Sadie Lou Hays

02/26/2024

The passenger pigeon taught the world a lot about how important mating systems can be to the survival of a species if not taken into account when managing wildlife. The passenger pigeon was numerous, but relied on colonial roosting to reproduce. When their numbers dropped too far from over hunting, they were less successful at reproducing.
We believed the passenger pigeon could never go extinct because there were so many of them. They are now one of the legends of American wildlife.
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Reference: https://www.si.edu/spotlight/passenger-pigeon
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02/14/2024

What did your Valentine tell you today?
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12/07/2023

https://www.kut.org/texasstandard/2023-12-06/austin-sunshine-community-gardens-texas

Prospective gardeners — whether they are 9 or 90 — are welcomed to join.

12/03/2023

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/16/1212690111/only-51-of-these-u-s-whales-remain-little-has-been-done-to-prevent-their-extinct

Rice's whales are one of the world's newly discovered whale species – and already one of the most endangered. Protections for the whales in the Gulf of Mexico are not coming fast.

12/03/2023

https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/texas-birds-renamed-due-to-links-with-colonialism-slavery-racism/

Starting in 2024, the American Ornithological Society (AOS), the largest international group of its kind, will begin an initiative to rename some species birds with English names found in the U.S. …

12/01/2023

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/11/1212440524/echidna-attenborough

Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, a mammal with a unique evolutionary history, was caught on camera for the first time. Researchers hope their find advances conservation efforts in remote Indonesia.

12/01/2023

The Spotted Skunk can be found across North America and like other skunks, it displays a warning by lifting its tail prior to spraying, but in addition to this behavior, it also does a very impressive handstand making it unique among skunk species!

12/01/2023

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/penguins-take-more-than-10-000-mini-naps-every-day/

Chinstrap Penguins take more than 10,000 seconds-long naps during the day to remain vigilant while incubating their eggs

11/26/2023

11/24/2023

The Black-footed Ferret is a Lazarus species, which was thought to be extinct until it re-appeared on a ranch in Wyoming in 1981. This highly endangered animal has suffered from the eradication of prairie dogs from ranch lands, which it relies on for food and shelter in their prairie dog tunnels.

11/24/2023

The Wood Duck is a great success story! It nearly went extinct due to habitat loss and over hunting in the late 1800's. Through the installation of nesting boxes to replace tree cavities and changing in hunting practices, the wood duck is now four million strong and growing.

11/24/2023

The Hellbender is one of the larger salamanders found in North America. Its population is declining throughout, but by keeping our waterways clean, we may be able to help the the Hellbender rebound.