New Lit Alert: Effects of urbanization on the trophic niche of the brown anole, a widespread invasive lizard

Effects of urbanization on the trophic niche of the brown anole, a widespread invasive lizard Zachary A.Chejanovski, Sean T.Giery, Jason J.Kolbe Abstract Urbanization is one of the most dramatic forms of environmental change with the potential to alter trophic relationships among organisms in cities. In this study, we combine gut-content and stable isotope analyses of... Continue Reading →

September 16, 2022 0

New Lit Alert: Downtown diet: a global meta-analysis of increased urbanization on the diets of vertebrate predators

Downtown diet: a global meta-analysis of increased urbanization on the diets of vertebrate predators Siria Gámez, Abigail Potts, Kirby L. Mills, Aurelia A. Allen, Allyson Holman, Peggy M. Randon, Olivia Linson and Nyeema C. Harris Abstract Predation is a fundamental ecological process that shapes communities and drives evolutionary dynamics. As the world rapidly urbanizes, it... Continue Reading →

March 15, 2022 0

Urban Observation of the Week: Hank the Tank!

Where there are humans, there is food... delicious calorie rich food. And so much of it, well, it can keep a bear from hibernating! We've told you about wildlife and anthropogenic food before (check out: Raccoon Eats Your Bird Food, Juggling a Junk Food Diet, Eggroll Squirrel, and of course - Pizza Rat), and taking advantage... Continue Reading →

March 1, 2022 0

Urban Observation of the Week: NOLA Anoles

New Orleans is a great city — good food, good people, good drinks. But the best part about New Orleans? LIZARDS! Keep your eyes open and you're likely to see lizards crawling on the trees, fences, buildings, and trashcans. Two species are common to the city: Anolis carolinensis, which are native to the Southeast USA,... Continue Reading →

September 30, 2020 0

Urban Observation of the Week: Don’t Feed the Wildlife

If you're reading this blog you probably enjoy watching wildlife. There is a thrill that comes with seeing a wild animal sharing space with you. However, in my time researching urban wildlife I've come across dozens of people who seem to think that urban wildlife need humans to survive. In his book, The Global Pigeon,... Continue Reading →

September 23, 2020 0

Urbanization is Correlated with Higher Cholesterol Levels in American Crows

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 →

October 15, 2019 0

Juggling a Junk Food Diet: Urban Birds Go on a Diet on Weekends Due to Less Availability of Junk Food

Have you ever found yourself wishing that the cafeteria was opened on weekends? Well apparently so have the birds! Read on to find out how weekly fluctuations in the availability of human food affect the foraging behavior of urban birds.

August 20, 2019 0

Urban Adaptation in Mammals

Mammals are some of the most easily recognizable and endearing critters to share our cities with us. Who doesn't love a cute bunny or squirrel in a city park? Or a fox or raccoon slinking through the streets at night. Even city rats can be endearing. Despite the commonality of these species, urban areas are... Continue Reading →

February 11, 2019 2

Urban Observation of the Week: Black Widow Spiders

The Western black widow spider has been found in many urban areas across the Western United States. You find them frequently in garages, in wood pile, and on brick fences in urban areas. Urban populations can get quite dense, with over 100 spiders occupying 1 city block! These spiders are asocial, which means they do... Continue Reading →

February 6, 2019 0

Urban Observation of the Week: Eggroll Squirrel

This week's observation is New York City's newest mascot, egg roll squirrel. Pizza rat is so last week. NYC strikes again with wildlife enjoying anthropogenic food. And if you can't get enough squirrels check out our previous posts on squirrel behavior here and here. Do you have a photo or video of an urban... Continue Reading →

January 23, 2019 1

Urban Observation of the Week: Pizza Rat

We are starting a new post type here, weekly urban observations. To kick this off, here is the classic pizza rat! New York City has lots of urban wildlife that seem to really do well with humans. We've discussed rats previously on our blog, along with how urbanization might influence the diets of Darwin's Finches... Continue Reading →

January 16, 2019 0

The Future of Darwin’s Finches with Intensifying Urbanization

Darwin's finches in the Galapagos are the poster children of adaptive radiation. These birds have formed many species that differ in their beaks. The size and shape of beaks make them uniquely suited to take advantage of different food resources. Hard big beaks are great for eating large hard seeds, small beaks for small seeds.... Continue Reading →

December 10, 2018 1

Tag: diet