A young American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) rides on the back of its mother in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA

by Rick Dunlap

Campfire Scene by Norton Bush

Northern Flicker

Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, at Monterey Bay aquarium

Well this was an unexpected visitor to the state of Michigan! Western Tananger

Y'all know I'm a sucker for endangered species reintroduction stories, right? Especially when it's not a charismatic megafauna being highlighted. So of course I was excited when this headline crossed my dash.

The magnificent ramshorn (what a great name!), also known as Planorbella magnifica, is a tiny snail endemic to ponds and other quiet waterways in North Carolina's lower Cape Fear River basin. In fact, they were only known from four sites in the region. Due to plummeting numbers in its limited habitat, some of the last of these snails were removed from the wild to create an intensive captive breeding program. (It really doesn't take much to keep a snail happy in captivity once you figure out what conditions it needs.) The last wild individual was observed twenty years ago, and it is considered to be extinct in the wild.

That is, until now. Two thousand of these little reddish snails were released into a safe pond in Brunswick County. Researchers are using this as a way to observe how well these captive-bred snails adapt to their historic habitat, including successful reproduction. If all goes well, we can hope to see more reintroductions of these native mollusks back into their original range.

We nature nerds are biased, because we think everything in nature is awesome (yes, I'm even an apologist for mosquitoes!) So of course we get excited when a bunch of rare little snails get a second chance, because we understand how crucial each species is to its ecosystem. It can be tougher sometimes to sell the importance of this to the general public, who may question why it would be such a big deal for one snail species to go extinct. That's why I think it's so important for us to keep sharing our knowledge and--perhaps even more importantly--our enthusiasm for all these amazing beings. Keep being cheerleaders for critters like these snails, and your enthusiasm may end up being contagious!

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Male

Shining in all his glory.

March 17th, 2024

Jefferson County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

Isn't it so funny

how certain sounds make you feel in a certain way? Stepping outside right now does that, the Grackles and Redwinged Blackbirds are putting it all out there, and it makes me feel like spring. And when the landscape is barren, what better is there to look at the glorious, gorgeous Grackles? There are the blue variety as well as the purple one. Returners are Count Jr. with the white spot as well as “Kermit” with the odd eye. I hope you all had a wonderful World Wildlife Day!

A Moment with Nature: The Carolina Chickadee

“Amidst the delicate branches, the Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) perches gracefully, its feathers catching the soft sunlight. A moment frozen in time, where nature’s secrets are shared through subtle melodies.” - Copilot with edits

You know, the photographs that I post here are not quite a vivid as the same photographs that I post at my pixel's gallery, because here, I reduce the size of the photos and usually make a slight reduction in the quality of the photos to make them easier to load.

Take a look: https://swede1952-photographs.pixels.com

@birdcounter

Unexpected 🙂 More like this

A pair of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Manitoba, Canada.

by Sean Crane

Wolves Keep Brain Worm–Spreading Deer Away From Moose Populations in Minnesota

Wildlife managers now face the challenge of creating conservation plans for all three species while maintaining balance between predator and prey animals

In Minnesota, moose used to roam the boreal forests by the thousands. The population had 8,800 individuals in 2006, and since then, numbers in the northeastern part of the state alone have fallen by 64 percent, reports Liz Scheltens for Vox.  Warmer, shorter winters, tick infestations, liver issues, wolves, and parasites all contribute to declines in remnant Minnesota moose populations, reports Dennis Anderson for the Star Tribune. However, the biggest threat may be migrating white-tailed deer. As deer entered moose habitats, they brought brainworm, a fatal parasite to moose. While harmless to white-tailed deer, the parasite (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) causes disorientation, extreme weakness, and the inability to stand in moose. It may be a critical factor as to why Minnesota's northern moose populations have declined significantly...

Read more:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/plummeting-minnesota-moose-populations-may-recover-with-help-from-wolves-180979484

The winning name, unveiled Thursday, is O:shad Ñu:kudam, which means “jaguar protector” in the O’odham language.

It’s pronounced OH-shahd NOO-KOO-dum, but you can call the cat OH-shahd for short.

“The return of jaguars to our land is a source of immense pride and profound hope,” said Austin Nunez, chairman of the tribe’s San Xavier District, in a written statement.

“Since time immemorial, the Tohono O’odham have shared our homelands with the jaguar. We are committed to working to ensure a safe and thriving future for O:shad and one day hope to see the return of a breeding population of jaguars to this region.”

Tree Swallow

Spiny softshell turtles (Apalone spinifera) along the river 5/22/24

The Red Bellied Woodpecker showing why they have that namesake😊