supporting work with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, specifically the field collection of marine mammal data and specimens. As part of that work, I lead our team, along with the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, in responding to any dead large whale that washes up along the coast between Westport in Mendocino County and the San Mateo/Santa Cruz county line. Each carcass offers scientists the opportunity to learn about the health of whale populations and the threats that they face.