The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing will help animals cross busy Highway 101 outside of Los Angeles. Gov. Gavin Newsom says construction crews are more than halfway through installing the beams that form the crossing.
“With projects like this, we’re reconnecting and restoring habitats so future generations can continue to enjoy California’s unmatched natural beauty,” Newsom said in a statement.
The crossing will connect protected lands in the Santa Monica Mountains and the Sierra Madre Range over Highway 101, considered one of the biggest barriers to wildlife connectivity in Southern California.
The state has provided $58.1 million for the effort. Private philanthropy has raised another $34 million.
In the northern Gulf of Mexico, there is really only one known consistent nesting site for Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, and it’s on a beach in northeastern Mexico.
But surveys conducted on offshore barrier islands near New Orleans have revealed these critically endangered reptiles also nest on the beaches along the coast of Louisiana.
“That’s exciting,” said Margaret Lamont, a research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in Gainesville, Florida.
About 20 miles off the coast of Louisiana, and 70 miles east of New Orleans, the Chandeleur Islands form an uninhabited archipelago that stretches for about 50 miles into the Gulf. Sitting entirely within Breton National Wildlife Refuge, they provide important resources for shorebirds and other wildlife and help protect the coast from storm surges. Chandeleur Sound, which separates the islands from the mangroves, provides rich waters for recreational and commercial fishing fleets.
But these islands were damaged by the storm surge from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in 2010, and sea level rise caused by climate change continues to eat away at them.
“The islands provide innumerable services both to humans and natural resources,” Lamont said. As a result, the state is looking to restore them back to the condition they were in a half a century ago.
Researchers can usually determine the species of sea turtle just by analyzing the tracks they make on the beach. These are loggerhead tracks. Credit: Matt Weigel/Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife
Uncovering turtle nests
As part of this effort, officials wanted to learn more about species that used the islands, including sea turtles. In June and July 2022, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority began flying float planes over the islands in search of signs that turtles are coming ashore.
“When [a turtle] comes up on the beach, it leaves large tracks,” said Lamont, lead author of the study published recently in Ecology and Evolution documenting the discovery. These tracks, some 20 to 40 inches wide, are visible from a low-flying plane.
When the researchers spotted turtle tracks, they would land on the water and check them out. Usually, they could tell the species just by the tracks’ appearance. If they saw a nest—sometimes turtles turn back before laying eggs—they would excavate it after it hatched and take samples of hatched eggs to verify the species and population of the animals. They would also count egg numbers, monitor the nests over time and estimate how many turtles emerged when they hatched.
Buried treasure
In 2022, researchers including biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, found 54 crawl tracks. Some 16 of those were likely from loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). That alone was a surprise, since the species is more often associated with the eastern coast of Florida than the Gulf of Mexico. Genetic analysis confirmed some were from the distinct population of loggerheads found in the northern Gulf.
Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are smaller and lighter than loggerheads, so their tracks make shallower impressions. Credit: Matt Weigel/Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife
But the researchers were really surprised to discover that two of the nests were from Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii), considered endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Biologists know of only two consistent nesting locations for this species. The main one is in the northeastern Mexico state of Tamaulipas. A small number also nest in Texas, the result of eggs taken there by managers in the 1970s, which established a second population.
Excited about what this meant for the highly endangered Kemp’s ridleys, the team flew more surveys in 2023, starting a little earlier in the year. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles typically nest from April to July, while loggerheads nest from May to August. In this second year, they documented at least 22 Kemp’s ridley sea turtle crawls—more than even loggerheads that year—though that information didn’t make it into the recent publication. This number of crawls suggests the Chandeleur Islands may represent a third site in the Gulf of Mexico where Kemp’s ridleys nest consistently.
A nesting Kemp’s ridley sea turtle female on the Chandeleur Islands. Credit: Matt Weigel/Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife
This story is only just beginning, Lamont said, since biologists only recently discovered this nesting area. Genetic studies of Kemp’s ridley nests from the Chandeleur Island are underway to help scientists understand where these nesting individuals originated. The team will continue to monitor both species and look for potential effects from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
In the future, Lamont said, this could turn into a very important conservation project for a critically endangered species.
Biologists are worried that wild pigs in Canada could cross the border into the northern U.S.
Lots of U.S. states have issues with feral swine, but northern states have been an exception. But a recent study in Biological Invasions warned of a “high potential” for pigs to move from western Canada “into the currently wild pig-free northern U.S. states.”
The pigs include wild boars (Sus scrofa) introduced to Canada in the 1980s for meat and hunting, domestic swine (S.s. domesticus) and hybrids of the two, according to the Canadian Council on Invasive Species.
Wild pigs can wreak havoc on native landscapes and agricultural lands, prompting officials in Canada to try to control their populations.
The research “highlights a need for monitoring and science-based response strategies for likely southward spread of this invasive species to prevent or reduce potential crop damage, risks to native species, and disease transmission to humans, pets, livestock and wildlife.
The 25th Annual Quiz Bowl will take place during TWS’ Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. As a participant—or even as a member of the audience—you’ll have fun testing your expertise in wildlife trivia!
The winning team gets its name emblazoned on a plaque and receives an original piece of artwork to display at its school. Will our 2023 champions, Purdue University, defend their title or will a new champion be crowned?
Come join us, and cheer for your alma mater or your favorite team!
Ready to enter your team? Please send an email to quizbowl@wildlife.org with the following information:
1. The name of your university/college or student chapter of The Wildlife Society
2. The name and email address of your team coordinator. IMPORTANT: Ensure that this individual will receive and respond to emails throughout the summer. This can be an advisor; it does not need to be a competitor.
Deadline for Registration: September 6 — or sooner! THIS IS IMPORTANT: due to the one-day schedule, the Quiz Bowl Committee will almost certainly limit the competition to 16 teams. They will maintain an alternatives list to compensate for late cancellations, but register early to ensure a space in the competition.
After Hurricane Idalia blew over flamingos into Florida last year, the birds seem to be staying put. Audubon Florida announced that residents counted 101 flamingos throughout the state during a February survey. Over half were at Florida Bay, at the southern end of the state. with another 18 in the Pine Island area west of Fort Myers on Florida’s Gulf Coast, and 14 at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, east of Orlando on the Atlantic Coast.
“I actually suspect that 100 flamingos is the floor of this new population, and there could be more that were not counted during the one-week survey,” Jerry Lorenz, state director of research for Audubon Florida, in a press release. “We are continually monitoring for breeding flamingos.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission considers flamingos to be native to the state, but they were decimated by the 19th century plume trade.
Last August, Hurricane Idalia brought a “pink wave” of American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) to Florida and other states as high winds blew in birds as the storm traveled north from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
When you think about species reintroduction or the more controversial topic of rewilding, large species often come to mind, like bison (Bison bison), which once occupied vast territories.
But in a review published recently in Global Ecology and Conservation, Gavin Stark, from the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig, and his colleague Mauro Galetti, a professor from São Paulo State University in Brazil, suggest more focus should be put on herbivorous reptiles, such as tortoises or iguanas.
Credit: S. Bernhardt
“Trying to focus on these groups which are highly endangered and on the brink of extinction are much more effective than trying to put all your eggs in one basket,” Stark said. “The bias that we see against reptiles in these kinds of conservation programs is really problematic.”
We spoke with Stark to learn more about how wildlife managers and conservationists should consider herbivorous reptiles in their projects. His replies are edited for brevity and clarity.
Why reptiles?
When you go through the scientific literature, most studies focus on reintroducing mammals or birds. Most conservation programs and funding also go towards mammals and birds. In rewilding initiatives worldwide, we find the same pattern. There is a gap in the scientific literature even though reptiles and amphibians are at much higher risk of extinction.
Why do reptiles and amphibians face more extinction danger?
Reptile and amphibian species are still being discovered. If you look at reptiles and amphibians throughout the years, you’ll see that this group is growing a lot. But they don’t get most of the funding because most organizations market tigers or eagles, and not snakes or toads.
Amphibians are very sensitive to changes in their environment, like pollution or other issues, that people cause. Amphibians have the highest extinction rate and extinction risk around the world. More than 40% of amphibians today are at risk of extinction. In reptiles, it’s more than 20%. Mammals and birds have lower numbers.
The Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) has been reintroduced to Santiago Island in the archipelago, where it had been extirpated in the early 20th century. Credit: Peter Wilton
What benefits can reptiles provide in rewilding projects?
The ultimate goal is trying to create this kind of wild area—these self-sufficient areas of nature just being nature. You can have these functional connections between different species, and eventually these kinds of areas will become much closer to something we call natural or wilder areas. This is the goal—not to recreate the past but trying to recreate self-sustaining or independent natural processes that happen without our interventions.
Reptiles are relatively easy to handle and care for in captivity. Compared to mammals, they require more straightforward husbandry measures and are more cost-effective to raise in captivity. This makes it easier to maintain and breed multiple generations of reptiles, ultimately creating a sustainable population for release into natural habitats. Mammals, on the other hand, have more complex reproduction requirements, making it more challenging and expensive to manage their populations in captivity.
With tortoises, one of the main reptilian groups I talk about in my paper, their reproduction is really slow, so they are really easy to count and measure. If there is a population explosion, you can manipulate the population by moving some individuals to other areas or reintroducing predators that can regulate their numbers. From a logistical point of view, it’s much easier to rewild using reptiles as opposed to mammals.
Also, the social aspect of reintroducing mammals can be controversial. There are political debates in Europe about whether to reintroduce the wolf. If you discuss trying to reintroduce an herbivorous reptile, you will get much less backlash.
Why herbivorous reptiles rather than carnivorous?
Herbivorous reptiles can have a significant impact on the ecosystem through grazing, browsing, trampling and other functional roles. Famous examples include Galapagos tortoises and species in the Seychelles that act as ecosystem engineers. Simply by being present and engaging in life processes like eating and defecating, they can create different habitats. Their effect can be similar to that of elephants in the savanna.
One of the most famous examples are the Galapagos species. The Española giant tortoise was introduced on Española, Isabela, Pinzón, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Santiago. Once they reintroduced the species, they managed to help the dispersal of an endangered plant species—the main food source for many other species. Eventually, the return of these tortoises really changed the environment to conditions before humans introduced species like goats.
Some small forest dwellers are bigger pilferers than others, and these differences can mean big changes on the landscape.
Researchers in Maine are looking at how the personalities of small mammals affect forest regeneration by impacting seed dispersal. The team, led by University of Maine graduate student Brigit Humphreys, set traps for small mammals like squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles and shrews to collected data about their personality traits and tag them.
Then, the team planted artificial caches of white pine seeds—an economically important species in Maine and a preferred seed for these small mammals—each equipped with an underground antenna. In a study recently published in theJournal of Animal Ecology, Humphreys and her team foundthat the individual personalities of these small mammals determine the effectiveness of pilferage in mice and voles, with some individuals being more successful at stealing seeds than others.
“The take-home message of all the research we are doing is that individuals are important,” Humphreys said. “There’s a big push in the science community to conserve biodiversity, but beyond biodiversity, we have to be conserving behavioral diversity within a species if we truly want to have fully functional ecosystems.”
When a wolf wandered into Nevada in 2017, it caught a lot of attention. The species hadn’t been seen in the state for nearly a century. So when a government-contracted helicopter crew monitoring for moose (Alces alces) spotted three canids that appeared to be gray wolves (Canis lupus) in the area around Merritt Mountain, North of Elko, the Nevada Department of Wildlife set out to investigate.
The agency embarked on helicopter searches and ground surveys until biologists came back with hair, feces and urine samples they believed belonged to the trio. After two independent laboratories conducted DNA analyses, they determined—with 99.9% certainty—that the animals were coyotes (C. latrans), a common species in the state.
The wildlife department said its own biologists conducted further helicopter searches and surveys on the ground to collect hair, fecal and urine samples believed to belong to the mysterious creatures. The samples underwent DNA analyses at two independent laboratories. Results showed with 99.9% certainty that they came from coyotes, officials said.
“While initial observations indicated the possibility of wolves in the area, the DNA results of the samples collected indicated that these animals were, in fact, coyotes,” said NDOW Director Alan Jenne, in a press release. “We appreciate the diligence of our biologists, assisting laboratory personnel and the public’s cooperation throughout this process and we will continue to monitor the area for any indication of wolf presence.”
A near-threatened species of rat endemic to the desert plains, dunes and salt flats of west-central Argentina is dealing with a fragmented range that could threaten its path to recovery.
“They have low population densities—their distribution is in patches, in some cases isolated by hundreds of kilometers,” said Andrea Tarquino-Carbonell, a postdoctoral ecologist at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council in Argentina.
Scientists know little about viscacha rats’ ecology and habitat. That’s why Tarquino-Carbonell set out to learn more about these rodents for her PhD research at the National University of Cuyo.
In a study published recently in the Journal of Wildlife Management, Tarquino-Carbonell studied one of the three species of the viscacha rat—the red viscacha rat (Tympanoctomys barrerae)—in 2017 and 2018 in the province of Mendoza. The Argentine government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature consider the red viscacha rat near threatened, since much of the rats’ habitat was converted to agriculture or grazing land for livestock. Uranium and oil extraction may also contribute to habitat loss.
Rat patrol
In both the dry season from May to August, and the rainy season from October to March, Tarquino-Carbonell captured viscacha rats using a nonlethal trap. She and her colleagues quickly determined that these rats were nocturnal, since they barely captured any during the daytime.
The first time they captured each individual, the team tagged their ears. Over the remainder of the study period, they recorded how many times they recaptured each rodent.
Viscacha rats burrow in the plains of Argentina. Credit: Andrea Tarquino-Carbonell
The researchers also measured the attributes of the rats’ environments. They found more rats in areas with vegetation that had a high salt content and fewer in areas with dry herbs.
Viscacha rats usually create burrows to stay cool in the hot desert. The researchers found that in more open areas, these burrows had multiple entrances compared to areas covered with vegetation. Tarquino-Carbonell said the rodents may create more escape tunnels in open areas where predators are more likely to spot them. The rodents don’t sit high on the food chain—animals like Azara’s foxes (Lycalopex gymnocercus), pumas (Puma concolor), and burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) routinely prey on them.
Andrea Tarquino-Cabronell studies viscacha rats in a salt flat in Mendoza province. Credit: Agustina A. Ojeda
Rat patches
The research also revealed that the remaining habitats for red viscacha rats are fragmented. This is due to their patchy distribution and the fact that they prefer uncommon microhabitats like salt flats that aren’t spread evenly across these landscapes. Tarquino-Carbonell said the information about the kinds of plants they are more associated with, and where they are found, could help inform future plans to create a national park or protected area around the Mendoza province.
She worries that the species is also vulnerable to climate change. Studies have shown that parts of their desert range are becoming hotter. Scientists still don’t know much about the ecology of viscacha rats and how they might cope with these changes.
This article features research that was published in a TWS peer-reviewed journal. Individual online access to all TWS journal articles is a benefit of membership. Join TWS now to read the latest in wildlife research.
The Wildlife Society submitted testimony to House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, making comprehensive recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2025 budgets of the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service.
TWS requested $69.3 million for the U.S. Geological Survey Climate Adaptation Science Centers, which play a crucial role in addressing challenges posed by climate change on regional wildlife, ecosystems and communities. In support of our leadership role within the National Cooperators’ Coalition, TWS also requested $36 million for the Cooperative Research Units program. The request highlights the program’s role in producing applied wildlife science and fostering federal, state, NGO and academic partnerships.
TWS also emphasized the need for $66 million to support the National Wildlife Health Center, the sole federal BSL-3 facility—a high biosafety level center for studying infectious disease—dedicated exclusively to wildlife disease research.
As a member of the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement coalition, TWS called for $602.3 million for the USFWS’ National Wildlife Refuge System, emphasizing the system’s critical role in conserving native species and providing recreational opportunities. Specifically, TWS urged Congress to address chronic underfunding in NWRS’ operations and maintenance budget, particularly in conservation planning efforts, which have been hampered by inadequate resources.
TWS urged Congress to consider the importance of funding the BLM’s Wildlife Habitat Management program and to provide at least $153.4 million for it. TWS’ testimony also spoke to the critical role of. Forest Service research and development programs in delivering science-based solutions to enhance the health and management of forests and grasslands, requesting at least $315.6 million.
Testimony provided by organizations like The Wildlife Society is essential for informing policymakers about the specific needs and priorities within the profession of wildlife conservation. Appropriations subcommittees in the House and Senate will be developing FY 2025 appropriations bills in the upcoming year.
