Rebecca Cliffe
Rebecca Cliffe | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 15, 1990 |
| Education | University of Manchester (BA, 2012); Swansea University (PhD, 2017) |
| Occupations | zoologist, conservation biologist |
| Spouse |
Alex Jones (m. 2023) |
| Website | www |
Rebecca Cliffe (born May 15, 1990) is a British zoologist, award-winning conservationist,[1] and one of the leading experts on sloth biology and ecology.[2][3] She is the Founder and executive director of The Sloth Conservation Foundation and author of the book Sloths: Life in the Slow Lane.[4][5]
Early years and work
[edit]
Cliffe was born in 1990 in Preston, England. Cliffe received her bachelor's degree in Zoology from the University of Manchester. She later went on to obtain a PhD in bioscience (specializing in sloths) from Swansea University.[6] As part of her PhD research, she conducted the longest recorded study on wild sloth ecology (The Sloth Backpack Project[7]).[8][4]
She has published various studies on the ecology, biology, and physiology of sloths which have provided new insights about these poorly understood species.[9][10][11][12] Due to her in-depth research and first-hand observations in the field she is considered to be an expert on sloths and their behavior.[13][14][15][16]
She was featured in the Discovery Channel series "Meet the Sloths."[17][18] She also was a part of the documentary "72 Dangerous Animals: Latin America" and featured in Animal Planet's "Too Cute! Baby Sloths."[19][20]
Recent work
[edit]In 2017, Cliffe founded The Sloth Conservation Foundation a registered non-profit organisation that is dedicated to saving sloths in the wild and has served as executive director since its inception.[21] She continues to publish research on the biology, ecology and physiology of sloths.[22][23][24][25][26] In 2022 she was selected as one of the winners of the prestigious Future For Nature award,[1] and she used the prize money to train the first scat detection dog for sloth population monitoring.[27][28]
In 2023, Cliffe's work with The Sloth Conservation Foundation was featured on NBC's Today show[29] and 60 Minutes.[30] Her story has also been turned into a children's storybook "The Adventures of Dr. Sloth" by award-winning wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas.[31]
On July 25, 2024, Cliffe was awarded the honorary title of Doctor of Science by Swansea University, in recognition of her groundbreaking work in research and conservation.[citation needed]
Personal life
[edit]In 2023, Cliffe married wildlife cameraman Alex (Lex) Jones whom she met while filming sloths for Disney's "A Real Bug's Life" series.[32][failed verification]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Rebecca Cliffe". Future For Nature. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ Dowling, Stephen (August 29, 2019). "Why do sloths move so slowly?". BBC. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ Turner, Robin (October 13, 2013). "Welsh 'sloth woman of Costa Rica' enjoys Lara Croft-like existence". WalesOnline. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- 1 2 "Dr Rebecca Cliffe of Penwortham reveals all about working in the jungle in her book Sloths: Life in the Slow Lane". Lancashire Post. February 9, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ "Wildlife Photographer of the Year: A baby beaver given a fighting chance". Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ Nicholls, Henry. "The truth about sloths". www.bbc.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ Leeming, Jack (July 18, 2022). "Slow science: How I'm protecting sloth species". Nature. 607 (7919): 628. Bibcode:2022Natur.607..628L. doi:10.1038/d41586-022-01963-x. PMID 35851873.
- ↑ Olson, Eric R. "Why Are These Sloths Wearing Tiny Backpacks?". Nature (TV program). Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ Cliffe, Rebecca N.; Haupt, Ryan J.; Avey-Arroyo, Judy A.; Wilson, Rory P. (2015). "Sloths like it hot: Ambient temperature modulates food intake in the brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus)". PeerJ. 3 e875. doi:10.7717/peerj.875. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 4389270. PMID 25861559.
- ↑ Cliffe, Rebecca N.; Avey-Arroyo, Judy A.; Arroyo, Francisco J.; Holton, Mark D.; Wilson, Rory P. (April 30, 2014). "Mitigating the squash effect: Sloths breathe easily upside down". Biology Letters. 10 (4) 20140172. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2014.0172. PMC 4013704. PMID 24759371.
- ↑ Ishibashi, Shoko; Cliffe, Rebecca; Amaya, Enrique (December 15, 2012). "Highly efficient bi-allelic mutation rates using TALENs in Xenopus tropicalis". Biology Open. 1 (12): 1273–1276. doi:10.1242/bio.20123228. ISSN 2046-6390. PMC 3558749. PMID 23408158.
- ↑ Cliffe, Rebecca N.; Haupt, Ryan J.; Avey-Arroyo, Judy A.; Wilson, Rory P. (April 2, 2015). "Sloths like it hot: Ambient temperature modulates food intake in the brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus)". PeerJ. 3 e875. doi:10.7717/peerj.875. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 4389270. PMID 25861559.
- ↑ Schardt, Hannah (September 2015). "Spying on Sloths" (PDF). Ranger Rick. National Wildlife Federation. pp. 18–23.
- ↑ Manaster, Joanne (October 19, 2013). "Lucky Field Researcher Witnesses Birth of Sloth! Happy International Day of the Sloth!". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ Gaworecki, Mike (April 2, 2019). "Audio: Debunking myths about sloths is crucial to stopping the sloth crisis". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ Rech, Dominic (March 3, 2020). "A rare video captured the heart-stopping moment a sloth gave birth in a tree". CNN. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ "Meet The Sloths". Discovery UK. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ Galeazzi, Linda (December 12, 2018). "Dream Job Alert: Becky Cliffe Is Saving Sloths For A Living". Faze. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ The Freaks at IMDb
- ↑ "Too Cute!". Animal Planet. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ 10 incredible facts about the sloth. Radio 4 in Four. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ "Sloths Act Like Birds and Reptiles in This Bizarre Way". National Geographic. October 1, 2018. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ Solly, Meilan. "Sloths Don't Just Live in Slow-Mo, They Can Put Their Metabolism On Pause". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ↑ Olson, Rachel A.; Glenn, Zachary D.; Cliffe, Rebecca N.; Butcher, Michael T. (December 1, 2018). "Architectural Properties of Sloth Forelimb Muscles (Pilosa: Bradypodidae)". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 25 (4): 573–588. doi:10.1007/s10914-017-9411-z. ISSN 1573-7055. S2CID 22238582.
- ↑ Cliffe, Rebecca Naomi; Scantlebury, David Michael; Kennedy, Sarah Jane; Avey-Arroyo, Judy; Mindich, Daniel; Wilson, Rory Paul (September 19, 2018). "The metabolic response of the Bradypus sloth to temperature". PeerJ. 6 e5600. doi:10.7717/peerj.5600. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 6151113. PMID 30258712.
- ↑ Spainhower, Kyle B.; Cliffe, Rebecca N.; Metz, Allan K.; Barkett, Ernest M.; Kiraly, Paije M.; Thomas, Dylan R.; Kennedy, Sarah J.; Avey-Arroyo, Judy A.; Butcher, Michael T. (May 3, 2018). "Cheap labor: Myosin fiber type expression and enzyme activity in the forelimb musculature of sloths (Pilosa: Xenarthra)". Journal of Applied Physiology. 125 (3): 799–811. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01118.2017. ISSN 8750-7587. PMID 29722617.
- ↑ "Sloth Population Census with Scat Detection Dogs". The Sloth Conservation Foundation. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ Hoffner, Erik (March 18, 2022). "Sloth, giant armadillo, and fishing cat conservationists win Future for Nature Award 2022". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ Lazy or just energy-efficient? Get to know everything about sloths. TODAY.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ Alfonsi, Sharyn (December 24, 2023). "Sloths turn survival of the fittest upside down". 60 Minutes. CBS News. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ Eszterhas, Suzi (2022). The Adventures of Dr. Sloth: Rebecca Cliffe and Her Quest to Protect Sloths. Lerner Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-5415-8939-1.
- ↑ "Episode 102 - "Welcome to the Jungle"". Disney Plus Press. Retrieved March 12, 2024.