(Press-News.org) American mountain lions, or cougars, are re-emerging in areas of the United States, reversing 100 years of decline. The evidence, published in The Journal of Wildlife Management, raises new conservation questions, such as how humans can live alongside the returning predators.
"The cougar population declined dramatically from 1900, due to both hunting, and a lack of prey, leaving the remaining population isolated to the American west," said Michelle LaRue from the University of Minnesota. "Here we present the hard evidence that the western population has spread, with cougar populations re-establishing across the Midwest."
Three main cougar populations exist in the Midwest centered around The Black Hills in South Dakota, however, cougars are venturing far outside of this range. One male cougar from the Black Hills was found to have traveled 2,900 kilometers through Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York, before ending up in Connecticut.
"While the distance the Connecticut cougar traveled was rare, we found that cougars are roaming long distances and are moving back into portions of their historical range across the Midwest ", said LaRue. "Our study took in over 3,200,000 Km² of territory, confirming the presence of Cougars from Texas, Arkansas and Nebraska, to the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba."
Working alongside scientists from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and The Cougar Network, LaRue and Principal Investigator Dr. Clay Nielsen analyzed cougar sightings which have been reported since the 1990's to characterize confirmed sightings over time, assess habitat suitability and confirm where cougar populations are being re-established.
Aside from confirmed sightings, the team's evidence included carcasses, tracks, photos, video, DNA evidence and cases of attacks on livestock across 14 states and provinces of North America. Only sightings which were verified by wildlife professionals were included, while sightings of animals known to be released from captivity were excluded to ensure only natural repopulation was analyzed.
The results reveal 178 cougar confirmations in the Midwest with the number of confirmations steadily increasing between 1990 and 2008. Approximately 62% of confirmed sightings took place within 20km of habitat that would be considered suitable for cougar populations.
When cougar carcasses were recovered 76% were found to be male. As the Connecticut example shows, males are capable of traveling long distances and this finding suggests males are leading a stepping-stone dispersal of the cougar population.
"This evidence helps to confirm that cougars are re-colonizing their historical range and reveals that sightings have increased over the past two decades," concluded LaRue. "The question now is how the public will respond after living without large carnivores for a century. We believe public awareness campaigns and conservation strategies are required across these states, such as the Mountain Lion response plans already in place in Nebraska and Missouri."
INFORMATION:
This research was conducted in partnership with Southern Illinois University Carbondale and The Cougar Network: http://www.cougarnet.org/
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This series of 9 interactive iBooks are great tools to suppport the blended and digital learning methods that schools are adopting.
The interactive iBooks are available for the iPad and contain interactive elements, tutorials, educational resources, web 2.0 tools, lesson suggestions and tips for integrating blended learning into any learning management system or educational portal.
Author: Ryan Macdonald is a trainer, online course developer and ePublisher.
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iBook Titles:
1. Itslearning Teacher Training
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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Childhood obesity has increased dramatically throughout the past 40 years and has been tied to many health problems. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that children's weight is associated with their math performance.
"The findings illustrate the complex relationships among children's weight, social and emotional well-being, academics and time," said Sara Gable, associate professor in the MU Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, who led the study.
Gable looked at more than 6,250 children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal ...
A team of researchers has developed a new microscope that can image the elemental and magnetic properties of a wide range of energy-important materials that are used in devices such as solar cells and solid-state lighting. The imager is based on a technique known as X-ray excited luminescence microscopy (XELM). It was created by hitching a standard optical microscope to a synchrotron X-ray source. Synchrotrons produce X-rays and other forms of electromagnetic radiation by sending electrons on a curved path at nearly the speed of light. When the X-rays strike the material ...
With Flood wood care, staining a deck is always easy, but for one lucky homeowner there's only one step: enjoy!
Flood wood care, a leading brand of specialty wood stains, is giving away the product and labor for a deck staining, as well as a backyard party.
The giveaway is part of the Take-It-Easy Sweepstakes, and homeowners can enter online through July 15 at www.Flood.com.
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Breast cancer cells frequently move from their primary site and invade bone, decreasing a patient's chance of survival. This process of metastasis is complex, and factors both within the breast cancer cells and within the new bone environment play a role. In next week's Journal of Biological Chemistry "Paper of the Week," Roger Gomis and colleagues at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Spain investigated how breast cancer cells migrate to bone.
In particular, they examined the role of NOG, a gene important to proper bone development. Previously, NOG was associated ...
President of Rocky Mountain Health Brokers, Denver Health Insurance Broker, Eric Smith reached the GOLD status for Premier Partners with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. He has not stopped there. Already for 2012, Eric has surpassed his production for all of 2011 and is currently ranked the #3 broker in the entire state of Colorado.
Eric has a unique blend of skills to offer his clients. "I always do what is best for my clients."
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This new service allows customers to schedule a container delivery to their home or business. They can pack and load at their own pace, and moving professionals will pick up the container and deliver it to the customer's new home or to storage. This is a great ...
Configured to improve precision and performance during needle positioning and withdrawal, the Removable Handle provides better visibility and accuracy while under fluoroscopic guidance since it eliminates obstructed vision previously caused by the needle's handle.
The technology uses a specially designed "door" on the needle's handle, which may be opened after the needle has been introduced to the body and the stylet has been removed. By opening a "door" on the handle, the handle becomes detachable from the cannula. The handle can be quickly replaced ...