Zoology Commons^™

Understanding Continent-Wide Variation In Vulture Ranging Behavior To Assess Feasibility Of Vulture Safe Zones In Africa: Challenges And Possibilities, Adam Kane, Ara Monadjem, H. K.Ortwin Aschenborn, Keith Bildstein, André Botha, Claire Bracebridge, Evan R. Buechley, Ralph Buij, John P. Davies, Maria Diekmann, Colleen T. Downs, Nina Farwig, Toby Galligan, Gregory Kaltenecker, Chris Kelly, Ryno Kemp, Holger Kolberg, Monique L. Mackenzie, John Mendelsohn, Msafiri Mgumba, Ran Nathan, Aaron Nicholas, Darcy Ogada, Morgan Pfeiffer, W. Louis Phipps, Matteuns D. Pretorius, Sascha Rösner, Dana G. Schabo, Gabriel Lita Shatumbu, Orr Spiegel, Lindy J. Thompson, Jan A. Venter, Munir Virani, Kerri Wolter, Corinne J. Kendall

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Protected areas are intended as tools in reducing threats to wildlife and preserving habitat for their long-term population persistence. Studies on ranging behavior provide insight into the utility of protected areas. Vultures are one of the fastest declining groups of birds globally and are popular subjects for telemetry studies, but continent-wide studies are lacking. To address how vultures use space and identify the areas and location of possible vulture safe zones, we assess home range size and their overlap with protected areas by species, age, breeding status, season, and region using a large continent-wide telemetry datasets that includes 163 individuals …

European Starling Use Of Nest Boxes Relative To Human Disturbance, Bradley Blackwell, Bruce N. Buckingham, Morgan B. Pfeiffer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

gars and to engine and flight surfaces of moored aircraft. We questioned whether consistent removal of nest material would negatively affect use of a nest site, measured by a reduction in material accumulation. We conducted our study on a 2,200-ha site in Erie County, Ohio, USA (41° 22’ N, 82° 41’ W), from April 15 through June 2, 2020. We used 120 wooden nest boxes on utility poles, protected by an aluminum predator guard below the box. Our treatments included (1) twice weekly, repeated nest material removal (RMR; n = 40 nest boxes); (2) complete nest removal, but only after …

Good Cop/Bad Cop: A Comparative Analysis Of Affiliative And Aggressive Behaviors By Adult Female And Male Olive Baboons With Infants At Randilen Wildlife Management Area, Tanzania, Jesse Elop

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study investigated the infant-directed behaviors of adult male and female olive baboons in Randilen Wildlife Management Area in April of 2022. The objectives were 1) To determine the difference between olive baboon males and females in frequency and duration of listed behaviors towards infants; 2) To classify the interactions of adult male and adult female olive baboons with infants as either primarily affiliative or primarily aggressive; 3) To determine the frequency of selected behaviors at different reproductive phases (lactation, estrus, neutral, indeterminant) amongst female olive baboons towards infants. A single baboon troop in Randilen Wildlife Management Area was observed …

Comparing Amphibian Species Diversity And Abundance In Natural Forest And Cacao Agroforest At Finca La Magnita, Changuinola, Bocas Del Toro, Panamá, Lake Barrett

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Amphibians are currently undergoing rapid and drastic biodiversity loss worldwide, largely due to the disease Chytridiomycosis. Because of this, efforts to conserve amphibian biodiversity are urgent and have been given increasing importance. However, studies investigating the effectiveness of agroforestry systems, a commonly used agricultural method in which trees and other elements of forests are retained on land used for agriculture, for amphibian conservation are uncommon. As a result, the capacity of agroforests to serve as a tool for amphibian conservation is unclear. To determine if agroforests can serve as a habitat for amphibians and a tool for their conservation, this …

Estimation Of Growth Curve Prediction Equation Parameters For Weights Of Shami Camel Before Mature/ Syria, تقدير معالم دالة تنبؤ منحنى النمو لأوزان الإبل الشامية قبل النضج في سورية, Shadi Faris, Khaled Alnajjar, Ali Dib, Abdulla Nouh

Arab Journal of Arid Environments المجلة العربية للبيئات الجافة

The aim of this study was to estimate the growth curve prediction equation for weights from birth to four years old of Shami camel.

This study was carried out on 358 records of Shami camel, during the period from 1996 to 2012 at Dier Alhajr station for camel research, animal wealth research administration, General Commission Scientific Agriculture Research, rural Damascus (Syria).

The results showed high values of coefficient determinates (0.97-0.98), while standard errors values ranged between (27.26-34.13), and residual values ranged between (0.32-107.72), for each linear, quadratic and cubic equations. The values were fittest at linear regression equation for males, …

High-Frequency Accelerometer Recording Of Key Predatory Behaviors In Vipers: Validation And Case Study With Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Horridus), Morgan L. Thompson, Richard H. Adams, Anna Tipton, Dominic L. Desantis

Graduate Research Showcase

High-frequency accelerometer recording of key predatory behaviors in vipers: validation and case study with Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus)

Morgan Thompson, Richard H. Adams, Anna F. Tipton, and Dominic L. DeSantis

Tri-axial accelerometers (ACTs) are becoming increasingly common in studies of animal behavior wherein direct observation of subjects in nature is constrained or impossible. ACTs are small (< 1 g) piezo-electric (spring-like) sensors that measure three-dimensional acceleration (upward, downward, and side-to-side) derived from subject motion. When leveraged with advanced machine learning techniques, these data can enable precise automated classification of a wide range of movement-mediated behaviors. Until recently, ACTs were largely reserved for larger-bodied organisms or those most amenable to the temporary external attachment of devices. Ongoing ACT miniaturization has now expanded the breadth of organisms amenable to these methods. This project aims to expand on a recently developed framework for ACT monitoring in wild-ranging snakes, a group that has been mostly overlooked in biologging applications. We are currently conducting extensive captive validation trials for robust model training and testing to enable classification of predatory behaviors, including striking and ingestion of prey items, in Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus). Following captive validation, we will translate this method to the field with a population of C. horridus in the lower Piedmont of middle Georgia to evaluate the efficacy of externally attached ACTs for remote and continuous monitoring of …

Stepping-Stones And Mediators Of Pandemic Expansion: A Context For Humans As Ecological Super-Spreaders, Eric P. Hoberg, Walter A. Boeger, Daniel R. Brooks, Valeria Trivellone, Salvatore J. Agosta

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Humans represent ecological super-spreaders in the dissemination and introduction of pathogens. These processes, consistent with the dynamics of the Stockholm paradigm, are exemplified in the origin and globalized distributions of SARS-CoV-2 since initial recognition in central Asia during 2019 and 2020. SARS-like viruses are not widespread in mammals but appear widespread in chiropterans. Bats are isolated ecologically from most other assemblages of mammals in terrestrial systems. Humans may be the stepping-stone hosts for broad global dissemination and wider infection (given the opportunity) among diverse assemblages of mammals in which host and viral capacity are compatible. Human globalization mediated insertion in …

Checklist Of Zooplankton Of The Halda River, Chattogram, Bangladesh, Md. Safiqul Islam, M.A. Azadi, Munira Nasiruddin, Md. Tajul Islam

Journal of Bioresource Management

The River Halda is one of the important natural breeding grounds of Indian major carp (Labeo rohita, Labeo calbasu, Gibelion catla, Cirrhinus mrigala) in Bangladesh for its unique physicochemical and biological properties of water. The productivity of the Halda ecosystem mainly depends on the plankton diversity. Zooplankton directly affects the productivity of the Halda River ecosystem. Research work was conducted for the two years extending from January 2017 to December 2018 to identify the zooplankton community of the Halda River. A total of 71 species of zooplankton under 37 genera belonging to 9 groups were identified. The dominant …

A Revision Of The Genus Mesobuthus Vachon, 1950, With A Description Of 14 New Species (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, Victor Fet, Benjamin Gantenbein, Matthew R. Graham, Ersen A. Yağmur, František Šťáhlavský, Nikita M. Poverennyi, Nizami E. Novruzov

Euscorpius

The Asian genus Mesobuthus Vachon, 1950, s. str. (Buthidae) (also known as an informal ‘M. eupeus complex’), which includes the most common scorpion species found from Turkey to China, is revised based on new collections, mainly from Central Asia, Turkey, and Iran, using both morphological and mitochondrial DNA data. Available type specimens of all species were studied; neotypes and lectotypes were designated when necessary. The type species Mesobuthus eupeus (C. L. Koch, 1839), s. str., is restricted to the Caucasus Mts. Currently, the genus includes 29 valid species. Fifteen previously described taxa are recognized as species: Mesobuthus afghanus (Pocock, …

Mesobuthus Zarudnyi Sp. N. From Azerbaijan (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Nizami E. Novruzov, František Kovařík, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

A new species Mesobuthus zarudnyi sp. n. is described from Azerbaijan, fully illustrated with color photos. We compare the new species with two other species, M. eupeus (C. L. Koch, 1839) and M. persicus (Pocock, 1899), both found also in Azerbaijan.

Conservation Status Assessment Of The Egg-Mimic Darter (Percidae: Etheostoma Pseudovulatum) Using A Multi-Faceted Approach, Zachary L. Wolf, John W. Johansen, Rebecca E. Blanton

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

The imperiled Egg-mimic Darter (Etheostoma pseudovulatum) is a headwater-adapted fish restricted to an area less than 1000 km² in Tennessee. It is found in only six tributaries of the Duck River and the large, mainstem of this system may act as a barrier to dispersal, restricting population connectivity. The only status assessment of this species was over two decades ago; genetic diversity and the degree of population connectivity have never been evaluated. We conducted a conservation status assessment using a multi-faceted approach to better inform conservation management plans, including examining its current distribution, assessing habitat quality, estimating …

Annual Color Photo Section

Nebraska Bird Review

The next seven pages show examples of this year's theme: cavity nesting birds. A cavity nest can be in a birdhouse, a hole in a tree, a hole in a stream bank, a burrow in the ground, or even a mud nest the birds construct themselves.

Female Yellowbellied Sapsucker, photographer's residence, Garfield Co., 5 Jan 2022. Photo by Bob Gerten.

Louisiana Waterthrush with young at nest under bank overhang, Rock Creek Station State Historical Park, Jefferson Co., 18 May 2016. Photo by John Carlini.

Pygmy Nuthatch, GilbertBaker WMA, Sioux Co., 11 July 2021. Photo by Colleen Childers.

Winter Wren, Platte …

The Nebraska Bird Review Volume 90 Number 1, March 2022

Nebraska Bird Review

Winter Field Report, Dec. 2021 - Feb. 2022 by W. Ross Silcock

2021-2022 Christmas Bird Counts by Don Paseka

Annual Color Photo Section

Annual Treasurer's Report for 2021 by Jan Johnson

Subscription and Organization Information

2021-2022 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

With the addition of the new Fort Niobrara circle, 19 counts were run during the 2021-2022 CBC season. Thirteen of them were run from December 14 through December 21 and the other six were done December 27 or later. The weather was mild to start the count period with almost all water open. As the count period progressed, the weather became more seasonable and much of the standing water froze, but conditions remained fairly benign with the exception of the Lake McConaughy count on January 2. Though it was cold but sunny on that day, the previous day’s snow and …

Winter Field Report, December 2021-February 2022, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

After compiling and reviewing the observations reported to NEBIRDS, various Facebook groups, and eBird, I reiterate my leadoff comments from last winter: the increasing numbers of observers taking time to report turned up some fascinating trends. Those cited as well as those not cited, all contributed to the firmness of the database that allows better-supported conclusions to be drawn than from our past reliance all too often on anecdotal supposition. Continuing a trend pointed out last winter were the many records of species north and west of their expected winter ranges. As I suggested last winter, “it is tempting to …

Monitoring Extinction Risk And Threats Of The World's Fishes Based On The Sampled Red List Index, Rafael Miranda, Imanol Miqueleiz, William Darwall, Catherine Sayer, Nicholas K. Dulvy, Kent E. Carpenter, Beth Polidoro, Nadia Dewhurst-Richman, Caroline Pollock, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Robin Freeman, Ben Collen, Monika Böhm

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Global biodiversitytargets require us to identify species at risk of extinction and quantify status and trends of biodiversity. The Red List Index (RLI) tracks trends in the conservation status of entire species groups over time by monitoring changes in categories assigned to species. Here, we calculate this index for the world’s fishes in 2010, using a sampled approach to the RLI based on a randomly selected sample of 1,500 species, and also present RLI splits for freshwater and marine systems separately. We further compare specific traits of a worldwide fish list to our sample to assess its representativeness. Overall, 15.1% …

A Literary Examination Of The Efficacy Of Zoological Conservation In The United States Versus Foreign Efforts, Madeleine M. Lecorre

University Honors Theses

Falling into the top four threats to biodiversity, human activity is impacting species around the globe like never before. Zoological conservation of threatened species aids in the support and reestablishment of these dwindling populations. The examination of conservation work done in the U.S compared to foreign efforts provides insight into strengths, reveals weaknesses, and will help us better serve threatened species around the world. The status of conservation in the U.S. as well as foreign efforts were assessed through literary review of published reports from accredited organizations. As zoologic conservation aims to conserve threatened species, it is also important to …

First Record Of The Genus Compsobuthus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Maharashtra, India, With Description Of A New Species, Vivek Waghe, Satpal Gangalmale, Akshay Khandekar

Euscorpius

A new species of the genus Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 (Buthidae) belonging to the werneri group is described from two localities in Jalgaon District, Maharashtra, India. The new species can be easily distinguished from all four members of the werneri group known from India and Pakistan by combination of nonoverlapping morphological characters. Compsobuthus satpuraensis sp. n. is the first species of this genus to be reported from the state of Maharashtra and fourth to be reported from India.

A Facial Congenital Anomaly In A Mature Male White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), Travis Cunningham, Al Mead

Georgia Journal of Science

Congenital anomalies are rarely documented in wild ungulates. This study describes a congenital facial malformation in a mature male white-tailed deer harvested in central Georgia in 2020. The skull displays a mediolateral deflection of the rostrum, and the mandibles display similar deflection with posterior rotation at the mandibular symphysis, a maxillofacial malformation commonly called wry face. Based on physical examination and radiographic imagery, there were no signs of neoplasia or healed bone trauma on the skull or jaws, suggesting a congenital origin for the deformity. Studies of domestic horses displaying wry face conclude that the malformation arises from fetal mispositioning …

A Review Of The Impacts Of Invasive Wild Pigs On Native Vertebrates, Matthew T. Mcdonough, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Mark D. Smith, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The wild pig (Sus scrofa) is a successful invasive species that has become well established outside of its native range in Eurasia. The invasive wild pig is the result of released or escaped domesticated livestock becoming feral, or Eurasian boar introduced for hunting purposes. The global spread of wild pigs has recently been exacerbated in some areas, such as the USA, by anthropogenically assisted dispersal. Once established in novel ecosystems, wild pigs have the potential to have significant negative impacts on the ecosystem, and the scientific literature is replete with examples. It is generally accepted that wild pigs …