Mammals

Amistad National Recreation Area is positioned near the boundary of three biotic regions—Chihuahuan Desert, Edwards Plateau, and Tamaulipan Shrublands—and includes the confluences of the Rio Grande, the Pecos River, and the Devils River. Mammals have been studied both before and after the reservoir was constructed from the 1960s-1980s. However, no comprehensive mammalian inventory had been conducted within the park until this project.

Mountain lions are keystone species. Through interactions with their prey, mountain lions create “top down” effects that regulate prey abundance and behavior, reduce herbivory, invasive species, and disease transmission, while increasing soil fertility and biodiversity (Beschta and Ripple, 2009). These predator induced trophic cascades can restore and maintain healthy ecosystems (Fraser et al., 2015).

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is currently under construction and expected to be completed by late 2025. This crossing is expected to provide mountain lions—and many other animals—a safe passage over the busy 101 freeway. Most importantly, it will allow many species of wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains to mix with populations from other open spaces, strengthening their genetic diversity.

The Large Mammal Monitoring Project is a collaborative effort to monitor the responses of mule deer, elk, black bear, and mountain lion to ecosystem disturbances like wildfires in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico.

Park staff have placed wildlife cameras at the entrances to several caves to see what animals use this habitat. The cameras take a photo when they sense movement. Each photo has a date, time, and temperature stamp. During the summer of 2013, 17 taxa were recorded. Since then, wildlife cameras have continued photographing cave entrances, and additional taxa have been added to the cave list.

Follow these safety tips if you encounter a mountain lion. Typically, mountain lion sightings occur from a distance and usually around dawn or dusk. However, lions are unpredictable and can be dangerous.

November 28, 2016 - On the surface, mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains are doing well, surviving, and reproducing at healthy rates. However, recently published research predicts that there could be serious challenges to this population’s long-term survival.

The Midden is the Resource Management Newsletter of Great Basin National Park, published each summer and winter. Find out the latest going on at Great Basin National Park, Nevada in resource management and research. The Midden - Great Basin National Park: Vol. 16, No. 2, Winter 2016.

Heartland Network scientists monitor deer at Arkansas Post National Memorial using nighttime spotlight surveys. We track deer populations to understand how these charismatic animals may be changing over time. Too many deer can cause increases in disease, damage to park landscapes, and collisions with cars. Our monitoring information helps park managers protect deer, other animals, park habitats, and people.

Learn more about fire effects on wildlife.

Many diseases can harm wildlife and people in national parks. Learn more about chronic wasting disease from the Wildlife Health Branch of the NPS and how to stay safe when visiting a park.

Ever wonder about the difference between horns and antlers?

Sightings of black bears have been increasing in Marin County, California, and many community members have questions about living with bears. Recently, One Tam ventured into the world of black bears in Marin and beyond during a very informative webinar hosted along with partners from CA State Parks, CA Department of Fish & Wildlife, and North Bay Bear Collaborative.

The Large Mammal Monitoring Project is a collaborative effort to monitor the responses of mule deer, elk, black bear, and mountain lion to ecosystem disturbances like wildfires in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico.

Bears have endured a paradoxical reputation for centuries. At once being associated with cuddly teddy bears and the helpful Smokey Bear, as well as a ferocious, blood-thirsty beast. As we learn more about their mind-boggling biology however, they may start to occupy a new niche in the popular mind - that of a natural marvel.

The mountainous region within and bordering southeastern Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is among the most remote in the contiguous United States. Lying completely within wilderness, the watershed of the upper Yellowstone River is pristine. Snowmelt waters feed numerous tributaries to the Yellowstone River, which ultimately winds northward to Yellowstone Lake. The Yellowstone River contributes one-third of the flow to Yellowstone Lake within a watershed that encompasses...

The waters of Yellowstone National Park are among the most pristine on Earth. Here at the headwaters of the Missouri and Snake rivers, the park’s incredibly productive streams and lakes support an abundance of fish. Following the last glacial period 8,000-10,000 years ago, 12 species/subspecies of fish recolonized the park. These fish, including the iconic cutthroat trout, adapted and evolved to become specialists in the Yellowstone environment...

As the summer season ends, the air becomes crisp, leaves change and fall from trees, and bears become more active – they’re on the hunt for food.

Review the key differences between the two bear species found in Yellowstone National Park: grizzly bears and black bears.

Bears are omnivores that have relatively unspecialized digestive systems similar to those of carnivores. The primary difference is that bears have an elongated digestive tract, an adaptation that allows bears more efficient digestion of vegetation than other carnivores.

What happens when bears wake up? Learn how you and bears can coexist safely.

Black bears are one of three bear species in North America.

Fort Necessity National Battlefield park staff aimed to find out if Appalachian cottontail inhabited the park, so they collaborated with the Inventory and Monitoring Division to survey for their scat.

Many diseases can harm wildlife and people in national parks. Learn more about tularemia from the Wildlife Health Branch of the NPS and how to stay safe when visiting a park.