Vladimir Dinets

I've been studying how animals adapt to their environment since the 1990s, working all over the world. Among the interesting things I've discovered are the ability of ptarmigan to survive in total darkness on Arctic islands, the use of hunting tools and cooperative hunting by crocodiles and alligators, and a place in Siberia where dippers (small birds) overwinter and feed underwater at air temperatures as low as -76 F (-60 C). I have written a few books about my research; the most popular one is called Dragon Songs - it's about my 6-year study of crocodilian behavior. Many years ago I noticed that some rats of Puerto Rico, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands looked a bit unusual, and thought they would be worth studying. But recently I saw some big-eyed, really weird-looking rats that live in Cuban caves and realized that those rats were way more interesting than anyone could imagine: they have changed into something completely new in just a few hundred years. Now I am trying to put together a small research project and figure out what is going on with them and how it is possible.

March 2016