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Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus Collaris) Population Declines In Ozark Landscapes: An Assessment Of Environmental Constraints., Casey L. Brewster Dec 2019

Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus Collaris) Population Declines In Ozark Landscapes: An Assessment Of Environmental Constraints., Casey L. Brewster

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) has experienced extensive population declines over the past half century in the Ozark Mountains. Previous research suggests that glade habitat degradation through woody vegetation encroachment is an important factor resulting in population declines. In this dissertation I used information on time-energy budgets to investigate the link between habitat degradation and shifts in life history traits likely resulting in population declines of Eastern Collared Lizards (Crotaphytus collaris) in the Ozarks. In chapter one, I addressed the influence of dense woody vegetation encroachment on age-specific growth, body size, body condition and reproduction of C. collaris in …


Mammal Species Inventory Using Various Trapping Methods In Zone 4 Of Billy Barquedier National Park, Belize During Rainy Season, Mersady Redding Dec 2019

Mammal Species Inventory Using Various Trapping Methods In Zone 4 Of Billy Barquedier National Park, Belize During Rainy Season, Mersady Redding

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Belize is a small country, but it is extremely ecologically diverse. Based on the few studies conducted in Belize, the abundance of mammals is low but diversity is high. Particular findings note the number and identity of species differed between four sites in the Maya Mountains of Belize, indicating that a data set from a single site is not representative of the Neotropical region. Insufficient data is available to estimate current species richness of many areas in Belize, including Billy Barquedier National Park (BBNP). The objective of this study was to explore trapping and documentation methods of terrestrial mammals in …


The Diversity Of Terrestrial Mammals Surrounding Waterfall At Billy Barquedier National Park, Kelsey Johnson, Jason Apple Jan 2019

The Diversity Of Terrestrial Mammals Surrounding Waterfall At Billy Barquedier National Park, Kelsey Johnson, Jason Apple

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Billy Barquedier is a National Park located in the Stann Creek district of Belize that contains Neotropical vegetation and wildlife. This study was performed to provide a baseline inventory and appearance frequency patterns of the terrestrial mammals located within Zone 1 of the park near a waterfall and to gain a greater understanding of the biodiversity and activity patterns of terrestrial mammals within the park. The methods included camera traps, small Sherman live traps, large live traps, and tracking methods. A non-random sampling method of placing camera traps and live traps on or near human-made or animal-made trails was used …


Age Estimation Using Phalangeal Skeletochronology In Northern Crawfish Frogs, Lithobates Areolatus Circulosus (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae), From Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth, Christopher S. Thigpen Jan 2019

Age Estimation Using Phalangeal Skeletochronology In Northern Crawfish Frogs, Lithobates Areolatus Circulosus (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae), From Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth, Christopher S. Thigpen

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

As an obligate crayfish burrow dweller, crawfish frogs have historically occupied a relatively narrow ecological niche throughout their distribution in the tall grass prairies and grasslands of the central and south-central United States. In Arkansas, the Northern Crawfish Frog, Lithobates areolatus circulosus, occurs in only 19 of its 75 counties. Because of their secretive nature, late winter-early spring breeding season, and current protected status by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, this species remains a rarity in most museum collections in the state. Moreover, only anecdotal information exits regarding any aspect of their natural history in Arkansas. In the …


Plains Spotted Skunk Pelt Purchase Trends In The Ozarks And Ouachitas, 1943-1990, D. Blake Sasse Jan 2019

Plains Spotted Skunk Pelt Purchase Trends In The Ozarks And Ouachitas, 1943-1990, D. Blake Sasse

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Plains spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius interrupta) is a small carnivore that has experienced population declines across much of its range and is currently being considered for listing as an endangered species. I utilized harvest data on pelts from the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas and the Ouachita mountains in Arkansas that were purchased by fur dealers from 1943-1990 to examine trends in harvest levels over time. Purchases in all three regions declined in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but purchases in the Arkansas returned to near or at historic levels in the early 1960s and the …


Bilateral Diaphyseal Chondrodysplasia And Polymorphic Osteodysplasia Of The Tibiofibulas In A Southern Leopard Frog, Lithobates Sphenocephalus (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae), Stanley E. Trauth, Malcolm L, Mccallum Jan 2019

Bilateral Diaphyseal Chondrodysplasia And Polymorphic Osteodysplasia Of The Tibiofibulas In A Southern Leopard Frog, Lithobates Sphenocephalus (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae), Stanley E. Trauth, Malcolm L, Mccallum

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Much attention has been focused on limb malformations in anurans following the startling discovery of major limb deformities in Northern Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens) in Minnesota in 1995. The numerous causes for these malformations can be attributed to a number of natural phenomena, or they can be considered as being manmade. In the present study, we report on a previously undescribed type of limb abnormality in a single individual of the Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus) from Arkansas. Histological examination of left tibiofibula revealed a complete disruption of the normal diaphyseal bone structure in this adult …


Long-Tailed Weasel (Mustela Frenata) Distribution Survey In Arkansas: Challenges In Detecting A Rare Species, Suzanne D. Johnston, D. Blake Sasse, Robert E. Kissell Jr. Jan 2019

Long-Tailed Weasel (Mustela Frenata) Distribution Survey In Arkansas: Challenges In Detecting A Rare Species, Suzanne D. Johnston, D. Blake Sasse, Robert E. Kissell Jr.

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Long-tailed weasels (Mustela frenata) have one of the widest distributions of mustelids in the western hemisphere and were distributed across a majority of the American continents ranging from Canada through the contiguous United States, Mexico, and into northern South America. However, on a local scale they are considered uncommon and rare. We assessed the distribution of long-tailed weasels across Arkansas to determine occupancy in each ecoregion of Arkansas, and determined the detectability on two local, adjacent sites. No long-tailed weasels were detected within the ecoregions, but the species was detected with intensive sampling on one local site. It …