Evolution in an Urbanizing World
This week we are cross-posting from the Ecology & Evolution blog written by Dr. Emily Puckett and Elizabeth Carlen. Check out the original post here. Observations of numerous animal populations have documented morphometric changes in response to urbanization. Examples abound including: urban populations of anole lizards have longer limbs and more toe lamellae that aid in moving... Continue Reading →
Like many of you, I've been working from home due to the Coronavirus pandemic. My University suspended face-to-face classes two weeks ago and closed the campus to all nonessential personnel on Sunday night. Knowing this was coming, I packed up my desktop, hard drives, and essential books, and brought them home with me and got... Continue Reading →
Bird feeders are a great way to attract birds to your backyard, but what happens when your bird feeder also attracts unwanted pests? The Helsinki Urban Rat Project recently tweeted out a video showing a rat feasting on the spilled grain from a bird feeder. Check out our other posts on urban rats here and... Continue Reading →
Do you enjoy spotting urban birds but need some help with identifying what you find? This is something I constantly encounter (often with family members sending me photos and videos for identification). Luckily, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a fantastic guide to help you. A few weeks ago my brother sent me this video... Continue Reading →
Urban areas are known to be prone to habitat fragmentation. We've seen the intense urbanization in New York City lead to the rapid divergence of mouse populations and the subdivision of bobcats in Los Angeles. But the adverse effects of habitat fragmentation are difficult to quantify given that they differ based on the ability of... Continue Reading →
It is breeding season for Northern Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris) which means elephant seals are coming onshore to give birth and mate. Because elephant seal breeding grounds are also popular destinations for humans seeking to observe this once nearly extinct marine mammal, precautions are needed to ensure the safety of both the humans and the... Continue Reading →
Urbanization can impact wildlife in different ways, depending on the organism and how it interacts with humans and the built environment. Geographical barriers may limit or prevent an organism from moving through a city and an organism's behavioral variability (particularly its ability to tolerate humans) may also influence if and how it disperses throughout a... Continue Reading →
Wildfires have been devastating southeastern Australia, and along with these fires comes an increase in anthropogenic noise as firetrucks race to the scene. Gregory Andrews spotted this Australian Magpie in Newcastle, New South Whales mimicking the sound of a fire truck. https://twitter.com/isobelroe/status/1212500562102505472?s=20 Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something... Continue Reading →
Milestones and more In 2019 we hit a lot of milestones. We turned 1 year old. We were featured in several major news outlets, including as a News Feature in PNAS, the Wildlife Society, and Wired Magazine! We reached over 13,000 visits since starting from (almost) every corner of the globe (we're looking at you,... Continue Reading →
A medium-sized mammalian predator seems like an odd find in cities, but around the world sightings of urban coyotes, bobcats, and even mountain lions are becoming more common. Setting up a camera trap also known as a trail camera is a great way to spot these urban animals. A camera trap is a camera that... Continue Reading →
If you've walked around a city with pigeons, you might have noticed that many of them are missing toes or have deformed feet. These foot deformities are common and may arise due to a number of different ailments including: chemicals that make surfaces sticky or apply an unpleasant odor; physical deterrents that are placed on... Continue Reading →
Many urban wildlife biologists face unique challenges when trying to capture their study organisms. Traditional methods that are used in remote areas are often not available to urban wildlife biologists, either because the method requires traps that the public tampers with (though this problem does happen to non-urban biologists as well), because urban animals are... Continue Reading →
Last year I saw this tweet that so deeply resonated with me: https://twitter.com/rodger/status/1075094981193265154?lang=en Squirrels are abundant across my own campus in New York City and I have heard numerous students remark that our squirrels are somehow better/different than the squirrels in the rest of the city. We've even had our fair share of squirrels in... Continue Reading →
Along with the altered landscape, urban organisms also encounter novel (anthropogenic) food resources. And while anthropogenic food can be abundant in cities, it is often lower in quality than natural food. This can lead to a situation in which low-quality but abundant food attracts animals to urban areas, but due to its reduced quality, this... Continue Reading →
This week our observation comes from Dr. Christy Zolnik who spotted this Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) on the southern edge of Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, New York City. We've posted about Red-tailed Hawks before as part of our Urban Observation of the Week, but seeing hawks in the city never ceases to amaze me.... Continue Reading →
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