Daniel Crocker

Daniel Crocker is a Senior Professor of Biology at Sonoma State University, where he investigates the physiological and ecological mechanisms underlying stress responses in marine mammals. His research integrates animal physiology, endocrinology, and ecology, with a focus on how fasting, lactation, and environmental stressors—such as phthalate exposure—impact metabolism and mitochondrial function in species like northern elephant seals and gray whales. Recent work examines cumulative anthropogenic stressors on endangered marine mammals, including gray whale mortality in San Francisco Bay, and individual foraging specialization in leopard seals. His findings have been published in *Frontiers in Marine Science*, *Ecological Applications*, and *Ecology and Evolution*. He has received NSF funding, including a Graduate Research Fellowship Program award, and collaborates internationally on hypoxia tolerance and endocrine disruption research.