Author Archives: ursusrising

Jaguars (Panthera onca) are big, powerful feline predators. They were driven from the United States many decades ago. But sightings over the last several decades suggest the cats may be making an American comeback. A new Arizona jaguar sighting has once again raised those hopes. There is no certainty that the cats will recolonize Arizona,Continue reading “Arizona Jaguar Sighting Hints At Recolonization Of United States By Continents Biggest Cat”

For quite some time there have been rumors and contested sightings of big cats in England. Eyewitnesses talk of leopards and possibly other big cats roaming the more secluded parts of the English countryside. Do leopards roam England? DNA evidence strongly suggests they do. We have written about this before. Panthera genus DNA was foundContinue reading “Do Leopards Roam England? DNA Tests Say Probability Is Very High, But Some Doubt Remains”

The nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 was a huge disaster for humans and animals in Ukraine. But recent research is showing the resilience of nature. Chernobyl dogs and wolves are showing signs of evolving. They are adapting to the lingering radiation caused by the disaster. According to the chip chickContinue reading “Chernobyl Dogs And Wolves May Be Evolving Rapidly Due To Intense Radiation From 1986 Disaster”

Indiana bobcats appear to be increasing in numbers due to conservation efforts and access to suitable habitat. That success has lead the state to authorize limited hunting of the elusive cats. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is working out details of the plan. Indiana may be home now to about 1,000 of theContinue reading “Indiana Bobcats Face Limited, Regulated Hunting State Agency Is Determining Changes In Harvesting Rules”

Tigers (Panthera tigris) are perhaps the best animal to illustrate success and failure in conservation. They also show the perversity of our relations with animals we both revere and revile. A worldwide effort to save the wild tiger has not met its ambitious goals. But dedicated conservationists have not given up. Oddly, there is noContinue reading “Can We Save The Tiger? Ambitious Worldwide Effort Falling Short Of Goal, But Some Real Progress Has Been Made”

Here at Wild Animal News we keep finding more examples of the way advances in DNA and other genetic testing are overturning long-held beliefs about relationships between members of anima families. Felines have undergone numerous family realignments. Now it is the king cobra’s turn. King cobra genetics studies have now split the species into four.Continue reading “King Cobra Genetics Study Shows World’s Longest Highly Venomous Snake Is Actually Four Separate Species”

This blog has been glad to report on major new underwater discoveries that reveal hidden secrets of the world’s oceans. Now comes the report that tagged tiger sharks have taken explorers to what is now thought to be the world’s largest seagrass forest. Of course the tagged tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) were not looking forContinue reading “Tagged Tiger Sharks Lead Researchers To Amazing Underwater Seagrass Discovery”

Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) are one of the world’s rarest canids and they are also Africa’s most endangered predator. Ethiopian wolves also have another distinction: they are the first canids found to relish nectar and consume it in quantity. Found only in Ethiopia, the wolves, also known as red jackals or simien foxes, inhabit sevenContinue reading “Ethiopian Wolves Have A Sweet Tooth; First Canid Predators Found To Relish Nectar”

Readers of this blog will know that inbreeding in constricted wild animal populations is a threat to many species. Inbreeding has many negative results and can easily lead to local extinction. Now, University of California researchers are considering genetic rescue as a tool in the battle. The focus of the genetic rescue effort is aContinue reading “Genetic Rescue May Be a Breakthrough Tool To Rescue An Endangered California Red Fox, Battle Inbreeding Elsewhere, UC Researchers Say”

.Very soon the adage “extinction is forever” may have to be abandoned. Scientists around the word are perfecting methods that may bring back animals as diverse as wooly mammoths and dodo birds. A thylacine genome breakthrough may soon speed the return of the Thylacine to the land of the living. The thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) wasContinue reading “Thylacine Genome Breakthrough May Hasten De-Extinction Of The “Tasmanian Tiger,” Enthusiastic Researchers Say”