Category: Uncategorized

Our new paper in Ecology, led by Kate Weiss, explores how the variation in traits helps some mammals better exploit urban environments: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecy.4055

We used data from nearly 1,500 camera trap sites across the U.S. to test whether variation in traits like body size, diet, and reproduction helps mammals adapt to cities. We found that demographic traits—especially litter size—were the strongest predictors of urban success, while other traits mattered differently across groups like carnivores, rodents, and ungulates. These results show that trait variation plays a key role in which species can thrive in cities, with important implications for managing urban wildlife and promoting coexistence with people.

We published a new article about cannibalism in bears across the globe: https://bioone.org/journals/ursus/volume-2022/issue-33e10/URSUS-D-20-00031.2/Cannibalism-in-bears/10.2192/URSUS-D-20-00031.2.short

We reviewed nearly 200 documented cases of cannibalism in bears and found it occurs in only four of the eight species, with polar bears making up more than half the reports. Most cases were tied to infanticide or fights between males, showing that cannibalism is often opportunistic rather than a specialized survival strategy.

Our lab just published a new paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ddi.13502

We examined factors affecting the distribution and abundance of gray foxes across the lower 48 states, using data from 1,485 camera traps collected by Snapshot USA.

Our newest puma on the Santa Cruz Puma Project, 126m, may be the oldest puma we have ever caught.

One method of aging pumas is to look at tooth wear. White, sharp teeth are an indication of youth, with teeth becoming worn down and yellowing with age. But we have never seen a puma with teeth this worn down.

We are looking for a graduate student to join our lab in Fall of 2022. The student will develop and implement a statewide camera trap network to assess the population trends in the carnivore community in Illinois. This position includes a 50% research assistantship (~approximately 25k a year) and covers full tuition through the Natural Resources and Environmental Science (NRES) Department.

Full details: Camera Trap Job Posting

Last night we caught a new puma, a young female in great condition. For the project, we named her 123F, indicating she is the 123rd individual we have captured for the project.

Congratulations to Alex Avrin on successfully defending her Master’s thesis today!

Alex has been very productive during her graduate program, with her first chapter published in Ecosphere, her second chapter published in Wildlife Biology, and her third chapter soon to be submitted to Ecology.

We just published a new paper, let by Javan Bauder, examining how translocation affects the survival of nuisance bears. This incredible 39-year dataset showed that translocation had little effect on the survival of nuisance bears, indicating translocation can be a very effective tool to reduce human-wildlife conflicts without causing harm to bears.

In our new paper just published in Ursus we documented two species of black bears caching food, including the first documentation of caching by Asiatic black bears. We also performed a literature review and found caching was most frequent in brown bears and most often occurred with large prey. Caching likely protects large carcasses from spoiling, allowing bears to consume more of the food.