Gayle Kraus

Education

Ph.D. Zoology University of Rhode Island
M.S. Biology Hofstra
B.A. Biology Hofstra

Contact Information

Phone: (207) 255-1261
Email: gkraus@maine.edu
Location: Science 15

Areas of Expertise

Dr. Kraus regularly teaches Marine Mammals and Pelagic Birds, Oceanography, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Zoology, Ornithology, Skeletal Preparation, and General Ecology. She periodically adds Special Topics in Wildlife Rehabilitation to her teaching schedule. Gayle loves fieldwork and service learning which she incorporates into her classes. Gayle and her students have participated in the Marine Mammal Stranding Network for over a decade, assessing the status of numerous Harbor Seal pups, Grey Seal pups and juvenile Harp Seals, rescuing and performing triage on various seals and collecting basic data from a variety of dead whales, dolphins and seals.

Skeletal Preparation developed as an outgrowth of this work. Gayle and her students have articulated a Minke Whale, a Pilot Whale, several seals and dolphins and even a tuna. As part of Ichthyology and other classes, Gayle and her students maintain numerous fresh and saltwater aquaria in the Science building. Recently they have started culturing corals. In Invertebrate Zoology, she and her students monitor local zooplankton communities. She has trained students in toxic algal monitoring and amphibian monitoring for over twenty years. She is a compiler for Audubon Christmas Bird Count and incorporates various censusing techniques in Ornithology. Gayle was a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator for over twenty years. She is returning to this work, specializing in young White-tailed deer and a few other local mammals at her home. In her spare time she and her students have built and maintain two labyrinth gardens on campus.