#MeetOurPartners: Jasivi Arcos Díaz

Jasivi Arcos Díaz was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, a mountainous city where it is often said that all four seasons can be experienced in a single day.

At the age of six, when her parents were able to subscribe to cable television, she began watching documentaries on Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. She was fascinated by everything related to animals, and it was during this time that she decided she wanted to study biology.

A few years later, when she was around nine years old, her interest shifted toward marine documentaries. One documentary that had a profound impact on her focused on sperm whales and how they hunt giant squid. At the time, sperm whales were considered the deepest-diving mammals, and it was then that she realized she wanted to study marine biology and dedicate her career to working with cetaceans.

Her parents found this both amusing and ironic because, as a young child, she had been terrified of the sperm whale in Disney's Pinocchio. Somehow, the very animal that once frightened her became the one that inspired her future career.

By the age of twelve, she had a clear vision of what she wanted to study. She began researching where she could pursue a degree in marine biology and discovered that one of the best places to study the field in Mexico was La Paz, Baja California Sur. From that moment on, her goal became even clearer, and she remained firmly committed to achieving it.

With the unwavering support of her parents, she began studying Marine Biology in 2017. Those four and a half years at university became some of the most rewarding years of her life. They were filled with learning, field expeditions, friendships that became family, and her first encounters with whales and dolphins. She admits that every time she sees a whale, it still feels like the very first encounter—an experience that is just as breathtaking and awe-inspiring as ever.

Among all whale species, the blue whale has always fascinated her the most. She finds it remarkable to think about its evolutionary history and the irony that the largest animal ever to exist on Earth survives by feeding on one of the smallest organisms: krill.

In 2019, she joined the Cetacean Ecology Laboratory, where she participated in four consecutive winter field seasons in Loreto, Baja California Sur, conducting research focused primarily on blue whales. It was there that she first heard the thunderous exhalation of a blue whale—an unforgettable sound that leaves a lasting impression. It was also where she truly appreciated the immense size of these magnificent animals while discovering that they are among the shyest whales in the ocean.

During her time at the laboratory, she learned a wide range of scientific research techniques used to study cetaceans. Those skills have remained invaluable throughout her career. Today, she continues working with her favorite species as part of the Whale Guardians research team, studying blue whales along Mexico's Pacific coast near Ensenada. Being able to continue working with blue whales while contributing to their conservation is a dream come true for her.