On this episode we explore some new species discovered in BC, and invertebrates collections manager Hugh MacIntosh explains why specimen collection is so important.
Season 11 Episode 21, March 2023
Credit: RBCM and CHEK-TV (2023)
Behind the Scenes at the Royal BC Museum - Natural History
Beyond the walls of the galleries are the collection spaces, filled with specimens, objects, belongings, documents and images. Millions of items that help tell the diverse and dynamic stories of what it means to live in British Columbia. This video is a peek into the Natural History collection, meeting some of the people that help care for and activate through research what is there.
Music by Konovalov
Credit: RBCM
RBCM@Outside: A Moveable Feast
Join educator Liz Crocker and Royal BC Museum curators Dr. Henry Choong and Dr. Joel Gibson for a virtual exploration of wrack on a beach. We’ll discover why we should not clean up beach wrack but leave them as a critical part of a food web.
Credit: RBCM
Sea Wrack!
If you've wandered along one of the beaches of Vancouver Island, you've likely seen something called wrack. It can be smelly, but it's an amazing source of organisms that bridge the gap between sea and land.
Dr. Joel Gibson and Dr. Henry Choong, both researchers at the Royal BC Museum, take us down to the shore where there collect some specimens, and explain the importance of these 'buffets' of animals and insects.
This Week In History Season 10 Episode 4. Nov 2, 2021
Credit: RBCM and CHEK-TV
Hydrozoans
Hydrozoans are tiny, fascinating marine animals that are related to corals and jellyfish. At the Royal BC Museum, Henry Choong, curator of invertebrate zoology, researches these creatures to understand their life cycles and gain an insight into the environments in which they were found. From This Week in History Season 7 Episode 22.
Marine Protected Areas on BC’s West Coast
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are areas of the ocean legally protected for long-term conservation. There are three remarkable MPAs right here off BC's west coast. Under water volcanoes, sea mounts and glass sponges are found in these areas along with a wide variety of animals adapted to live in these extreme conditions. Heidi Gartner, Invertebrates Collections Manager and Researcher, explains the museum's role in researching and collecting data and samples from these unique areas. This Week in History Season 7 Episode 20.
Credit: RBCM
The Fascinating World of Deep Sea Biology
When we think about marine biology, most of us imagine scientists studying sea life near our shores. But deep sea biology is another kettle of fish, one that bring all sorts of new challenges and exciting research opportunities. These unique marine invertebrates in the Royal BC Museum's collection are adapted to living in hot vent ecosystems at depths of over 3,000 metres. From This Week in History Season 6 Episode 3.
Credit: RBCM
Marine Travellers from Japan
The collections at the Royal BC Museum form a vital record of what's living here now, what's been here before and what might be arriving. Learn more from Curator of Invertebrate Zoology Dr. Henry Choong about the marine organisms that came to our shores attached to debris after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011. From This Week in History Season 5 Episode 25.
Credit: RBCM
Humboldt Squid
Royal BC Museum Curator of Invertebrates Dr. Melissa Frey and Head of Collections Care and Conservation Kelly Sendall talk about the first recorded specimen of Humboldt Squid (Dosidicus gigas) in British Columbia, found in waters off Vancouver Island. From This Week in History Season 3 Episode 7.
Credit: RBCM
