Give Praise to He who Kills with one Leap: The Almighty Jaguar by Sean Reidy

Panthera onca

Lord of the Night

God of the Underworld

The Jaguar
The Jaguar is by far the largest cat in the Western Hemisphere. In Suriname, a country in central America, natives referred to the great jungle cat as a god. Other Native American cultures such as the Aztec and Maya called the Jaguar the "god of the night and lord of the underworld." Jaguar comes from "yaguar" which means he who kills with one leap.
Jaguars can live to be 15 years old and get to 8 feet long including, tail and weighing on average 100-250 lbs (hence biggest cat in Western Hemisphere).
Something that sets Jaguars aside from all other cats is that they are actually very good swimmers and enjoy spending time in the water. They are strong predators in the water and will catch fish, turtles and even small caiman.
Jaguars hunt everything from armadillos to large cows, which they will take down by biting them head or in the face.
Jaguars mostly live alone but can have huge territories spanning many miles.
A female will have up to four cubs at a time, which are born blind, so she constantly defends them, even from their fathers.  
They are usually tan or orange with black spots called rosettes because of their rose shape. All jaguars are spotted, even the very dark ones. They are heavily exploited for their beautiful coats. Jaguars have had to fight for survival despite once being such a revered predator.

Geographic and Populations Shifts
The largest cat in the Western Hemisphere once spanned most of the hemisphere. They went from Colorado all the way down to the very tip of South America. They haven't been reported as far north as Colorado since the early 1900's, but less than a handful have been seen in Arizona and into Mexico. Today they are exclusively only found around the Amazonian Basin in Brazil, Suriname and Peru. Encroaching human establishments have hindered jaguar roaming abilities which otherwise will cross massive territories.
Because their coats were so marketable, nearly 18,000 died per year through the 1960's and 70's.

Listing Date and Type of Listing
They were finally protected with the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1973. They are listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature under the Red List of Threatened Species.


Cause of Listing and Main Threats
Jaguars have been successfully protected by CITES and are no longer sought after for their pelts. However, they are still hunted by ranchers mostly out of fear for their livestock.  Huge areas of their natural habitats have been taken over or fragmented by humans for agriculture and infrastructure development. Much of the Jaguar diet, such as deer, have also been drastically over hunted by humans which has limited them in returning and broadening their habitats.

Road to Recovery
Jaguar Recovery Plan primarily focuses on habitat preservation to maintain their lands and reserve their natural prey. Jaguars cannot just be reintroduced to their traditional land if it doesn't have enough deer and monkeys for them to hunt. It has become too fragmented, they will be forced into taking down cattle from ranchers. A big push for this has been in establishing National Parks, such as Manu in Peru, to try and reclaim the large territories Jaguars once covered. Belize created a Jaguar Preserve which is the country's first area for protected wildlife. In 2000, some critical information was discovered about Jaguars that has enhanced efforts to protect them, they are the only large cat with no subspecies, which means Jaguars in Mexico and far south into South America are genetically the same. This lead to the Jaguar Corridor Initiative which seeks to connect peoples in governments from Mexico to Argentina with jaguars and how to live without conflict around a natural traditional predator by preserving their habitats.
One day Jaguars may return to their status as gods and reclaim areas from Colorado to Patagonia.



Sources:
file:///Users/sreidy/Downloads/049777%20-%20Jaguar%20Recovery%20Outline%20-%20April%202012_2.pdf
<http://www.panthera.org/node/10>
<http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/jaguar/>
<http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/teacher_resources/best_place_species/current_top_10/jaguar.cfm>
Photos of Jaguars
http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/9819500/1/

Bloggerhead

Loggerhead Turtle World

= 

THE ENTIRE OCEAN!

(Caretta) 

Listed threatened by:

Endangered Species Act in January 1998

But has been on the threatened species list since 1978

By: Derek Ramsey

Per BIO227 - Cal Poly SLO

Photograph Courtesy of National Geographic

Ecology of the Loggerhead

The Loggerhead is the largest of all hard-shelled turtles—leatherbacks are bigger but have soft shells. Loggerheads have massive heads, strong jaws, and a reddish-brown shell. Adult males reach about three feet in shell length and weigh about 250 pounds but large specimens of more than 1,000 pounds have been found throughout the ocean by fellow conservationists. They are primarily carnivores, feeding on jellyfish, conchs, crabs, and even fish, but will eat seaweed and sea grass occasionally. Mature females will often return, sometimes over thousands of miles, to the beach where they hatched to lay their eggs. Worldwide population numbers are unknown, but scientists studying nesting populations are seeing marked decreases despite endangered species protections.

Geographic and Population Changes

http://www.wildlifetracking.org/tracking/maps/project/22.gif

Loggerheads are highly migratory animals that can travel up to 7,500 miles, specifically females, who tend to make multiple trips between coastlines in order the observe their hatchlings. Because of this high rate of transiency, observing and recovering these turtles has become a bit of a challenge, in terms of research.. For the Pacific Loggerhead turtle, the research and recovery is focused on sea turtles that are permanently or temporarily on the U.S. coastline the majority of their life span. (unknown lifespan – but Loggerheads achieve sexual maturity around 35 years old) 

Main threats and cause of listing:

shrimp trawling net

Fisheries (Incidental Take)

Loggerhead turtles are accidentally taken in several commercial and recreational fisheries. These include bottom trawls commonly used by shrimp vessels in the Gulf of California, gillnets, traps, pound nets haul seines and beach seines commonly used in inshore and coastal waters of Baja California. Forty-one loggerheads were captured incidentally by a single fisherman during 1985-1987 near Bahia de la Paz, Baja California. (ESA)

spear fishing incidental

plastic pollution

Debris (Entanglement and Ingestion) 

The entanglement in and ingestion of persistent marine debris threatens the survival of loggerhead turtles in the eastern Pacific. Turtles become entangled in abandoned fishing gear (lines, ropes and nets) and cannot submerge to feed or surface to breathe; they may lose a limb or attract predators with their struggling. (ESA)





Description of Recovery Plan

Actions needed: Five primary actions are needed to achieve recovery (not in order of priority):

Reduce incidental capture of loggerheads by coastal and high seas commercial fishing operations.

Establish bilateral agreements with Japan and Mexico to support their efforts to census and monitor loggerhead populations and to minimize impacts of coastal development and fisheries on loggerhead stocks.

Identify stock home ranges using DNA analysis.

Determine population size and status (in U.S. jurisdiction) through regular aerial or on-water surveys. Identify and protect primary foraging areas for the species. (ESA)

Photo Courtesy of National Geographic

Description of alternative recovery plan proposal- "midway floating recovery station"

As a part of Derek Ramsey's architectural thesis proposal of creating a self sustaining series of islands/societies made from the trash of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a Loggerhead Hatchery (beach) will be integrated in order to house these species.  This location happens to be directly in the path of migration for these animals.  Having a fully regulated series of platforms for these taxa to lay and hatch their eggs with relatively no threat will change the decline in Loggerhead turtles fairly quickly.  The "midway station" will house scientists and researches that can constantly monitor the activity of these animals and essentially protect the hatching process.  Allowing access to this platform will create awareness for this species as long as it is kept to a minimum.  Forbidding fisheries within a 100 mile radius will also decrease threat. 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch location

site plan of hatchery adjacencies 

Midway Floating Recovery Station Anatomy

Think about it! 

Other Website Sources for more information:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/

http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-news/ocean-trash-plaguing-our-sea

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/loggerhead.htm

http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=loggerhead

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140715142656.htm

Blue Whales - By Ellen Ray

 Endangered Species: The Blue Whale 

 Ellen Ray

                                                                                                             Photo courtesy of bluewhales.org

Description and Ecology of the Blue Whale

According to the WWF, the Blue Whale is the largest known mammal to have lived on Earth. They can grow up to 30 meters, although blue whales are recorded to be larger in the southern hemisphere. Compared to other whales, blue whales are relatively slim. However, when feeding, the throat and chest will expand drastically to account for the amount of water and plankton being filtered and consumed. Blue whales have a very large seasonal migration, although it is expected that their distribution is ultimately determined by the location of their food. They feed primarily in the North, then make their way South to reserve energy and reproduce in the subtropics.

*Dark blue shows blue whale distribution

Photo courtesy of CCA

Geographic and Population Changes

Geographic changes amongst the blue whale mirror their dietary needs and the distribution of their prey. There are three primary stocks of blue whales, and according to Randall R. Reeves, "the three geographical populations of blue whales, as follows: Antarctic stock as "endangered," North Pacific stock as "low risk, conservation dependent," and North Atlantic stock as vulnerable (pg. 3)." Populations of blue whales are not showing significant recovery other than those off the coast of California,  now listed at around 2,000. 

Listing Date and Type of Listing

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, The Blue Whale became nearly extinct in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  In 1966 they became protected from commercial whaling, and were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act on 06/02/1970. 

Cause of listing and Main threats to its

continued existence

Blue Whale and Whaling Men, by Frank Hurley, National Library of Australia

Whales are listed as endangered primarily due to human caused impacts, although whaling was also a significant factor. According to Ecology Law Quarterly, "It is estimated that 380,000 blue whales were killed by whalers in the twentieth century—largely for the manufacture of soap and margarine—resulting in extirpation within some populations and reduction of others by more than 99 percent." Indirect factors that continue to threat the Blue Whales are the reduced amount of krill due to habitat degradation, distburbance due to noise pollution. A predominant direct factor are boat strikes and entanglement in fishing gear, especially off the coast of California and Mexico. 

Recovery plan
According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the recovery plan of Blue Whales begins with the assessment and estimation of the population through telemetry, then to monitor trends and the estimated population. Next, it is very important to protect the habitat to ensure the protection and survival of the whales. Eliminating injury or mortality caused by humans is a factor that can greatly impact the success of the whales considering that vessel strikes is one of the most. Another way to ensure the recovery of Blue Whales is to acquire as much information from stranded, entangled, or dead whales. Although all of these efforts may set the stage for an ideal recovery plan, the last steps are to ensure that maximum recovery efforts occur on a state, federal, and international levels. Once all these steps are complete, we can then determine whether or not blue whales can be delisted. 

References: 
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/about/blue_whale/ http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=specialstatus.fedsummary&species=bluewhale http://www.ccaro.org/local-cetacean-blue-whale.phphttp://www.bluewhales.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/blue_whale.jpg
http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2013/july/1372600800/catherine-ford/savage-history-whaling-pacific-and-southern-oceans
http://elq.typepad.com/currents/2010/08/currents37-07-segee-2010-0816.html
http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/whale_blue.pdf

Who gives a hoot? Strix Occedentalis Lucida-- Candice Reif

Strix Occidentalis Lucida

Candice Reif

                           http://www.conservativeblog.org/storage/CASOowlfamily.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1361599562559

The basics of the Mexican Spotted Owl

The Strix Occidentalis Lucida, or Mexican spotted Owl is currently listed under the endangered species act as a threatened species.  The current, and "final" recovery plan for this species was listed on December 18, 2012.

matehttps://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT8NxuPNICfSSq2siZbhWYUhnF_PhUamum-ebTAdqu5kZRSSl3P

The Mexican Spotted Owls are an “ashy-chestnut brown color with white and brown spots on their abdomen, back and head” (MSO fws species Profile)  As see in the above image, the young owls have a fluffy appearance.  Adult spotted owls have high survival rates, but the youth survival and reproductive rates are on the lower end of the spectrum.

For the most part, when a Mexican Spotted owl chooses a territory to hunt and live, it spends the rest of its life there.  Generally, if an empty territory is claimed, it is done so by a juvenile (MSO fws recovery plan)  The Mexican spotted owls tend to have a single for their entire lifespan.  After mating, the female owl can lay up to three eggs, two being the most common, and waits for them to hatch.  Their matting patterns are irregular and are not an annual occurrence.  The table B5 on page 220 of the recovery act, http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/MSO_Recovery_ Plan_First_Revision_Dec2012.pdf, shows the summary of estimates of reproductive output of spotted owls.  Like many other creatures, the environment has effects on the species activities. Weather extremes can cause injury to young owls, in addition to impacting the owls food source, determining the reproductive abilities for that creature.  

                                                          
Where they reside

The Mexican Spotted owl, while living in Mexico, also lives in parts of the United states, including New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and Utah.  They still live in these states, their numbers have just decreased and their ranges more sporadically inhabited.  Their preferred habitat involves mountain ranges and canyon lands.  Places that support appropriate amounts of prey and have forests with suitable trees for their nests.








                       
       
                                                                                                                              http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/179/galleries/figures/figure-1/image_column
Why are these owls threatened?
Human impact through destruction of habitat is the primary reason that the Mexican spotted owl is listed on the endangered species list.  "Timber-harvest practices in the Southwestern Region (Region 3 of the FS; within Region 2 of the FWS) were cited as the primary factors threatening the continued existence of the owl...In addition, the shelterwood silvicultural system calls for even-aged conditions in perpetuity. Thus, stands already changed from “suitable” (i.e., presently supporting Mexican spotted owls) to “capable” (i.e., not currently supporting Mexican spotted owls but with the potential to support them in the future) would not be allowed to return to a suitable condition. Acreage slated for future harvest would be similarly rendered perpetually unsuitable for owl nesting and roosting."(MSO fws recovery plan)

                                                                   https://mediaenvironment.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/1546_deforestation.jpg

Threats to continued existance

 The Mexican spotted owls are impacted by the lack of precipitation in their range.  When areas don’t get the needed amount of precipitation, the owls are unable to live there and their range is decreased.  “At this time, no empirical evidence exists documenting changes in Mexican spotted owl distribution or population size due to climate change. As mentioned above, however, both survival and reproduction were positively correlated with precipitation in two populations studied…and a simulation study… suggested that increasingly warmer and drier climates would greatly increase extirpation risk for Mexican spotted owls in study areas in Arizona and New Mexico.” (MSO fws recovery plan)  Continued deforestation of older trees destroys the owls' habitat.  Predation, starvation, disease, accidents, competition, and human disturbance all pose as threats to the continued existence of the Mexican Spotted owl.



Recovery Plan

The current recovery plan according to the fish and wildlife services include six steps with a goal of recovery and being able to delist the Mexican spotted owl.  These six steps are:
1) Protecting existing owl sites 
2) Managing for recovery nest/roost habitat to replace that lost to fire and other events and to provide additional sites for an expanding population
3) Managing threats
4) Monitoring population trends and habitat
5) Monitoring plan implementation
6) Building partnerships to facilitate recovery. 
(MSO fws recovery plan) 

                                                     http://www.ourendangeredworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Mexican-Spotted-Owl-flying-700x350.jpg