Field Notes
Creature Feature: Western Spotted Skunk
November 1, 2019Did you know that the Sky Island region is home to four skunk species? There are the striped, hooded, and hog-nosed skunks, but the smallest is the western spotted skunk…
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Creature Feature: White-nosed Coati
October 18, 2019Leer en español The white-nosed coati (Nasua narica) is a medium-sized, omnivorous mammal. You can find them in the mountains and riparian areas of the Sky Islands. The coati ranges…
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Wildlife Tracking 101: A-what-a-grade?
October 16, 2019Animals have evolved various form of locomotion to get around. Terrestrial animals have common three types of locomotion: plantigrade, digitigrade, and unguligrade. You can see an animal’s locomotion type in…
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Wildlife Tracking 101: Anatomy of a Track
October 9, 2019To learn how to track you must first understand some basics of anatomy. If you can understand what part of the foot made that mark, and if you know terminology,…
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Where Does Wildlife Go?
October 4, 2019We recently explored a small section of existing border wall habitat on the US side of the border with Mexico at Coronado Memorial. A sandy wash meanders southward through the…
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Wildlife Tracking 101: How many toes?
October 2, 2019Did you know you can separate animal footprints, also called tracks based on how many toes you see? There are many variables that can affect how many toes show up,…
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Meet a Cross-Border Cat—Jaguar
September 30, 2019Panthera onca, known as the jaguar, is the largest cat in the Americas. Revered in many cultures and religions, these powerful animals are the top predator in their environment. Their…
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Meet a Cross-Border Cat—Mountain Lion
September 25, 2019Puma concolor is known by many names: mountain lion, puma, cougar, catamount, and panther, but all refer to the same species. Mountain lions have the widest geographic range of any…
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Meet a Cross-Border Cat—Ocelot
September 24, 2019Known in Spanish as el tigrillo or ocelote, Leopardus pardalis is a neotropical cat that roams forests, scrublands, and savannas from South America northwards into the southern US. This spotted…
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Meet a Cross-Border Cat—Bobcat
September 21, 2019Lynx rufus is small wildcat that prowls deserts and forests from Central Mexico to Canada. Slightly larger than a house cat, these adaptable felines love to hunt rabbits throughout the…
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