Washington's Olympic Marmots Disappearing

A species of marmot unique to western Washington state is rapidly declining, recent surveys confirm.

Roads Take a Toll on Wildlife

Wildlife carcasses litter the sides of rural roads.

Diseases From Pets Endanger Threatened Wildlife

Infectious diseases have contributed to at least 31 extinctions worldwide and currently jeopardize 43 threatened mammal species.

Most Land Environments Have Lost Large Animals

Large mammals have retreated from four-fifths of the earth's landscape during the last five hundred years.

Specially Skilled Cougars Can Wipe Out Small Herds

Bighorn sheep and cougars normally coexist peacefully. But once a cougar learns how to ambush wild sheep, that could begin the demise of a small, isolated herd.

Genetic Decline in Bighorn Sheep Reversed

An isolated population of bighorn sheep suffered from decades of inbreeding until the herd was genetically rescued.

Unstable Ice Causes Polar Bears to Move Ashore

The Arctic's warming climate has prompted Alaskan polar bears to avoid using pack ice for maternal winter dens.

Approaching ATVs Send Elk into Hiding

Even when two kilometres away, someone riding an all-terrain vehicle can cause elk to head for cover.

Weather Influences Wind Turbine Fatalities

Wind and storms affect how deadly wind energy turbines are for bats.

Wind Turbines Hard on Bats

Tall wind turbines that generate energy are killing bats more than birds.

Marine Mammals

Whales Counted Off US Pacific Coast

Scientists have published results of the most comprehensive survey to date of whales, dolphins and porpoises off the United States' west coast.

Pollution Kills California Sea Otters

Exceptionally high levels of PCBs have been measured in sea otters that died along the California coast of infectious diseases, suggesting that accumulating toxins compromised the mammals' immune systems.

Orca Diving Activity Raises Questions

Diurnal variations in the diving behaviour of British Columbia killer whales raises questions regarding the possible effects of boat traffic, distribution patterns of salmon, and whether whales rely on vision for capturing prey.

Seals Less Successful in Equatorial Oceans

An assessment of 34 species of seals, sea lions and walrus finds that certain natural environmental factors link with a species' vulnerability to extinction.

Endangered Species

Predators Decimate Vancouver Island Marmot Colonies

From field observations it appeared that Vancouver Island marmots frequently were not surviving hibernation, causing their drastic drop in numbers.

Wolverine Declines Continue

Wolverines have disappeared from many parts of North America over the last century, and recent research shows that some of the remaining populations continue to plummet.

Cougar Population Plummets

Hunting took a huge toll recently on the cougar population straddling the international border between BC’s Kootenay region and northern portions of Idaho and Washington states.

Forest Wildlife

Stunted Animals Found in Forest Fragments

Mice and shrews living in isolated remnants of old-growth rainforest are smaller than their counterparts in large tracts of pristine forest.

Wolves and Elk Shape Aspen Forests

The deep-green coniferous forests lining the valley bottoms of Jasper National Park arise from people manipulating wolves, elk and wildfire over the past century.

Vegetation Determines Where Fishers Winter

Habitat characteristics such as tree age, crown closure and fallen logs, point to how well-suited a forest is for fishers in winter.

Short-tailed Weasels Frequent Open, Moist Forests

The first data collected on habitat use by short-tailed weasels in Canada’s western mountains finds they prefer damper forests, with open canopies.

Marten in Young Forests Choose Old-growth Features

Martens living, uncharacteristically, in a young deciduous forest in northern British Columbia tend to use features commonly occurring in older forests.

Moose Seek Food More Than Shelter

New research calls into question previous conclusions that moose in the Rocky Mountains need large areas of mature, closed-canopy coniferous forest to survive snowy winters.

Caribou Often Use a Different Forest Each Winter

Mountain caribou do not always return to the same forested site each winter.

Vegetation and People Influence Where Bears Roam

Grizzly bears and black bears sharing the mountains and forests of British Columbia's upper Columbia river basin keep to different types of vegetation and terrain.