Month: December 2020

December 7, 2020

Humans have impacted lion genetics over the years

Over the past century, a growing human population has caused movement barriers for lion populations, reducing their genetic diversity. “The African landscape has changed drastically over the past century with...

December 7, 2020

TWS2020: Parasites may reduce endangered squirrels’ survival

Invasive Abert’s squirrels may be passing harmful parasites to endangered native Mount Graham’s squirrels in Arizona. Ongoing research on these squirrels and the creatures that live off of them has...

December 7, 2020

Invasive wasps can take down airplanes

Dime-sized wasps may be able to knock airplanes out of the air due to their proclivity for building nests in plane parts critical for navigation. Keyhole wasps (Pachodynerus nasidens) are...

December 4, 2020

Watch: Vancouver Island marmots are rebounding

Vancouver Island marmots are Canada’s most endangered mammal, but they’re populations have been rebounding. From a low of 30 wild marmots (Marmota vancouverensis) occupying just a few locations in 2003,...

December 4, 2020

Kentucky aquatic snakes have high fungal disease prevalence

Aquatic snake species in Kentucky have high incidences fungal disease, which may affect their behavior without impacting their short-term survival. “We did see that snakes — especially the queen snakes...

December 4, 2020

Wolves alter Minnesota wetlands

Wolves in Minnesota’s Voyageurs National Park are changing the wetlands ecosystem there, researchers found, due to their appetite for beavers. “Wolves eat a lot of beavers, especially in Voyageurs, where...

December 3, 2020

U.S. Forest Service releases final NEPA rule

A final rule published by the U.S. Forest Service has now changed its National Environmental Policy Act regulations to include new exemptions of projects from environmental review. In addition, the...

December 3, 2020

Canadian government unveils new bill to tackle climate change

A new bill introduced by the Canadian government commits the country to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The bill sets mandatory national five-year targets to cut emissions, starting in 2030, although it...

December 3, 2020

TWS member works to make buildings safer for birds

TWS member Karen Powers is trying to make her community a little more bird friendly. A wildlife biologist at Radford University, where she serves as the faculty adviser for the...

December 2, 2020

Is ‘America’s Amazon’ in jeopardy?

The Mobile River Basin is the largest inland delta system in the United States and is among the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots, but it’s facing an array of threats it...