Zoology Commons^™

First Shasta Ground Sloth (Nothrotheriops; Xenarthra) From The Eastern Great Basin, Nevada, Jim I. Mead, Sandra L. Swift, H. Gregory Mcdonald, Steven D. Emslie

Western North American Naturalist

We present the first record of the Shasta ground sloth (Nothrotheriops shastensis) for the eastern Great Basin. The single right upper second molariform was recovered from the back dirt pile of archaeological test pits excavated during the 1960s and 1970s in Smith Creek Cave, northern Snake Range, White Pine County, Nevada. The precise age of the specimen is indeterminate, although all sediment layers in the area produced radiocarbon dates older than 11,000 cal BP; thus, the specimen is considered of the Rancholabrean Land Mammal Age. All previous accounts of this sloth in the Great Basin are from its …

Conspecific Tolerance In A Solitary Small Carnivore, The Pacific Marten, Matthew S. Delheimer, Marie E. Martin, Katie M. Moriarty

Western North American Naturalist

Holarctic martens (genus Martes) are small carnivores that are considered functionally solitary, with both resource scarcity and martens’ inability to store energetic reserves posited as precluding social behavior. Interactions between martens are expected to be largely agonistic with the exception of mating and rearing of kits by adult females. Nonetheless, we documented multiple instances of conspecific tolerance by Pacific martens (M. caurina) during long-term monitoring of radio-marked animals in 2 study populations. Observations from radio-tracking and remotely triggered cam­era trap photographs suggested that pairs of martens traveled, foraged, and rested together. Presumed marten associations occurred both inter- …

It Pays To Be Bumpy: Drag Reducing Armor In The Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker, Eumicrotremus Orbis, R. C. Hoover, Olivia H. Hawkins, Jack Rosen, Conrad D. Wilson, Callie H. Crawford, Meghan Holst, Jonathan M. Huie, Adam P. Summers, Cassandra M. Donatelli, Karly E. Cohen

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Armor is a multipurpose set of structures that has evolved independently at least 30 times in fishes. In addition to providing protection, armor can manipulate flow, increase camouflage, and be sexually dimorphic. There are potential tradeoffs in armor function: increased impact resistance may come at the cost of maneuvering ability; and ornate armor may offer visual or protective advantages, but could incur excess drag. Pacific spiny lumpsuckers (Eumicrotremus orbis) are covered in rows of odontic, cone-shaped armor whorls, protecting the fish from wave driven impacts and the threat of predation. We are interested in measuring the effects of …

Nest Success By A Female Black-Chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus Alexandri) With Male-Like Plumage, Cooper M. Farr, John Middleton

Western North American Naturalist

Female-limited polymorphism, a phenomenon in which female animals can exhibit male-like coloration, is known to occur in approximately 25% of hummingbird species, but it has not previously been recognized in Black-chinned Hummingbirds (Archilochus alexandri). Between May and July 2021, we documented a Black-chinned Humming­bird with male plumage features that built a nest, incubated eggs, and successfully fledged 2 chicks in Salt Lake City, Utah. The bird’s gorget feathers, including the chin and upper throat, were predominantly dark with a small number of white feathers interspersed. Because the bird participated in nest building, presumed egg production, and incubation—behaviors not …

А Review Of Heterometrus In Thailand (Scorpiones: Scorpionidae), Kazusa Kawai, Thornthan Unnahachote, Yossaphon Suttisatid, Victoria Tang

Euscorpius

Five species of the genus Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 are currently confirmed from Thailand and revised, with their respective distribution range in this country updated. Heterometrus laevigatus (Thorell, 1876) is considered a nomen dubium, while its two previous junior synonyms, H. cimrmani Kovařík, 2004, stat. rev. and H. minotaurus Plíšková et al., 2016, stat. rev. are revalidated and redescribed based on the examination of topotypes. Females of H. minotaurus Plíšková et. al., 2016, stat. rev. were also collected and examined, and their characters are herein described with a special attention to sexual dimorphism. Furthermore, some populations previously regarded as H. …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Donna Giberson

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

The Digitization Of Eatonia, Peter M. Grant

Faculty Articles & Research

The June 2023 issue of The Mayfly Newsletter features this article written by Dr. Peter Grant about the digitization of Eatonia by SWOSU University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, Phillip Fitzsimmons, and Digitization Technician, Ben Dressler.

Use Of Highway Infrastructure By Bats: A Literature Review And Survey Of The Trans-Pecos Region Of Texas, Holly G. Wilson, Stirling J. Robertson, Richard D. Stevens

Western North American Naturalist

Bats are important components of nature and provide both monetary and nonmonetary benefits to mankind. While anthropogenic effects on wildlife and their habitats are typically viewed as negative, highway infrastructure might benefit numerous species of plants and animals, bats in particular. Cracks, crevices, and grooves within structures provide places for bats to roost. Here we review the literature on this topic as well as describe results of our own survey of bridges and culverts in the Trans-Pecos of Texas. We surveyed 204 bridges and 768 culverts between 2018 and 2019. We observed 7 species of bats using bridges or culverts …

First Report Of Regeneration In The Genus Mesobuthus (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Rıdvan Kurt, Ersen A. Yağmur, Gülhanım Çelik

Euscorpius

A new example of scorpion leg regeneration is reported in an adult male Mesobuthus mesopotamicus (Penther, 1912). A claw (pretarsus) was observed to regenerate at the distal end of the tibia of the left leg II. The regeneration case is described and illustrated.

Limits To Sentience, Donald M. Broom

Animal Sentience

There are many parallels between cellular function in animals and plants. Plants can have complex interactions with their environments. But they lack a central nervous system, which is a prerequisite for sentience (the capacity to feel). In my view the suggestion that plants are sentient is not only empirically incorrect but potentially harmful to the efforts to protect the welfare of sentient beings.

Playful Mouth-To-Mouth Interactions Of Belugas (Delphinapterus Leucas) In Managed Care, Jackson R. Ham, Malin K. Lilley, Riley J. Winchenski, Jesus Miranda, Ángel G. Velarde Dediós, Katie Kolodziej, Sergio M. Pellis, Heather M. Manitzas Hill

All Faculty Scholarship (Archived)

Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) engage in many forms of play (e.g., object, water, locomotor), but no play is quite as curious as the unusual form of cooperative social play involving mouth-to-mouth interactions. These playful interactions are characterized by two belugas approaching each other head-to-head and interlocking their jaws, clasping one another, as if they were shaking hands. Observed in belugas both in the wild and in managed care, it is seemingly an important type of social play that offers a unique way of socializing with conspecifics. To describe this unusual behavior, a group of belugas in managed care was …

Nou Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting. Valentine, May 5-7, 2023

Nebraska Bird Review

The NOU Annual Meeting and Spring Field Days was held in Valentine on May 5-7, 2023, with 50 in attendance. Our meetings and meals took place in the Niobrara Lodge. Field trips were led by Robin Harding, William Flack, T. J. Walker, Dave Heidt, Mark Brogie and Don and Janis Paseka. Destinations included Thomas Creek WMA, Cub Creek Recreation Area, the Niobrara Valley Preserve (TNC Property), the river road from Meadville (SW of Springview) to Norden, the Valentine City Park, Valentine Fish Hatchery, Ft. Niobrara NWR, Anderson Bridge WMA, the Minnechaduza Creek crossing north of Kilgore, Steer Creek, Merritt Reservoir, …

Rethinking The Status And Temporal Occurrence Of The American Woodcock In Nebraska Because Of Its Unusual Life History, Joel G. Jorgensen, Stephen J. Brenner

Nebraska Bird Review

Historical distribution and range expansion -- We reviewed existing information to evaluate conclusions by previous authors (e.g., Sharpe et al. 2001, Silcock and Jorgensen 2023) that woodcock have expanded their range west since settlement of Nebraska by Euro-Americans. We also provide additional context about the species’ distribution over time using regional resources.

Temporal occurrence and abundance -- We used data from woodcock outfitted with satellite transmitters 2021-2022 and compared it with occurrence data from two sources, eBird (eBird.org 2023) from all years through 2022 and the SFRs in the Nebraska Bird Review 1994–2019. We chose not to use SFR data …

Spring Field Report, March - May 2023, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

First off, I want to reiterate that reports compiled for this Spring Seasonal Report are evaluated against current knowledge as presented in Birds of Nebraska-Online (“BONO”; https://birds.outdoornebraska.gov/). Species whose reports do not add new information on distribution, early or late dates, etc., are listed as having “Routine reports”. Please let me know at [email protected] if you have information that is not in BONO, or if you have additions and/or corrections of information in BONO. Another reminder: if evidence of breeding is observed, please enter the appropriate descriptor in your eBird checklist under “Breeding and Behavior Code”. These descriptors can be …

The Nebraska Bird Review: A Magazine Of Ornithology Of The Nebraska Region. Volume 91 June 2023 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March - May 2023 by W. Ross Silcock …46

Correction to 2022-2023 Christmas Bird Count tally ….70

Rethinking the Status and Temporal Occurrence of the American Woodcock in Nebraska because of its Unusual Life History by Joel G. Jorgensen and Stephen J. Brenner …71

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting in Valentine, May 5-7, 2023 …..84

Subscription and Organization Information …91

Plestiodon Egregius Insularis (Cedar Key Mole Skink). Reproduction., Jake Scott, Kevin M. Enge, Louis A. Somma, Richard D. Bartlett

Papers in Herpetology

PLESTIODON EGREGIUS INSULARlS (Cedar Key Mole Skink). REPRODUCTION. Plestiodon egregius insularis is the largest of five described subspecies (Mount 1965. Bull. Florida St. Mus. BioI. Sci. 9:183-213) and is known from only nine small islands off the coast of Levy County, Florida, USA. The only documented clutch size for P. e. insularis contained five eggs (Mount 1963. Am. MidI. Nat. 70:356-385). For wild P. egregius, Mount (1963, op. cit.) reported 2-9 (mean = 4.8) eggs for 13 clutches, and Hamilton and Pollack (1958. Herpetologica 14:25-28) found two nests of P. e. similis in Georgia containing five eggs each. In captivity, …

Movement Patterns Of Two Bat Species Active During Winter In The Southeastern United States, Reilly T. Jackson, Emma V. Wilcox, Riley F. Bernard

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

During winter in the southeastern United States, cavernicolous bats, many species of which are susceptible to white-nose syndrome, periodically arouse from torpor and occasionally leave hibernacula. We investigated the winter movements and habitat use of two bat species persisting during the white-nose syndrome epizootic: the gray bat Myotis grisescens and the eastern small-footed bat Myotis leibii. We deployed very-high-frequency radio transmitters on individual bats captured outside hibernacula to investigate activity, which may include foraging, during winter. We tracked bats from release at the cave entrance until their transmitter signal was lost or they remained stationary for 15 min or …

Androctonus Kunti Sp. N. From Iğdır Province, Turkey (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Ersen A. Yağmur

Euscorpius

A new species Androctonus kunti sp. n. is described and illustrated from Iğdır Province of Turkey. This population was first recorded by Birula (1896) as A. crassicauda (Olivier, 1807). A. kunti sp. n. is compared with A. crassicauda as well as A. turkiyensis Yağmur, 2021, which was recently described from Turkey

Feral Swine As Indirect Indicators Of Environmental Anthrax Contamination And Potential Mechanical Vectors Of Infectious Spores, Rachel M. Maison, Maggie R. Priore, Vienna R. Brown, Michael Bodenchuk, Bradley R. Borlee, Richard Bowen, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

U.S. government work

Humanity In Animals: A Exploration Of The Complexity Of Elephants As Intellectual Beings, Xing Z. Huang

Honors Projects

Loxodonta (Elephants) are endangered species with only around 40,000-50,000 left in the world. They are part of the Elephantidae family with only three known existing species. Known for their cognitive capacity in their ability to recognize themselves in a mirror among many other actions, such as using self-made tools to aid them in their daily lives. Through past studies, it can be seen that vocalization and physical touch are the key steps of communication. Elephants have demonstrated their ability to distinguish between different frequencies and utilize them to communicate changes in the environment or indicate the absence of a herd …

Complex Floral Behavior Of An Angiosperm Family, Tilo Henning, Moritz Mittelbach

Animal Sentience

Segundo-Ortin & Calvo provide a comprehensive overview of the many aspects of plant behavior examined to date. In our view, multiple lines of evidence make it difficult to deny plant sentience. We add further evidence to support the conclusion that plants are sentient organisms. As in animals, the behavior of plants can be seen and studied as an evolutionary trait, subject to and a consequence of increasing complexity in the interactions of plants with their environment. Our example is the evolution of floral behavior in Loasaceae, where complex patterns of stamen movement have co-evolved in interaction with specialized pollinators.

Remote Physiological Monitoring Of The Giant Panda And Red Panda Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy And Machine Learning, Qingyu Sheng

Theses and Dissertations

Appropriate conservation decisions and efforts must be based on real−time and accurate information about wildlife populations. However, it is extremely challenging to monitor the population demography and physiological traits of many threatened and secretive animal species through direct observation and capture. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has the potential to be a remote tool to address questions concerning wildlife physiology and demography by analyzing “signs” of animals without seeing or capturing them. In this dissertation, two species, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens) are used as a case study, to demonstrate NIRS’ feasibility …

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Caitlyn Aldersea, Justin Bravo, Sam Allen, Anna Block, Connor Block, Emma Buechler, Maria De Los Angeles Bustillos, Arianna Carlson, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Noah Craver, Kate Dillon, Muskan Fatima, Angel Fernandes, Emma Finch, Colleen Cassidy, Amy Fishman, Andrea Francis, Stacia Fritz, Simran Gill, Emma Gries, Rylie Hansen, Shannon Powers, Jacqueline Martinez, Zachary Harker, Ashley Hasty, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Kathleen Hopps, Adelaide Kerenick, Colin Kleckner, Ci Koehring, Elijah Kruger, Braden Krumholz, Maddie Leake, Lyneé Alves, Seraphina Loukas, Yatzari Lozano Vazquez, Haley Maki, Emily Martinez, Sierra Mckinney, Audrey Mitchell, Kipling Newman, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Andrew Nguyen, Stevie Ostman, Casandra Pearson, Alexandra Penney, Julia Gielczynski, Tyler Ball, Anna Rini, Christina Rorres, Simon Ruland, Helayna Schafer, Emma Sellers, Sarah Schuller, Claire Shaver, Kevin Summers, Isabella Shaw, Madison Sinar, Claudia Pena, Apshara Siwakoti, Carter Sorensen, Madi Sousa, Anna Sparling, Alexandra Revier, Brandon Thierry, Dylan Tyree, Maggie Williams, Lauren Wols

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works

Helminth Parasites Of The Giant Toad, Rhinella Horribilis (Wiegmann, 1833) (Anura: Bufonidae) From Central Mexico, Jorge Falcón-Ordaz, Cristian Raúl Olvera-Olvera, Marisol Moreno-Chávez, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott Monks, Luis García-Prieto

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

As part of an ongoing project to inventory the helminth parasites of amphibians from the state of Hidalgo, Central Mexico, specimens of Rhinella horribilis were collected from three municipalities: Eloxochitlán, Huehuetla, and San Felipe Orizatlán. A total of eight taxa of helminths were found: three digeneans (Haematoloechus sp., Langeronia macrocirra, and Mesocoelium danforthi) and five nematodes (Cosmocerca sp., Cruzia morleyi, Ochoterenella chiapensis, Oswaldocruzia subauricularis, and Rhabdias sp.). The highest species richness was recorded in Huehuetla. All reports of these species of helminths represent new locality records for Mexico.

Channel Island Foxes (Urocyon Littoralis) Are Viable Seed Dispersal Agents Of Toyon, Savannah L. Bartel, Juliann T. Schamel, Bridget A. Parrino, Melissa K. Marshall, John L. Orrock

Western North American Naturalist

Mammals that consume fleshy fruit and deposit viable seeds in their scat can be important agents of seed dispersal for plants. Despite the knowledge that the island fox (Urocyon littoralis) consumes large quantities of fleshy fruits, it is unknown whether seeds survive digestion by island foxes and are able to germinate. In order to evaluate whether island foxes are agents of viable seed dispersal on the Channel Islands, we collected island fox scat on Santa Cruz Island in February 2021 and conducted germination assays on digested seeds found in scat. We compared the germinability and germination rates of …

Striped Blenny (Chasmodes Bosquianus) Presence And Behavior Between Sunrise And Sunset At Oyster Landing, South Carolina, Madeline Schuetze

Honors Theses

Lunar and diel cycles of fishes can help to interpret their behaviors during their reproductive season. Temperate estuaries are used by many benthic fishes for shelter and reproduction. This study examined the behavior and presence of striped blennies (Chasmodes bosquianus) during diel and lunar cycles. PVC pipe shelters were placed to mimic oyster shell nests, a natural habitat for blennies, and cameras were placed to monitor these shelters in April, May, and June 2022, during the striped blenny reproductive period. Video footage was reviewed and analyzed for the presence and behavior of both male and female blennies. Male presence …

Effects Of Nonnative Plants On Space-Use In Eastern Box Turtles, Emily Ilene Crago

Graduate Theses

Introduction of nonnative plants outside their natural range has caused widespread reduction in the abundance and diversity of native plant species. Nonnative plants typically form dense, often monotypic, thickets that affect the ability of animals to find food, reproduce, avoid predation risk, and thermoregulate. By doing so, nonnative plants have the potential to displace resident animals from areas otherwise suitable as animal habitat. However, limited studies have investigated whether resident animals avoid areas dominated by nonnative plants. This study investigated impacts of nonnative plants on eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina), a species that has been declining throughout their range. …

Immediate Response Of Bats To Prescribed Fire And Impact Of Experiences On Women's Self-Image In Natural Resources Professions, Zebria Hicks

All Theses

To inform use of prescribed fire management practice in the southeastern US, we studied its impact on bats, which are important and at-risk species. We evaluated if prescribed fire had a positive, neutral, or negative effect on bat activity in the two weeks following the burns. We recorded bat activity after prescribed burns in February and March 2022 in northwestern South Carolina in select hardwood and pine stands and control sites ≥ 500 m from burn boundaries. We measured insect abundance, canopy cover, basal area, and understory density at each site. We recorded 687 passes during our 45-day study period. …

Environmental Drivers Of Stress In Red Pandas (Ailurus Fulgens) : Behavior And Space Use Changes In Response To Redesigned Naturalistic Enclosures, Alexis Michelle Lawson

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Animal welfare encompasses the physical and mental state of an animal, as well as how that animal is cared for. Recently, zoological settings have shifted from strictly housing animals to improving the welfare of the animal such that the goal of captivity is for residents to thrive. This is especially crucial as global wildlife numbers and biodiversity continues to decrease due to anthropogenic impacts such as poaching, mining, habitat destruction, fragmentation. Further confounding this issue is climate change, air pollution, invasive species, ocean acidification, and more. In particular, the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is an endangered species whose declined 50% …

Molar Macrowear As A Proxy For Age In A Captive Sample Of Papio Hamadryas, Lauren Conrad

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study is methods-focused, centering around molar crown macrowear and its performance as a proxy for age in a sample of pedigreed, non-human primates. It analyzes the correlation between age-structured variables and molar wear among both males and females in a captive group of baboons. Here, I examined whether wear is significantly correlated with age-related variables (i.e., generations/cohorts) and whether the structure of the “age” dataset differed across wear categories. Because chronological age is unknown, I used documented pedigrees and parent-offspring relationships to group individuals into possible generations. I then used dental development charts to group individuals into cohorts based …