Evolution in an Urbanizing World
Usually, when you hear about a bear wandering through a neighborhood, it is in some rural area in Alaska. This week, we bring you a bear walking through a neighborhood near Los Angeles, CA! The more we urbanize our land, the more unexpected wildlife we will see in our neighborhoods. https://twitter.com/CBSLA/status/1230866141863563264?s=20 Do you have a... Continue Reading →
When we see wildlife in our neighborhoods, it seems like we hit the lotto. They are rare gems to spot and even get a picture. Most of the time, we are happy to see them. However, when people let their cats roam freely, the cat can encounter wildlife that may be less than friendly. Recently,... Continue Reading →
Many organisms seem to do poorly in urban areas, and it is unclear which organisms will become extirpated in cities. Typically, organisms that are experiencing population declines are ones that we would think are negatively impacted by urbanization. However, this may not always be the case. Recently, Ziege and co-authors studied populations of the European... Continue Reading →
Last week we brought you a bald eagle in Manhattan, this week we present you with a woodpecker found in Union Square Park in NYC. Urban birders win again! Parks are a great refuge for many organisms that find themselves living inside the big cities. Check out the other animals found near Union Square Park.... 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 →
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 →
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 →
Coyotes seem to be everywhere in North American neighborhoods. Here is a spotting from @evoecolab in his front yard. We have explored aspects of urban evolution in coyotes in a previous post by Kevin Aviles-Rodriguez. Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago one of the students in my department, Stephanie Lieffrig, had this Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) land on her AC unit in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, New York. Hawks, along with Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) are quite common in New York City and AC units are a rather common perch... Continue Reading →
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.