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Wild Life: Wolf Homecoming
Wolf Homecoming
First, the good news: A wild wolf was documented in June in Colorado, the first in that state in 70 years. Now, the bad: The pioneer did not last long. The animal, a female, was found dead near Interstate 70 west of Idaho Springs.
The 2-year-old wolf, which had been fitted with a radio collar, was from a pack that lives near Yellowstone National Park. It was last seen near the park in January, and likely made the 400-mile journey south in search of a mate, experts say.
“What [the wolf] did here was remarkable because it was not pristine habitat that she traveled through," says wolf biologist Douglas Smith. “The matrix of humanity that she went through is amazing."
Many biologists, including Smith, believe that wolves will eventually return to Colorado, and the state is currently working on a plan for managing the animals in the future.
Alaska’s Tundra— Going, Going, Gone?
Researchers are discovering that permafrost may not be so permanent after all. Global warming will continue to drastically alter Alaska’s tundra and the wildlife that depend on that ecosystem, according to experts.
In 100 years, as much as 90 percent of the state’s tundra could be gone and the average annual temperature may soar 13 degrees Fahrenheit higher, according to a summary of the latest research by Oregon State University scientist Dominique Bachelet.
The cold, dry, treeless tundra is likely to turn into a vast forest if global warming continues unabated, Bachelet reports. The change could be devastating for the native wildlife—including brown bears, wolves, caribou, arctic hare, mink, weasels, lemmings and millions of migratory birds—as well as the native people who depend on these animals to survive.
“The effects of climate change in Alaska will be among the most visible in the world," says Bachelet. “The tundra has no place else to go, and it will largely disappear from the Alaskan landscape, along with the related plant, animal and even human ecosystems that are based upon it."
In the next century, most of Alaska’s remaining tundra will likely be restricted to its north coast, according to Bachelet. The north coast is currently being drilled or, in the case of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, threatened by energy development for the same fossil fuels that are causing global warming in the first place. If proponents of drilling succeed, they could end up hastening the demise of the last remnants of tundra.
Birds from Down Under
Ever wonder where the ancestors of that songbird in your backyard had their singing debuts? For two centuries, scientists thought the answer was Eurasia—but a new study turns that assumption upside-down.
Based on DNA tests, researchers discovered that the ancestors of today’s songbirds migrated about 45 million years ago from what is now Australia, New Zealand and the nearby islands. The research, led by Keith Barker from the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minnesota, focused on the bird group called “passeriformes," or perching birds—which includes robins, cardinals, warblers, sparrows and other songbirds, and make up almost half of all species of birds.
“Our understanding had been that one group of songbirds originated in Australasia, but nobody had actually thought that all of the songbirds originated in that area—it basically turns 360 degrees from what we originally thought," says Barker. “In terms of bird conservation, it means that we have to look at Australia and New Guinea as a cradle of diversity. The work that people are doing in Australia takes on a new significance."
So the next time you see a songbird belting out a tune in your yard, you may want to hail it with a “g’day mate" instead of the conventional “hello."
