Driving in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, we were excited to glimpse a heard of Bighorn Sheep. At least that's what we thought they were at first glance. After finding a place to safely pull off the road, I grabbed the camera and walked back to where we had seen the group. Seeing them more clearly, it was quickly evident that they weren't the Desert Bighorns that I initially thought.
Turns out, they were Barbary Sheep or Aoudad as they are sometimes called in their native Northern Africa. First introduced in Texas in 1957 and in New Mexico in 1950. In both states, they significantly outnumber native the struggling populations of Desert Bighorns. While the Barbary Sheep are beautiful animals, their story in the U.S. is too similar to other invasive species having a negative impact on the environment into which they are introduced.
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These two young Barbary Sheep were probably a few years from seriously contending for dominance, but they were getting in plenty of practice when we observed them. As I mentioned in an earlier post of a mature ram,
Barbary Sheep or Aoudad as they are sometimes called in their native Northern Africa, were introduced in Texas in 1957 and in New Mexico in 1950. In both states, they significantly outnumber native, struggling populations of Desert Bighorns. While the Barbary Sheep are beautiful animals, their story in the U.S. is too similar to other invasive species having a negative impact on the environment into which they are introduced.
Best viewed Large...

Tags:   barbary sheep audad new mexico wildlife carlsbad caverns wildlife sparring barbary sheep DailyNature-TNC13 DailyNature-TNC14 wildlife of the west TNCLiveNature carlsbad caverns national park

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My first ever butterfly post. I'm usually disappointed with the results of my attempts to photography these creatures, but I finally got one to turn out OK.
Antelope Island State Park, Utah.

Tags:   anise swallowtail butterfly antelope island utah butterflies conservation protect the environment protect public lands protect wildlife some travel ven by that time).

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This wild stallion was wandering alone in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

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Thanks to Patty Bauchman for letting us know that November is manatee awareness month. In recognition of that, I'm posting one of my few shots of this special species.

From the Marine Mammal Commission website:

"The Florida manatee occurs only in the southeastern United States where it occupies the northern limit of the species’ range. Manatees live in freshwater and estuarine systems and rarely venture into nearshore ocean waters except to travel between adjacent rivers or estuaries. Because prolonged exposure to water temperatures below 18°C (65°F) can be lethal to manatees, Florida manatees are confined largely to the southern two-thirds of the Florida Peninsula in winter. There they aggregate at warm-water springs and thermal outfalls from power plants, or remain along the edge of the Everglades at the southern tip of the state. As water temperatures rise in spring and summer, Florida manatees disperse throughout the state and into neighboring states. Florida manatees are managed jointly by both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Collisions with boats are the primary cause of human-related deaths. Manatees are also threatened by loss of warm-water habitat and periodic die-offs due to red tides and unusually cold weather events. Florida manatee abundance has increased over the past 30 years and FWS recently down-listed the entire species to threatened."

In 2017, the Fish and Wildlife Service changed this species reclassified the Florida Manatee from endangered to threatened.

Tags:   Florida Manatee threatened species sea cow conservation Wildlife nature protect the environment protect public lands protect wildlife

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