Pepperdine Graphic

Javier Monzon

All That Moves: Native Wildlife Struggles to Survive in Malibu

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Following heavy rains during the Fall 2023, the waterfall at the bottom of Newton Canyon sprays a plume of water. Constant sources of water are vital to local amphibians such as frogs, said Allison Sacerdote-Velat, curator of herpetology at the Chicago Academy of Sciences. The trail to Newton Canyon is uneven and unkempt; a stony vein, narrow and devoid of vegetation. It … [Read more...] about All That Moves: Native Wildlife Struggles to Survive in Malibu

Swimming for Survival: The Journey of the Pacific Gray Whale

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Art by Cassandra Stephenson and Photos Courtesy of Dana Wharf Javier Monzon, a mammalogist and Assistant Professor of Biology at Pepperdine, stood waiting with his class for nearly two hours at Point Dume in hopes of catching a glimpse of a Pacific gray whale. In the two years since he started teaching at Pepperdine, Monzon brought his Zoology and Animal Behavior … [Read more...] about Swimming for Survival: The Journey of the Pacific Gray Whale