Wild Animal News

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, New Mexico and Texas. But conservationists and wild cat lovers have certainly rolled out the welcome mat. Continent wide efforts are underway to protect the jaguar and to expand and connect the cat’s range in both north and south America.

In fact, a formal petition has been filed to convince the United States government to actively work to return the cats to the United States. The Arizona jaguar sighting comes during renewed efforts to expand the cats range.

Jaguars once roamed the United States from Louisiana west to California. They ranged south deep into South America. The greatest number remain in Brazil, their traditional stronghold. In central and South America they are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation.

Habitat loss is currently a prime enemy and conservationists are hoping to connect current population pockets and to reintroduce Jaguars into areas from which they have been driven. Some of these efforts are similar to American efforts to save cougars AKA Puma concolor. The Liberty Canyon overcrossing has proven a model for efforts north and south.

of the border. The overcrossing is expected to be completed in 2025. It would link the Santa Monica Mountains with open country to the north. The ambitious project will build a bridge for wildlife over the 101 Freeway. Unfortunately, recent wildfires threaten the area. The impact on the project is not known as of this writing

Another effort seeks to capture wild jaguars and release them into habitat from which they have been driven. A third seeks to retrain jaguars born into captivity so that they can survive in the wild.

Although the Arizona jaguar sighting is important to conservationists it is not conclusive. The cats seen in Arizona are all male. Unless females follow them and raise cubs reintroduction has not occurred.

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 found on a mauled sheep. That indicates the sheep was eaten by a tiger, Panthera tigris or a leopard Panthera pardus, or a lion, Panthera leo, or a snow leopard Panthera uncia, or a jaguar., Panthera onca.

Of the big cats the leopard appears the most likely. The British newspaper The Sun is now reporting further details. Do leopards roam England?

Last October Sharon Larkin-Snowden disturbed a predator while it was eating a sheep carcass. DNA was taken and sent to Warwick University. There Professor Robin Allaby lead the research. Allaby studies DNA and genetics especially in plants. He is quite sure the DNA is panthera, but does leave a small room for doubt.

According to the Sun “Sharon took a swab of the carcass and sent it to big cat expert Rick Minte who passed it on to Prof. Allaby, Professor of Life Sciences.

He analysed the sample at his laboratory and discovered both fox and Panthera DNA.

He said the findings suggested the sheep had been eaten by both a fox and a big cat such as a leopard.

Prof Allaby said: “With the evidence we have now I’m 99 per cent sure. I always leave one per cent room for the possibility you may turn out to be wrong no matter how convincing the evidence is.”

The source of the leopards is conjectural. One theory is that tightened laws about the keeping of exotic pets led to the release of large felines.

Minter has a podcast on big cat sightings.

Leopards are extremely adaptable. They can hide in plain sight and are adept at avoiding people. If there is a breeding population in England it will be a testament to how unobservant we can be. More research must be done before we can defnitively answer the question: Do leopards roam England?

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 chick website:

“A massive plume of radiation was launched into the sky and spread across Europe, making it one of history’s worst nuclear disasters.

The purpose of the test was to simulate a power outage to see if the reactor would work without electricity, but a combination of poor design, user errors, and miscommunication led to the disaster.

In the years that followed, the Chernobyl region was abandoned due to far-reaching environmental damage, health issues for people and animals exposed to radiation, and fears of contamination.”

During the first few days in the aftermath of the explosion, radiation levels were so high that plants located near the reactor turned brown, withered away, and died.

Many wild creatures experienced genetic mutations, reproductive problems, and a significant decrease in populations.”

Chernobyl dogs and wolves somehow managed to survive.

An exclusion zone has been formed and people do not live close to the blast site. Recent research has shown that animals in the region. including frogs, are surviving and adapting. The dogs in question include descendants of many pets that were left behind.

Researchers have begun studying the dogs and are noting changes in their DNA. The changes separate them from dogs living as close as 10 miles away in Chernobyl City. The nature and function of the changes require further study.

Wolves, however, appear to be evolving better defenses against cancer as a result of genetic adaption.

Evolutionary biologist Cara Love has tracked the wolves’ adaptation since 2014. She has visited the exclusion zone with her colleagues, placing GPS collars on the wolves. The collars were equipped with radiation dosimeters,

The research has been interrupted by the war. But indications are that the cancer fighting wolves were exposed to about 6 times the daily amount of radiation that would be considered safe for humans. Their genetic makeup was different than that of other wolves outside the area. The cancer fighting wolves had higher amount of cancer resistant genetic material and their immune systems were different too.

The changes to Chernobyl dogs and wolves are significant. How significant is yet to be determined.

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 the cats and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is considering rules changes for harvesting bobcats, also known as Lynx rufus.

According to Indiana media.

“Under Senate Bill 241, bobcats will become a huntable animal in Indiana beginning on July 1, 2024.

The bill gives the Indiana DNR until July 1, 2025 to adopt rules and license fees for bobcat hunting. (The apparent contradiction was not explained – Ed.)

The bill includes language with guidelines for licensing fees – beginning with Indiana residents paying $15 to take a bobcat.

According to the DNR, bobcats have been reported from almost every Indiana county but are most common in southern and west-central Indiana. A study conducted by the DNR in south-central Indiana revealed that bobcats are capable of dispersing up to 100 miles from where they were born.”

Bobcats are not in danger of extinction. There are perhaps one million living in most of the 50 states. They also live in Southern Canada and Mexico. California has an abundant populaton of bobcats which are now under conservation study.

Bobcats are a member of the lynx lineage. Canada lynx and bobcats are found in North America, Eurasian lynx and Iberian lynx are found in Europe and Asia. North American Bobcats typically weigh up to about 30 pounds. Canada lynx are slightly bigger. Lynx rufus eat animals as small as insects and as large as deer. Other items on the menu include snakes, birds and fish.

Although Indiana bobcats are now abundant enough to hunt they face many threats. They can be preyed on by a number of predators, especially when young. Construction and habitat destruction are threats. The cats ability to adapt helps mediate that threat. Bobcats are often victims to traffic collisions and they are vulnerable to poisons used to control rodents and insects.

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 no real danger of tigers going extinct. More tigers live in zoos, sanctuaries and private hands than in the wild. Those tigers are “generic.” Like most cats tigers breed fairly easily. The captive tigers are of mixed genetics. They are not useful for maintaining the genetic purity of the widely separated populations. Wild tigers are what save the tiger efforts are all about. Their situation is different.

It is impossible to know, but estimates suggest there were about 100,000 tigers alive in 1900. They lived across a great deal of Asia and a number of the larger Pacific Islands. Today, that number is about 6,000. These remnant populations until recently were found in 13 tiger habitat countries.

The alarming decline led to the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010. Representatives of tiger habitat countries vowed to save the tiger and double wild populations by 2022. Almost three years later this is where the situation stands according to various estimates from around the web.

From worst to best the situation is as follows:

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam probably lack viable tiger populations. Cambodia has expressed interest in re-introducing tigers, likely from India. But India has expressed reluctance to send tigers. India wants assurance the transfer will work. India’s attempt to re-introduce cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) to India has not been a stellar success. this clouds transfer efforts.

China expresses efforts to protect tigers but the situation appears difficult. The South China tiger is almost certainly extinct. However, about 150 remain in zoos. There may be a possibility that those tigers can be “re-wilded” and released. Re-wilding can refer to transferring wild specimens into an area from which they have been driven. Or suitable captive animals can be identified and trained to live in the wild.

China is proud of a population of about 50 Amur tigers that now make China their home.

Bangladesh estimates its tiger population to be 114. Most of those tigers live in the Sundarbans wetlands. Bhutan has a population of about 131 and growing. Bhutan and Nepal have both seen population growth. Thailand has an estimated population of 189. The country appears to be zealous in protecting tigers. Thais also believe they have found another small previously unknown population.

Malaysia has a larger population of around 340. Indonesia says its tigers number about 371. Researchers are using DNA to identify individuals as part of a protection project on Sumatra. Nepal believes it has 355 tigers and a growing population. Russian experts say 540 Amur tigers live in that country where they are protected. India is the most successful country with 3,682 tigers, perhaps 70 percent of the world total.

Although the 2022 goal was not met the St. Petersburg conference did spotlight the issue and name July 29 as World Tiger Day to help drive the many government and non-government efforts to save the tiger. Among the organizations dedicated to wildcat survival is the World Wildlife Fund.

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.

Of course you could say there is no such thing as a king cobra. That snake (Ophiophagus hannah) is not a true cobra of the Naja family. Despite many similarities it has been distinct enough to be recognized as a member of a separate family. Now, more sophisticated studies of king cobra genetics show there are actually four separate species.

According to IFL Science the reclassification of king cobras upends 188 years of science. Previously the snakes had been though to be one highly variable species. The snake can reach 19 feet in length. It generally eats other snakes although it will consume other prey including some reptiles and rodents. The snake inhabits much of asia, including some islands and archipelagos including the Philippines.

The research paper on which the realignment is based was published in the Word Journal of Taxonomy.

So what caused researchers to divide the king cobra into four species? The research was published in the European Journal of Taxonomy.

“I feel like we created history,” study lead researcher P. Gowri Shankar told Mongabay.

“In 2021, Gowri Shankar and colleagues discovered that there was genetic variation across four distinct populations of king cobras throughout their range. Now, the new study has found differences both in the snakes physically, and in banding patterns found on the snakes’ scales. Looking at 153 specimens, including five skeletal specimens, the team performed morphological and genetic analyses.” (Link in original)

“The four species have been named the Northern king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), Sunda king cobra (Ophiophagus bungarus), Western Ghats king cobra (Ophiophagus kaalinga) – found unsurprisingly in the Western Ghats of the Indian peninsula – and the Luzon king cobra (Ophiophagus salvatana), found only on the island of Luzon in the northern Philippines.”

At least two major benefits have been identified from the reconsideration of king cobra genetics. First, the reclassification should help make conservation efforts more effective by directing efforts to most threatened snakes. Second, the recognition of four species should allow medical researchers to improve antivennins.

In addition to new king cobra genetics findings, scientists have also discovered entirely new species of snakes. Researchers found five entirely new snail eaters. The snakes have adaptions that allow them to pry snails out of their shells. Meanwhile, the spread of snakes as invasive species is also a major concern. Florida is battling Burmese pythons. However, a number of lethal creatures may also be poised to take hold in the state. Three crocodilians and two constrictor snakes are on the list. In addition, black mambas (Dendroapsis polylepis) and king cobras themselves may be on the verge of establishing breeding populations in the Sunshine State.

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 for the grass. They went about their business and researchers found something entirely different. The researchers were using the tagged predators to study the sea bottom. But they did not expect to discover a seagrass forest about 35,000 square miles in size.

“So why were sharks chosen for this groundbreaking research? The answer lies in practicality. Human divers and submarines would have been too costly and time-consuming for such an extensive study. Instead, the researchers saved time and resources while providing valuable data on the ocean floor.” (Link in original)

According to Science News: “A massive survey of the Bahamas Banks — a cluster of underwater plateaus surrounding the Bahama archipelago — reveals 92,000 square kilometers of seagrasses, marine biologist Oliver Shipley and colleagues report November 1 in Nature Communications. That area is roughly equivalent to half the size of Florida.”

92,000 square kilometers is roughly 35,000 square miles.

Seagrass is the main diet of manatees in Florida. In recent years Florida seagrass has been diminishing due to polluted water. Clouded water blocks sunlight leaving the manatees with less to eat. Manatee death rates have risen sharply. This is an example of how important the underwater grasses are to numerous beings.

Manatees, some turtles and urchins eat seagrass directly. Decomposing grass can feed animals farther down the food chain. Fish eat seagrass, too. The beds also provide protection from predators, although the grass can also function as a hunting ground

Another amazing recent discovery has been the finding of a giant Antarctic nesting site for icefish. The 92 square mile hatchery is in the frigid Weddell Sea.

Like the tagged tiger shark discovery, many of the latest findings have bee accidental. Researchers frequently look for one thing and find another.

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 seven fragmented mountainous habitats. They are about the size of North American coyotes, which they resemble. Unlike coyotes they are not generalist feeders. The bulk of their diet is afroalpine rodents. But they apparently have a sweet tooth . Also unlike coyotes, which may number in the millions, they number around 500.

The nectar comes from the Ethiopian red hot poker plant.

According to Popular Science:

“Ethiopian red hot pokers are perennial flowers of the Kniphofia genus native to African nation that typically bloom between May and October. Each year, pollinators such as birds, insects, and small mammals visit the plants to drink from their large amounts of nectar. But while the Ethiopian wolf’s diet is largely composed of rodents, a new study published on November 19th in the journal Ecology confirms that the red jackals also frequently forage for Ethiopian red hot poker nectar themselves.”

The magazine continued:

“The evidence gathered by the study’s authors at the University of Oxford’s Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme (EWCP) marks the first known documentation of large carnivores purposefully feeding on nectar. Researchers tracked the habits of a group of wolves over one bloom season, and noted that individual wolves visited as many as 30 blooms at a time. And it’s not just the adults that make trips to the flowering fields—the study also notes juvenile wolves appear to learn how to harvest the nectar from their parents and other pack members.

Each wolf’s muzzle often is coated in fine, yellow pollen after their nectar snack. While not directly confirmed, researchers believe it highly likely that the predators’ subsequent migrations help spread the flowers much like other traditional pollinators.”

Ethiopian Afroalpine rodents come from a number of families:

narrow-headed rats (Stenocephalemys), brush furred rats (Lophuromys) grass rats (Arvicanthus), African viei rats (Otomys) and African root-rats(Taorcytes).

Coyotes, meanwhile are great in number and are now comfortable in American urban settings. Researchers in cities as far apart as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York are actively studying coyotes (Canis latrans) to better understand their interactions with people, pets and urban wildlife.

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 a very small population of red foxes in California. The montane red fox. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes linn) is common and may number over 1 million in the United States. The montane or Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator) is a different story. Their numbers may be under 50. Several other small pockets exist in California mountains.

According to UC scietists:

“Genomic research led by the University of California, Davis, reveals clues about montane red foxes’ distant past that may prove critical to their future survival. The study, published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, examines the potential for genetic rescue to help restore populations of these mountain-dwelling red foxes. The research is especially relevant for the estimated 30 or fewer native red foxes living in the Lassen Peak region of California.

The study found that inbreeding is impacting the Lassen red fox population. Thousands of years ago — long before unregulated trapping and poison knocked back their populations in the 1890s and early 1900s — red foxes were not only abundant in these mountains, they were also more connected to neighboring foxes in Oregon, the Rocky Mountains and Washington Cascades than they are today. This positions them well for genetic rescue should managers decide to pursue it and reconnect the populations.”

Modern genetic advances make it possible to study changes in a population dating back thousands of years. UC researchers can then make recommendations about how and when to introduce foxes from different populations in order to re-invigorate the subject population. Although red foxes as a whole are abundant there are a number of isolated populations in California and increasing their diversity is a goal.

Other animals, including California mountain lions (Puma concolar) and Indian tigers (Panthera tigris) are also at risk for inbreeding and may need some form of genetic rescue.

Cougars in the Santa Monica Mountains are showing signs of inbreeding. Some of the obvious signs include kinked tails. Tigers in India and jaguars (Panthera onca) also show troubling signs. In all these cases genetic rescue may be attained by finding ways to bridge gaps between isolated populations. A freeway overcrossing above the 101 Freeway is being built. That should help bring isolated Santa Monica mountains cougars into contact with others. Similar efforts are taking place for jaguars in South America.

India is also looking at wildlife corridors to aid tigers.

.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) was the world’s largest marsupial predator. Also known as the Tasmanian tiger, the creature was common on the Australian continent. A variety of factors including hunting by humans drove the animals to a last pocket in Tasmania. The last wild specimen is believed to have died in 1920. The last captive in 1936. Some still cling to the faint hope that there are a few alive today.

Advances in genetic science may return them to life.

Advances in genetic science, such as the thylacine genome breakthrough, are making it possible to “de-extinct” animals. Finding enough suitable DNA is the first step. An embryo can then be created with the extinct creatures nearest living relative. That animal can bring the embryo to term. The result will be very close but not exactly the same as the extinct animal.

Until recently thylacines were considered a long shot. There has to be enough usable DNA available for any de-extinction project. Several breakthroughs have occurred however, and DNA may be available. The bigger problem is the fact that the nearest living relative is mouse sized and surrogate birth will be very challenging.

The advances have been exciting never the less.

There have been several advances. The latest thylacine genome breakthrough comes from the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) genomics lab.

“Australia’s thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, has been extinct for decades, but Colossal Biosciences has made a breakthrough in bringing it back, thanks to the efforts of the UCSC Paleogenomics Lab.

“The UCSC Paleogenomics Lab, led by Colossal Scientific Director Beth Shapiro, has processed samples from a 110-year-old preserved head reconstruct about 99.9% of the Tasmanian genome from it (Sic original)

“The thylacine samples used for our new reference genome are among the best preserved ancient specimens my team has worked with,” said Shapiro. “It’s rare to have a sample that allows you to push the envelope in ancient DNA methods to such an extent.”

Researchers in Sweden recently recovered RNA from a 110 year-old Thylacine specimen. This recovery challenged beliefs about the fragility of RNA and it is thought it may be useful in other de-extinction challenges. Other genome breakthroughs have included the discovery of more potential DNA sources.

Meanwhile, a study of potential sightings after the official extinction date holds faint hope a few may still roam Tasmania.

Of course, thylacine resurrection is not even necessary if they are not actually extinct. The Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia (TAGOA) is dedicated to proving the experts wrong. The fact that a recent study suggests the beasts survived long after official extinction strengthens their resolve. Some experts think credible sightings from the 1990’s exist. Of course sightings are controversial and can be faked or mistaken so perhaps the question of thylacine resurrection remains open in both senses.