Evolution in an Urbanizing World
Eastern Gray Squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis, are some of the most visible and well-known urban animals in the Northeastern United States. Prior to European settlement of the region, the black morph of S. carolinensis ("melanistic") was much more abundant. Scientists have hypothesized that the dark pelt was advantageous in the old growth forests that used to cover the region.... Continue Reading →
Now that winter is upon us, it may seem like there is less urban wildlife around. But there's a chance to spot some really cool mammals like the one for this week's observation. Here we see a bobcat in a back alley chasing a hare! Thanks to LITC contributor Mason Stothart for catching this tweet!... 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 →
In the month of November we asked to hear from you during our first annual November Comment Contest. Now that the month is over, we've tallied the comments, responses, and likes and we're pleased to announce our two winners: Kristin Thompson and Kevin Aviles-Rodriguez! They'll get to pick the urban organisms featured on the next... Continue Reading →
In Mississauga, ON, Canada, we have a slew of different birds that cause a nuisance. I'm sure most of you know about our geese, they are mean and will chase you down the street if you get too close. There haven't been many pigeons in my grocery store parking lot, probably because these shorebirds are... Continue Reading →
Urban fieldwork is its own beast. Sure, compared to remote sites you might have regular access to bathrooms and food but there are different situations to be aware of or capitalize on when handling animals in the public eye.
With the US Thanksgiving tomorrow, here's a turkey treat! Wild turkeys were found earlier this month terrorizing Holiday City, a New Jersey neighborhood. Wild animals can be dangerous, so keep your distance. Sadly, packs of wild animals get pushed into urban neighborhoods as we continue to develop our cities on their territory. They can cause... Continue Reading →
Entomology 2019 I recently attended the Entomology Conference in St. Louis, Missouri and here are some of the highlights. I was part of the special symposium "What Everyone Ought to Know about Insect Biodiversity in the Urban Environment" where a number of scientists gave talks and posters about their research related to this topic. Biodiversity... Continue Reading →
Here we go again NYC, urban birds! I am always amazed at how many of our observations come from NYC. Before this blog, I had thought that such a large city would only support pests, like pizza rat. Here's a pair of hawks nesting near a clock tower in Marcus Garvey Park (Harlem). A special... Continue Reading →
When we think of urban organisms, we often don't think of aquatic organisms. But wetlands exist in the urban matrix, and aquatic and amphibious species are impacted by habitat changes associated with urbanization. A recent study published in Ecology and Evolution by Jared Homola, Cynthia Loftin, and Michael Kinnison dug into the population genetics of... Continue Reading →
As the largest city in the United States, New York City seems to be full of all sorts of urban wildlife! This week, we bring you the smoking cockroach. If your pesticides won't kill it, neither will smoking cigarettes. Urban birds are known to incorporate cigarette butts into their nests, which may function as... 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 →
The air is getting crisper, leaves are finally changing colors, and pumpkin spice lattes have been at Starbucks for over a month now. It is definitely fall. While we enjoy harvest festivals and simultaneously lament the end of warm days, most animals are readying themselves for winter. For bats, fall is a migration period. Most... Continue Reading →
Recently, I published a review paper in Molecular Ecology with my co-authors, Ruth Rivkin, Marc TJ Johnson, Jason Munshi-South, and Brian Verrelli. In this paper, we discussed how urbanization influences gene flow and genetic drift. We looked at 167 primary literature papers to see what researchers have found. Competing Models of Urban Effects You might... Continue Reading →
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