Sei Whales: Are They Still Roaming The Sea? (By: Gabriella Orta)

The Sei Whale

*Reffered to in the scientific community as: Balaenoptera borealis

This species of baleen whale is classified as a rorqual. It's slender body enables it to be one of the fastest swimming whales in our oceans today--reaching speeds up to 30 mph; however, the sei whale isn't known for diving great depths down beneath the ocean despite it's
incredible speed. Sei whales are a molten gray color, with their undersides being a slightly lighter shade. This particular species of whale is a baleen whale, meaning they catch their various prey of zooplankton, krill, squid, and small fish and gather masses of it in their baleen plates, eating up to 900 kg of food each day (that's about 1 ton!).

See a sei whale hunt in the wild: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOMzFFh3rEA

Geographic & Population Changes

Sei whales sightings in the wild are a very rare occurrence. This is mostly due to the fact that sei whales are highly mobile cetaceans. They enjoy temperate waters and the open ocean and aren't usually found in coastal waters. The global population is currently estimated between 57,000 and 65,000 individuals. This population estimation is broad because of the sei whale's highly mobile activity and favoritism of open ocean, two factors that make it hard to even spot these creatures in the first place. The only ocean basins where sei whales have not been found is tropical and polar waters (the two extremes).    

Listing Date & Type

The sei whale is globally listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List since the creation of the International Whaling Commission in 1986, along with most all whale species due to the vast amount of overexploitation and commercial whaling that occurred from the 1800s up until the mid/late 20th century. 

The Final Recovery Plan for the sei whale was drafted by the National Marine Fisheries Service and established in December 2011.

Cause of Listing & Main Threats

There are a few main threats the current population of sei whales, all having different ranks of severity. The main cause of initial depletion was unregulated commercial whaling during the second half of 20th century, where technological advancements made it possible to catch sei whales and other similar species. Although commercial whaling is completely banned for all whale species today, courtesy of the International Whaling Commission, "scientific whaling" (or so they say) is still being conducted by Japan, Iceland, and Norway. According to the NMFS's final plan for sei whale recovery, “between 1988 and 2009, Japan, once again under opposition from many IWC member nations, took 592 sei whales in the northwestern Pacific Ocean (International Whaling Commission 2010)”.

(below) A Japanese whaling ship, hunting for "scientific purpsoes"

The illegal trade of baleen whale meat also became a problem in the 1990s with numerous species being found in Japanese markets. 

Another large contribution to the depletion of the sei whale population is the negative impact of humans, both directly and indirectly. Human development and the problem of climate change has had negative effects on global sei whale populations because climate change can cause disturbances in prey abundance, therefore negatively affecting the sei whales.
Increasing ocean noise can also have negative affects on sei whales because they rely on vocalization, or calls, to find one another and mate. Ocean noise at the same low frequency at which sei whales communicate could have detrimental effects. However, the majority of direct human impacts are from vessel strikes on sei whales in open waters.

Recovery Plan

According to the sei whale recovery plan, it's main purpose is to "provide a research strategy to obtain data necessary to estimate population abundance, trends, and structure and to identify factors that may be limiting sei whale recovery." This plan is very extensive and is divided up into three tiers:

Tier 1- Continued international regulation of whaling

Tier 2- Determine population size, trends, and structure & monitor acoustics 

Tier 3- Continued stranding response and associated data collection 

The overall goal of this plan is to down-list sei whales from being endangered to being threatened and ultimately de-list sei whales altogether. Certain criteria has to be met for this goal to be achieved. For the global sei whale population to become down-listed from endangered to threatened, there has to be a less than 1% chance of extinction in 100 years. For the species to be taken off the list completely, there has to be less than a 10% chance of sei whales becoming endangered within 20 years. 

Of course, if criteria are met, a monitoring plan will have to be established to ensure the prosperity of the global sei whale population.

Definitions

*rorqual: a baleen whale of streamlined appearance with pleated skin on the underside
*baleen whale: a whale that has plates of whale bone in the mouth for straining plankton from the water. Baleen whales include rorquals, humpback, right whales, and gray whale 

*cetacean: a marine mammal of the order Cetacea; a whale, dolphin, or porpoise
*IUCN: International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources  

*commercial whaling: hunting whales to make a profit from selling whale parts
*NMFS: (acronym) for the National Marine Fisheries Service
*endangered: any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range
*threatened: any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range

Sources

Borealis, Balaenoptera. (n.d.): n. pag. Fws.gov. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Dec. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.

"Sei Whale." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.

"Sei Whales, Balaenoptera Borealis." MarineBio.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.

Florida's Endangered State Animal

The Florida Panther
by: Noelle Pablo

(floridapanther.com)

                                                                                                                                        

            The state animal of Florida, the Florida Panther, could soon go extinct. The Florida Panther was one of the first animals to be listed as endangered on the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1973, but was listed as endangered even earlier by the U.S. Department of Interior in 1967 (source: panthersociety.org).

Ecology

Source: http://www.scientificamerican.com

   According to the Florida Panther's recovery plan, Male Florida Panthers are polygynous (mate with multiple females) and begin producing offspring around 2-3 years old. The average amount of time between litters is approximately 19.8 months and usually include 2 or 3 kittens. Panthers will disperse after a panther becomes independent and finds a home range for itself. Male Florida panthers tend to disperse farther than female panthers  (42.5 mi vs. 12.6 mi, respectively). Florida Panthers need large habitats to meet their needs. Comiskey et al. (2002) examined the home range size for 50 adult panthers in south Florida from 1981 - 2000 and discovered that resident males had an average home range of 251 square miles and females had an average home range of 153 square miles. Florida panthers are most active during the night, with the highest level of activities around sunrise and after sunset. They are least active during the middle of the day. Florida panthers interact with each other either through direct contact or by urine markers. Panthers use these markers to mark their territory or to announce their current reproductive status. Typical panther prey are white-tailed deer and feral hogs. Other prey include armadillos, rabbits, and raccoons. Hookworm infections are very common among the Florida panther species, however its impact on the animals in the wild is unknown (source: Florida Panther Recover Plan).

Geographic/Population changes

source: http://www.mountainlion.org

    According to defenders.org, the Florida Panther used to dwell across the southeastern portion of the United States, specifically in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and parts of Tennessee and South Carolina. Currently, the panther is limited to less than 5% of its original range and can only be found in southern Florida, below the Caloosahatchee River. In fact, the Florida Panther recovery plan states that there has not been a single sighting of reproducing panther populations beyond South Florida for at least 30 years. In 2004, 2005, and 2006, the number of documented panthers was 78, 82, and 97. Male panthers tend to roam across farther distances than females. Some young male panthers have been documented in central and northeast Florida, even as far as west-central Georgia

 (source: http://www.defenders.org/florida-panther/basic-facts).

Cause of Listing/Main Threats

source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local

 Today, the major cause of mortality for Florida Panthers is aggression from other Florida Panthers as stated in its recovery plan. Other causes for mortality include collisions with vehicles. The panther still faces a multitude of other threats such as habitat loss fragmentation, and degradation, low genetic diversity, mercury pollution, and diseases such as feline leukemia  

(source: http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/mammals/florida-panther.aspx).

Recovery Plan

source: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/8827/20140619/panther-population-booming-florida.htm

The strategy to recover the Florida panther consists of maintaining, restoring, and expanding the panther population in south Florida into south-central Florida and beyond. Panther recovery will be possible through greater public understanding, support, and education. A habitat of ample quantity and quality is of utmost importance to the panther, so the recovery plan is focused upon habitat conservation and elimination of habitat-related threats. Reestablishing additional breeding panther populations outside of south-central Florida and expanding the panther's habitat range will hopefully expand their population (source: Florida Panther Recovery Plan).  

The Challenge of the Channel Island Fox

                                           
                                                   

                                                  TheChallenge of the Channel Island Fox

Channel Islands, California

Alanna Reilly

Luminous eyes, red belly and a grey speckled coat characterize this fierce (ish) predator. A more minute version of its mainland cousin,there are 6 subspecies of Channel Island fox, 4 of which underwent massive population decline in the late 1990s to early 2000s. They have naturally small populations and, as top of the food chain had, little reason to ever feel fear in the past. These foxes were vulnerable to  new any threat, and with a high rate of invasive species dispersal (including humans) globally, it was only a matter of time before that vulnerability was exposed.

            The Biggest Threat:  Non Native Species.

When the non-native Golden Eagle started to hunt the foxes, they had no defense against aerial predators. The Golden Eagles outcompeted the native Bald Eagle(which posed little threat to the foxes) and the lack of Bald Eagles further bolstered the new predators numbers. The Golden Eagle wasn’t the only non-native enemy though.  On San Catalina Island foxes were killed off by Canine Distemper Virus, brought over by a stowaway Raccoon. The naturally small populations, ranging from 500-1500 foxes per island, were decimated by the disease due to lack of genetic diversity. Feral pigs and grazers had also drastically altered the plant life on the island, removing natural grasses that  could have provided concealment from the Golden Eagles.

The population drops on the islands were drastic:

San Miguel: 450 adults-15 in 1999.

Santa Cruz Island:2000 adults in 1994 - 60 in 2000.

Santa Rosa Island:1500 adults in 1994- 15 in 2000.

           

The need for action was urgent, and the fox population were desperate.

THE RECOVERY PLAN:

       In 2004, 4 of subspecies were listed as endangered by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service under the federal Endangered Species Act.

First step:

            The Island Fox Conservation Working Group consulted a variety of experts and  after two years of monitoring and establishing threats,  a draft was developed in 2006. It included translocation of the Golden Eagles, capturing and breeding the remaining foxes, while also vaccinating them to prepare them for eventual re-introduction to the wild. Island Foxes had never been bred in captivity before so the Association of Zoos and Aquariums collaborated with local zoos to come up with efficient breeding conditions. However, to protect the organism you must protect the habitat. The removal of non native ungulates, with the reintroduction of Bald Eagles onto the islands helped to bring the ecosystem back into balance. From 2002-2006 young Bald Eagles were re-introduced to the island to provide natural competition for the Golden Eagles, and in 2006 breeding was documented.

            Challenges faced:

            Although Fox populations grew quickly at first, a few factors slightly hindered population growth later in the program:

1.               Male aggression  lead to fighting and injury amongst the captive foxes

2.               Female  abandonment of pups

3.               An outbreak of mastitis amongst the Santa Rosa and San Miguel Facilities

Due to careful monitoring and some adjustment to the plan, factors that led to more successful reproduction were identified and addressed.

The Foxes Today:

By 2004 Santa Catalina facilities had released a total of 57 foxes back into the wild, and the  northern islands following suit with a total of 254 foxes released by 2008. By 2012, foxes had reach pre-decline population on San Miguel and Santa Cruz Islands. All released foxes were radio-collared, and there has been an 80-90% survival rate.  These guys are back on their feet, and with the support and careful supervision of the Channel Island Fox Conservation Group, they'll stay that way. 

Sources:

http://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/nature/island-fox.htm

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22781/0

picture 1: http://www.edhat.com/daypics2011/sbzoo13.JP

2: http://www.photobotos.com/golden-eagle-attacking-fox/

3: http://www1.islandfox.org/2014/07/channel-island-fox-status-update-june.html

4: https://xenophobia22.wordpress.com/tag/california/

5: http://www.sbcondors.com/california-trails/fox/

Hey! Lets Save the Sonoran Pronghorn By Melissa Page

Sonoran Pronghorn:
Antilocapra americana sonoriensis

By Melissa Page 

www.britannica.com

Summarize Description & Ecology of Organism

www.defenders.org

Occurred in North America, Now only found in Arizona and Mexico

Harsh arid environmental conditions

Temperatures reach extreme highs in the summer and lows during the winter

Evaporation of water exceeds precipitation, obtain water from metabolism

Terrain is sand and scattered rocks

They require vast areas of unencumbered open range for survival and reproduction

Males have large black horns and females have small black horns

www.exploringnature.org

Mating Season: September to October

Gestation: 250 days

Offspring: 1; twins when there is abundant food

Sexual Maturity: 1 year of age

Diet: Desert grasses, shrubs, cacti, and herbs

Lifespan: 10 – 12 years

Fun Facts: 

     Run up to 60 mph!

     Can see 2 – 4 miles away!

www.azgfd.net

www.bwphotography.com

Geographic & Population Changes

Created by Melissa Page

http://vogeltalksrving.com

www.flickr.com

Today: 160 held captive in a breading program in US, and about 240 in Mexico

 

Listing Date & Type of Listing

Taken by: Melissa Page

-Endangered on March 11, 1967

-Experimental Population on May 5, 2011

       -At Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge

       -Goal having 300 adult Pronghorn By 2004 

 

 

 

Causes of Listing & Main Threats to its Continued Existence

                   1) Habitat Destruction (leading cause of decline)

www.orghunt.com

a.    Overgrazing by cattle

b.    De-watering of rivers

c.    Agriculture

d.    Commercial Development

       2)  Climate Change

a.    Survival based on rain and vegetation, 13 month drought

           3)   Predator

a.    Coyote (most abundant predator)

b.    Mountain Lion

c.    Bobcat

d.    People

           4)   Disease

a.    Bluetongue

                                 i.    Most serious disease affecting Pronghorn

                                 ii.    Taken them out by the dozen

                                  iii.    Carried by cattle, transmitted by biting midges

                                  iv.    Outbreaks during Pronghorn breeding season

b.    Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease

www.jimcoda.com

             5)    Barriers

a.    Highways

b.    Fences

c.    Mexican American Border

d.    Railroads

 

www.wcs.org

 

 

Description of Recovery Plan

1) Improving habitat for fawn survival and recruitment through the establishment and evaluation of forage enhancement plots on the BMGR

2) Initiating a quantitative evaluation of pronghorn use and reliance on sources of free water

3) Reducing predation through the selective removal of coyotes from specific areas and at times of the year when adult female pronghorn are most susceptible to predation

www.shotonsite.com

4) Evaluating potential transplant locations, establishing relocation methodology and protocols, developing inter-agency agreements, acquiring funding, and initiating reestablishment projects

5) Increasing frequency and expanding scope of aerial monitoring in Mexico to improve comparability with U. S. surveys

6) Investigating potential pronghorn disease vectors

7) Reducing disturbance at critical times of the year

8) Investigating and reducing movement barriers

What you can do!

http://www.defenders.org/sonoran-pronghorn/what-you-can-do

www.petlvr.com

*Information found on US Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan