Post #1 in a series of posts from students working in the Wyeth lab this summer. First up is Lexy Reinhardt, who is collecting data for her MSc thesis focused on the navigation behaviour of the sea slug Hermissenda crassicornis. Take it away Lexy…

Dr. Wyeth and I are currently at the Bamfield Marine Science Centre collecting underwater videos of sea slugs in their natural habitat for my MSc thesis. My ongoing research project focuses on the behavior and navigation of Hermissenda crassicornis, commonly known as the thick-horned nudibranch. 

For the past three weeks, we have undertaken daily SCUBA dives to deploy and recover underwater video cameras mounted on tripods. These cameras are strategically placed to capture video of the nudibranchs as they move through their natural environment.

The high-quality video, the likes of which have never been captured before, will enable us to conduct detailed analyses of movement patters and also contribute to the broader understanding of Hermissenda crassicornis behaviour. Though we are still in the early stages of data collection, we’ve already begun to observe some intriguing patterns and behaviours! 

In the coming weeks, we will continue our daily dives and video recordings. Our goal is to gather a comprehensive set of videos that will allow us to identify specific navigational trends and behavioural characteristics associated with different flow environments and chemical stimulus sources. 

We are thrilled with our progress so far and look forward to sharing more detailed findings as our project advances. Stay tuned for further updates!