ඞ amogus ඞ

Black-necked Woodpecker (Colaptes atricollis), male, family Picidae, order Piciformes, endemic to Peru

Divergent effects of native deer and alien wild pigs on forest understoreys

Large herbivores are becoming more common in forests, but their impacts are not always what we expect.

Using nationwide forest inventories and camera-trap data across the eastern United States, researchers compared the effects of native white-tailed deer and alien wild pigs on forest understories. They found that deer generally reduce native seedlings and promote invasive plants, although these effects weaken in warmer, wetter, or steeper landscapes. In contrast, wild pigs often suppress invasive plants and have mixed, context-dependent effects on native seedlings. These results show that herbivore impacts depend on species identity, functional traits and environmental context, with important implications for forest management under global change.

Read the article in Proceedings B:

https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2461

Striped Hog-nosed Skunk Conepatus semistriatus

A skunk found from southern Mexico to northern Peru, and in a pocket in the extreme east of Brazil. The animals are rarely seen during the daylight hours. They are omnivores feeding on invertebrates, small vertebrates and fruits.

Common Brown Lemur Eulemur fulvus

A lemur from Madagascar. the common brown lemur occupies a variety of forest types, including lowland rainforests, montane rainforests, moist evergreen forests and dry deciduous forests. They spend about 95% of their time in upper layers of the forest and less than 2% of their time on the ground.

"Grace have mate question?" "No. I mean, I did. But she thought I had my head in the clouds and I didn't really want to live in the real world. She was right. Anyway, now she's with Mark." "Rocky hate Mark."

Project Hail Mary (2026) dir. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Eva's Desert Mouse Peromyscus eva

Found only in the southern part of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. Within this region, it inhabits scrubland habitats below dominated by plants such as cholla, Jatropha, and organ-pipe cactus, and in agricultural land.

An Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) in Borneo, Indonesia

Northern Yellow Bat Lasiurus intermedius

A bat from the southeastern United States, Cuba, coastal Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. This species typically inhabits wooded areas near permanent water sources or coastal habitats with Spanish moss or palm trees. Mating occurs during flight in the fall. If their maternity roost is disturbed, mother yellow bats will pick up their pups and carry them to a safer roost.