Bringing the Cat Back!

Bringing the Cat Back!

Gulf Coast Jaguarundi (Puma Yagouaroundi Cacomitli)

By Logan Dosker

 http://ambergriscaye.com/critters/art/jaguarundi.jpg

Description and Ecology:

          Very similar to the Ocelot, the Jaguarundi is a small cat with a slender build and a small, flattened head. It also has short legs, a long neck and a long tail. Resembling more of a weasel than other felines, sometimes if it has dark fur, it can be mistaken for a black house cat. It has two color phases, where it can go from either black to brownish gray or reddish yellow to chestnut colored. Caso (2013) found that the Jaguarundi spends up to 40% of its time in tall, dense grass habitats, but prefers a habitat of natural undisturbed forest. 

           With home ranges commonly between 3.3 to 4.5 square miles, the diurnal Jaguarundi shares much of its territory with the primarily nocturnal Ocelot. A lowland species inhabiting forest and bush, the Jaguarundi eats mainly birds, small mammals, and reptiles. Able to reproduce at two years old, the females usually have 1 to 4 young in a litter and can have two litters in a year. There are 8 different subspecies of the Jaguarundi but going off the Fish and Wildlife Recovery plan, we are focusing right now on just the Cacomitili subspecies.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/495044184010911464/

Geographic and Population Changes:

            The Gulf Coast jaguarundi’s historical range is from the Lower Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas into the eastern portion of Mexico in the States of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, and Veracruz (Nowak 1991, Oliveira 1998). Due to its habitation of purely Mexican land, there is very little information available regarding the Jaguarundi's population size. The last confirmed sighting of this subspecies within the U.S. was in April 1986, when a road-kill specimen was collected near Brownsville, Texas and positively identified as a jaguarundi. 

             Beyond that, no historical records of jaguarundis have been documented north of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, so there is not enough information to determine how abundant the subspecies was historically (USFWS 2012). despite the lack of information, it is reasonable to assume that the Jaguarundi's range and habitat availability has shrunk and is continuing to shrink. Jaguarundis have been photographed using remotely-triggered cameras in central and southern Tamaulipas as recently as 2012 (Tewes and Caso 2011).      

Geographic distribution of jaguarundi subspecies in Mexico (Arroyo 2007) 

Listing Date and Type of Listing:

Listed in US: Endangered - June 14, 1976
Listed in Mexico: Threatened - By Mexican Law
           Listed in the U.S. as endangered throughout its the range, the Jaguarundi is considered threatened in Mexico by the Mexican government. And despite various, unofficial reports of Jaguarundi sightings in Texas, the population is locally extinct in the US. There is hope that through cooperation with Mexico, we can maintain their Jaguarundi population and re-establish ours domestically.

Cause of Listing and Main Threats:

      The final rule (41 FR21062; June 14, 1976) that added the Gulf Coast subspecies of jaguarundi to the ESA’s List as an endangered species did not overtly specify the reasons for its endangerment. Some of the broader reasons for its listings included: habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation; over-utilization through incidental by-catch; and a general lack of regulatory policies protecting the animal's habitat.    
         Primary known threats to the Gulf Coast jaguarundi are habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation associated with agriculture and urbanization, and, to some extent, border security activities. Mortality from collisions with vehicles is also a threat. Competition with bobcats may be a potential limiting factor in the northern portion of the jaguarundi’s range (Sanchez-Cordero et al. 2008). And increases in temperature and decreases in precipitation resulting from climate change may also affect Gulf Coast jaguarundi populations through impacts on their habitat. 

Recovery Plan Description:

         The long-term goal of this revised recovery plan is to recover and delist the Gulf Coast jaguarundi, with downlisting from endangered to threatened status as an intermediate goal. 

          The strategy for reaching this goal is: 

•   Assessing, protecting, reconnecting, and restoring sufficient habitat to support viable populations of the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi in the US and Mexico.
•   Reducing the effects of human population growth and development on potential gulf coast jaguarundi habitat. 
• Gathering more information on the Cacomitli subspecies in Mexico and historical US species.
• Reducing the risk of road mortality.
• Investigating the relationship among bobcats, coyotes, ocelots and jaguarundis.
• Reintroduce the Gulf Coast jaguarundi in suitable habitat within the historical range in south Texas.

          The Gulf Coast Jaguarundi can be removed from the Threatened and Endangered Species List when: 

• We have sufficient scientific information on the Gulf Coast jaguarundi to show that 3 or more separate populations with a combined total of at least 500 individuals range-wide are stable or increasing for at least 20 years and there is sufficient interchange between those populations to maintain genetic variability (USFWS, 2013). 

http://www.arkive.org/jaguarundi/puma-yagouaroundi/image-G43814.html

References:

• Arroyo Rageb, E. V. A. 2007. Aspectos de la biología y distribución del jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi). Thesis. Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Juárez, México.
• Caso, A. 2013. Spatial differences and local avoidance of ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) in northeast Mexico. PhD. dissertation, Texas A&M University, Kingsville, Texas.
• Johnson, W. E. and S. J. O’Brien. 1997. Phylogenetic Reconstruction of the Felidae Using 16S rRNA and NADH-5 Mitochondrial Genes. Journal of Molecular Evolution (44): Suppl 1: S98-S116.
• Nowak, R. M. 1991. Walker’s Mammals of the World – Volume II. Fifth Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press. 1629pp.
• Oliveira, T. G. de. 1998. Mammalian Species, No. 578, Herpailurus yagouaroundi. American Society of Mammalogists. pp. 1-6.
• Sanchez-Cordero, V., D. Stockwell, S. Sarkar, H. Liu, C. R. Stephens and J. Gimenez. 2008. Competitive interactions between felid species may limit the southern distribution of bobcats Lynx rufus. Ecography 31: 757-764.
• Tewes, M.E., and A. Caso. 2011. Management and Conservation of Wild Cats in Northeast Mexico. Publication Number 99 - Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville. http://cnrit.tamu.edu/cgrm/whatzhot/saltillo/tewes.html (accessed 9/22/2011).
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2011a. Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. Southwest Region, Albuquerque, NM. 274 pp.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2013. Gulf Coast jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli) Recovery Plan, First Revision. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Region. Albuquerque, NM

Looks Like Your Home Pet!

 

http://talismancoins.com/content/catalog/Two_Cute_Baby_Lynx_Kittens_Cubs.jpg

Canada Lynx

By Zac Denault

Lynx Candensis

https://greatcatsoftheworld.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/canada-lynx-lynx-canadensis.jpg

Background and Problems

They look like the cute and playful house cats that many people around the world find comfort in every time they return home. We all know people who would be very upset if suddenly domestic pet cats start to disappear. The Canada lynx looks very similar and are related to tigers, lions, domestic cats, jaguars and other members of the Felidae family (ITIS). Medium-sized cat with long legs, large, well furred paws, long tufts on the ears, and a short, black-tipped tail with the possibility of growing up to weight 44 pounds and 32 inches long as an adult (US Fish & Wildlife Service). That is like a small child! The main differences is that they are rarely domesticated, but instead make a “living” hunting in the snowy North American boreal forests with their amazing hearing and sight. They can see a mouse 250 feet away(LifeScience.com).

http://ci.marshfield.wi.us/zoo_pictures/map_lynx.jpg

They live in the classical boreal forests of Canada and Alaska and the subalpine forest of western United States and hardwood of the east. They spread along the North Cascades and Rocky Mountain Ranges in the west, the western Great Lakes Region, and northern Maine (US FWS). Slowly though, their range in the United States is getting closer to being extinct.

As a carnivore, the density in which these lynx populations will be in any region they are found has a direct relation to that of their primary

prey, snowshoe hair (US FWS). The more of their prey means the more of them. The US has a natural low number thus a smaller density of lynx. That makes it ever more important that their numbers are at the lowest they have ever been. For this reason the US Fish and Wildlife Service listed them on March 24, 2000 as a threatened species.

We are losing our Canada lynx here in the United States. Why?

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The US FWS described the following as the primary reason for the population decline. Main cause is the lack of guidance for the conservation of lynx and snowshoe hare habitat by the federal agencies, such as Bureau of Land Management. The majority of land is privately owned and used for commercial forest. The timber harvests thin the area for hair to hide and reproduce and thus less for lynx to capture. Also the inconsistency with regulatory laws across all regions cause harm to the population. A huge problem has to do with the reason that Lynx migrate from Canada and their mobility requires a large area, but the US is creating fragments that are not sustainable. Lastly the warm weather is causing less desirable snow conditions that take away the Lynx’s competitive advantage over the Bobcats (another lynx species), thus losing much hunting ground to this counterpart.

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/Climatechange/images/1970_lynx.jpg

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/Climatechange/images/1980_lynx.jpg

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/Climatechange/images/projected_lynx.jpg

How can we recover the Canada Lynx in the United States according to the US Fish & Wildlife Service?

Goal: To address threats so that protection under the Endangered Species Act is no longer needed and the Lynx can persist in the US for at least 100 years.

The focus will be on the core areas, an area with long history and best habitat to sustain a healthy lynx population. Still accommodating for immigration and emigration to adjacent populations in Canada or secondary areas.

 First, management commitments in core areas will be made on both federal and privately owned land. Discover a baseline of lynx numbers and their habitat to monitor for any changes, with analysis at least every ten years. Map out and track the movement between Canada’s and US core areas with long term management teams.

After core areas are planned out, we need to focus on keeping secondary areas able to support the populations for reproduction to some day allow for a great US range south. This will be done with surveys and research on what Lynx’s habitats need to be successful.

Most importantly, further research needs to be made to identify and lessen the factors on lynx in the contiguous United States.

Lastly, a plan must be developed for what must be done to sustain the population once the Canada Lynx is no long listed under the Endangered Species Act.

What can you do to help?

You can personal help protect this beautiful animal:

Donate to numerous wildlife protection organizations.

·       National Wild Life  Federation https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Mammals/Canada-Lynx.aspx

Symbolic Adoption of a Canada Lynx

·       Defenders of Wildlife http://www.defenders.org/canada-lynx/how-you-can-help

The Little Burrowing Beetle: Casey's June Beetle Endangerment and Recovery

Robert Deen

CASEY'S JUNE BEETLE

(Dinacoma Caseyi)

Male pictured left, Female on the right

Description & Ecology 

Casey's June Beetle is a small beetle existent in the Palm Spring, CA region. The beetle belongs to the scarab family and range from 0.55 to 0.71 inches in length. Appearance of these beetles is either whitish or brown in color with stripping on their wings and heads. For most of the year these beetles live in underground burrows up to 6 inches below the grounds surface, feeding on organic matter found in the soil. These beetles emerge from their burrows during the period of March to late June in order to mate. Males of this species have the ability to fly while females seem to be flightless. The males travel during this emergence period to locate a female to mate with. After mating has occurred the females either return to their existing burrow or dig another for deposition of her eggs. Currently little is known about the larvae period of this insect. Predators to these beetles include primarily birds, but reptiles have also been known to eat the beetles. This beetle species was listed as Endangered on September 22, 2011.

Geographic & Population Change

To date there have been no formal or published scientific studies of the beetles life history, population size, population distribution, population dynamics, or individual movement. The species is known to have existed within river wash areas and floodplains in Palm Springs and similar habitats of the City of Indian Wells. Currently the species only inhabits southern portions of Palm Springs and only one remaining population is known to exist. At present day in Smoke Tree Ranch of Palm Springs, a large proportion of the known population resides in this gated community. An analysis from soil data suggests that 97 percent of the historical range of the beetle has been converted to residential and commercial development.

Aerial Image showing current and past locations near

Image showing current distribution and critical habitat

Cause of Listing and Main Threats to Continued Existence

Casey's June Beetle is mainly listed due to the following:

• Habitat loss, destruction, modification and fragmentation due to development within the Palm Springs area
• Increased intensity and frequency of Catastrophic flood events
• Loss of individuals in pools and due to their attraction to light sources
• Environmental effects resulting from changing climatic patterns
• Loss of individuals due to soil disturbing activities
• Lack of populations abilities to move to new potential habitat

Description of Recovery Plan

Prior to any action other than protecting existing habitat, a survey must be conducted to monitor and document the population's distribution, occupied habitat, and local threats. Once the survey has been completed, the population will have its current distribution extended through habitat restoration and species reintroduction. Additionally, education in the community about the threat of this species continued existence must be done to strengthen recovery efforts. 

References and Links for Further Reading

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2009/07/09/E9-16282/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-listing-caseys-june-beetle-dinacoma-caseyi

http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=I0TG

http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/CJB_Recovery_Outline_FINAL.pdf

Sir Ocelot

Save The Ocelot

By Nick Crump

http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/sites/default/files/styles/feeds_animal_thumbnail

/public/ocelot_thumb.jpg?itok=0kbuEsGq

Description and Ecology of Organism
     An ocelot is a small cat that ranges from the very southern region of Texas all the way to northern Argentina in South America (San Diego Zoo). The ocelot has black or dark brown spots arranged in a doughnut shape with dark tan in the middle. It has two stripes on its cheeks and a strip running from the top of the eye over the head (San Diego Zoo). The ocelot is a nocturnal cat that uses its keen sight and hearing to hunt rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, and frogs. 

Geographic and Population Changes

https://www.defenders.org/sites/default/files/ocelot-range-map-2.jpg

     Currently, the ocelot ranges from extreme southern Texas and southern Arizona through the coastal lowlands of Mexico to Central America, Ecuador and northern Argentina. Its habitats range from tropical rainforest, pine forest, gallery forest, riparian forest, semi-deciduous forest, and dry tropical forest, to savanna, scrublands, and marshlands (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). In terms of population growth, the proportion of adult females successfully producing a litter in a given year and additional mortality caused by vehicles are primary factors in determining future population growth (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).                                  

Listing Date and Type of Listing

     The first draft revision for the Ocelot Recovery Plan was approved August 22, 1990 by the Southwest Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The ocelot is listed as endangered by the State of Texas and is protected from hunting and live collection in Arizona where it is listed as a species of “special concern”. 

Cause of Listing and Main Threats 

     Habitat conversion, fragmentation, and loss of habitat are the primary threats to the ocelot today. Throughout its range, the ocelot has declined in most areas because of illegal hunting and habitat loss. Currently, habitat loss is replacing hunting as the major threat. This habitat loss is due to the deforestation, agricultural development, and increased ranching. In Texas, more than 95% of the dense thorn scrub habitat in the Lower Rio Grande Valley has been converted to agriculture, rangelands, or urban land uses (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Commercial exploitation and illegal hunting are also significant threats to the species when the ocelot was originally listed. Fortunately, some hunting has declined significantly and is controlled by the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

https://garyborjesson.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ocelot2.jpg

Description of Recovery Plan

     Habitat loss and the fragmentation of remaining suitable habitat is clearly the greatest threat to the persistence and recovery of the ocelot in the Mexico and U.S. borderland population. In addition, the widespread conversion of thornscrub habitat to agriculture and other intensive land uses has not only reduced the total population, but “has reduced the potential for habitat fragments to be reached by dispersing ocelots, and has made the natural recolonization of vacant range unlikely” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). In the absence of population expansion, the ocelot in Texas faces a high risk of extinction in less than 40 years as the result of “the combined effects of reduced genetic variability and environmental stochasticity” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The purpose of the recovery plan is manage the population so it improves genetic fitness, population size, restores habitat, enhances landscape linkages among populations, promotes range expansion, and reduces threats from roads and other sources of development-related mortality. The main recovery objectives collectively describe the specific conditions under which the goals of the recovery of the ocelot will be met. The recovery objectives are summarized below:

1. Asses, protect, and restore habitat to support viable populations in the borderlands of the U.S. and Mexico.
2. Reduce the effects of human population growth and development on ocelot survival.
3. Maintain and improve genetic fitness, demographic conditions, and health of the ocelot.
4. Assure the long-term viability of ocelot conservation through partnerships.
5. Practice adaptive management in which recovery is monitored.
6. Support international efforts to ascertain the status of and conserve the ocelot south of Tamaulipas and in Sonora.

Works Cited

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2010. Draft Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) Recovery Plan, First Revision. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"Mammals: Ocelot." Animals.sandiegozoo.org. San Diego Zoo, n.d. Web. 7 June 2015.

Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse

Save this Mouse’s House!

Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris)

By: Regan Dyer

http://www.fws.gov/uploadedImages/Region_8/NWRS/Zone_2/San_Francisco_Bay_Complex/San_Pablo_Bay/Images/Wildlife_and_Habitat/B.Moose.Peterson_520.jpg

Description and ecology of organism:

http://virtualmarsh.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/

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The salt marsh harvest mouse, also known as the “red-bellied harvest mouse, makes its home in the Bay Area of Northern California. Like its name implies, this mouse loves to live in the marshes of Corte Madera, Richmond and South San Francisco. There are two subspecies, the northern and the southern, and each have their own specific colorings. The southern has a cinnamon colored belly while the northern does not. The rest of their bodies are buff or brown and they have darker colored ears. While their coloring may differ, both have grooved upper front teeth that help them eat leaves, seeds and plant stems. Both subspecies can drink salt water for long periods of time, with the southern actually preferring salty water over fresh water.  The mice are about 3 inches long and weigh only half an ounce.

Females give birth one or two times a year with an average litter size of four. Their nests are minimal (the southern doesn’t actually build a nest) and are often built on top of abandoned bird nests. The average home range size for the salt marsh harvest mouse is 0.52 acres

Geographic and Population Changes:

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The salt marsh harvest mouse lives in Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. These areas offer dense cover for the salt mouse thanks to high populations of salt-tolerant plants like pickleweed. These plants allow the mice to climb above high tides.

Both species have experienced high levels of habitat loss and fragmentation as the human population in the area has grown. Less than 10% of the original acreage of the specie’s habitat is left, with that limited area retaining little to no structural suitability for the mouse. Over 600 acres of salt marsh in the mouse’s habitats has been converted to fresh or brackish water due to freshwater discharge from many wastewater facilities throughout the area.

Listing Date and Type of Listing:

Endangered

Listed 10-13-1970

Lead Region: California/Nevada Region (Region 8)

Cause of Listing and Main Threats to its Continued Existence:

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The mouse is battling severe habitat loss. Much of its marsh habitat has disappeared due to filling and vegetation changes. “Of the 193, 800 acres of tidal marsh that bordered San Francisco Bay in 1850, about 30,100 remain. This represents an 84 percent reduction”. This loss of habitat is truly the main cause for the listing of the species. The mouse is specialized for its environment and is greatly impacted when its small/specific habitat decreases in size.

Besides infill and water salinity changes, another factor is that many marshes are completely submerged at high tide, especially in the south Bay. When the water level goes above the weedy grasses, the mice run out of climbing space and can’t escape the water. The complete submerging also leads to nest destruction and higher levels of predation, as the mice can no longer hide in vegetation. Hawks, gulls, and short-eared owls are typical predators for the mice. Herons, egrets, and kestrels are also known to take small mammals from flooded marsh areas. Terrestrial predators such as foxes, feral cats, skunks, and raccoons may also have an impact on the population.

Primary threats to all the listed species include:

• Habitat loss and fragmentation due to urban development, agriculture, and diking related to duck hunting
• Changes in hydrology and water salinity
• Non-native invasive species
• Contamination
• Sea level rise due to climate change
• Overall vulnerability of small population that is endemic to an area

Description of Recovery Plan:

The recovery plan encompasses 5 species and 11 subspecies that live in the tidal marsh ecosystem; for example, the salt marsh harvest mouse, California clapper rail, Suisan thistle, soft bird’s beak, and the California sea-blithe.

http://ucdavis.edu/local_resources/slideshow/2014/April/

marsh-mice/09-released.jpg

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service requires that within a 50-year planning period the objectives listed below will be realized:

1.     Secure self-sustaining wild populations of each covered species throughout their full ecological, geographical, and genetic ranges.

2.     Ameliorate or eliminate the threats, to the extent possible, that caused the species to be listed or of concern and any future threats.

3.     Restore and conserve a healthy ecosystem function supportive of tidal marsh species. 

They hope to acquire, manage, monitor and restore the historic, existing, and restorable marsh habitat of the mouse and other species. They also want to conduct research and surveys on the species to observe the status of the population. The overall goal is to achieve recovery of the mice.
If the program goes as planned and recovery criteria are met, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that most of the listed species in this recovery plan could be recovered by 2063 (that’s only 50 years!).


Sources:

Department of the Interior: Fish and Wildlife Service.

           Final Recovery Plan for Tidal Marsh Ecosystems of Northern and Central California

           http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-02-26/pdf/2014-04138.pdf

Fish and Wildlife Service

           Recovery Plan for Tidal marsh Ecosystems of Northern and Central California

           http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/TMRP_Final.pdf

           http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/TMRP/20130923_TMRP_Books_Signed_FINAL.pdf

           http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/TMRP/Appendices%20for%20Recovery
           %20Plan%20for%20Tidal%20Marsh.pdf

           http://www.fws.gov/ecos/ajax/docs/five_year_review/doc3221.pdf

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

            Endangered Species Protection Program (ESPP) : Endangered Species Fact Sheet

            http://www.epa.gov/espp/factsheets/salt-marshharvest-mouse.pdf

Coastal Conservancy: San Francisco Estuary Invasive Spartina Project

            http://www.southbayrestoration.org/pdf_files/HarvestMouseHandout.pdf