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Mountain lion sighting

January 4, 2015/in Links, News

https://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.png 0 0 Penny https://cougarfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CougarFundBlack.png Penny2015-01-04 11:42:332015-01-04 11:42:33Mountain lion sighting

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Happy Wild Lives Wednesday! Red squirrels, like the ones featured in today's compilation, thrive in mixed coniferous forest habitat, which is abundant across Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Active year-round, they can be spotted any time of day, leaping between trees with the help of their distinctive long tail for balance.

Winter survival requires preparation. Red squirrels cache of thousands of pine cones, buried or otherwise hidden as a reserve for when resources run thin. These caches, known as middens, and the surrounding acres are fiercely guarded. Using varying barks, chatters, and high-pitched calls, they can defend their space and alert those nearby of aerial or ground-level threats.

Not only are their middens valuable enough that grizzlies and black bears will raid them for pine nuts, but red squirrels themselves are an essential prey species for a wide range of animals including martens, lynx, fox, coyotes, bobcats, and several raptor species. They are a central component to the whole food web.

Keep your eyes out and ears open while exploring this spring. A good pile of scattered cone debris at the base of a tree is a good sign one is nearby, and if you hear rapid chatter from the canopy you may be in someone's te#redsquirrelsd#gyer#trailcamerar#middenra#wildlives#WildLives ... See MoreSee Less

18 hours ago

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At the end of National Wildlife Week, and the end of the work week, we simply want to give you a quiet restful gift.

This reel of wild animals, big and small, predator and prey, reminds us to celebrate their existence and how lucky we are to have them. Together they shape our world. Thanks to our co-founder Thomas D Mangelsen who takes these images and who spends countless hours in the field so that he can share the beauty of the natural world with us all.

#grizzlybear #NationalWildlifeWeek #mountainlion #polarbear #wildlife ... See MoreSee Less

6 days ago

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Thanks for sharing such beautiful photos 🥰

Beautiful. Thank you for the peaceful moment.

Please follow Utah Mountain Lion Conservation for breaking news on the dire situation in Utah. ... See MoreSee Less

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7 days ago

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Keep the Faith. I believe in hunting cougars...with my trusty camera.

Today we turn our attention to the contributions of the iconic elk to the ecosystem. As herbivores they, and other plant eating species, are the first animal on the trophic steps. These magnificent ungulates have two-tone coats as an adaptation which camouflages them when they rest on the edges of forests in the middle of the day and are most vulnerable as a prey species.

Their role has a direct impact on habitat needed by all resident animals. In densities that their habitat can support their selective grazing and browsing drives new growth of resilient native shrubs and forbs that can repel invasive species. Elk till and fertilize, turning and feeding the soil as they move across the landscape. When they browse on shrubs in the forest, they allow more sunlight to dapple through, driving new growth of saplings, shrubs, and fresh grasses.

All the great things that elk do can be too much of a good thing if left unchecked. They are fast reproducing animals, so a safety mechanism is needed to prevent overpopulation. Huge herds are in danger of ravaging the very habitat they depend on, are vulnerable to disease, weakness, and competition going into brutal winters. Large carnivores help elk fulfil their trophic role by keeping herds smaller and mobile. They weed out the weak and sick which gives the strongest animals the best chance of survival during harsh times.

We celebrate every animal with you this Wildlife Week. As our knowledge grows, we are starting to recognize animals as individuals. They are not just populations, they are navigating their world in ways we are only now beginning to grasp. Our role is to protect what they need, acknowledge their place in the ecosystem, and honor each of their lives within it.

#elk #gye #ungulate #grizzlybear #nationalwildlifeweek

+2

Today we turn our attention to the contributions of the iconic elk to the ecosystem. As herbivores they, and other plant eating species, are the first animal on the trophic steps. These magnificent ungulates have two-tone coats as an adaptation which camouflages them when they rest on the edges of forests in the middle of the day and are most vulnerable as a prey species.

Their role has a direct impact on habitat needed by all resident animals. In densities that their habitat can support their selective grazing and browsing drives new growth of resilient native shrubs and forbs that can repel invasive species. Elk till and fertilize, turning and feeding the soil as they move across the landscape. When they browse on shrubs in the forest, they allow more sunlight to dapple through, driving new growth of saplings, shrubs, and fresh grasses.

All the great things that elk do can be too much of a good thing if left unchecked. They are fast reproducing animals, so a safety mechanism is needed to prevent overpopulation. Huge herds are in danger of ravaging the very habitat they depend on, are vulnerable to disease, weakness, and competition going into brutal winters. Large carnivores help elk fulfil their trophic role by keeping herds smaller and mobile. They weed out the weak and sick which gives the strongest animals the best chance of survival during harsh times.

We celebrate every animal with you this Wildlife Week. As our knowledge grows, we are starting to recognize animals as individuals. They are not just populations, they are navigating their world in ways we are only now beginning to grasp. Our role is to protect what they need, acknowledge their place in the ecosystem, and honor each of their lives within it.

#elk #gye #ungulate #grizzlybear #NationalWildlifeWeek ... See MoreSee Less