Mammals: Large Species

Grizzly bears, caribou, and wolves are examples of large mammalian species that USGS researchers study. Listed below are USGS research efforts that involve large mammalian species.

Antelope | Bears | Bison | Caribou | Elk | Horses | Manatee | Sheep | Walrus | Wolves | General Mammal Research | Wildlife Health/Mammal Diseases

Antelope

• Assessing Impacts of Development on Pronghorn Antelope (See Big Game Species, NOROCK)

Bears (Black Bear, Brown Bear, Grizzly, Polar Bear)                

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• Brown and Black Bear Research in Alaska (ASC)

• Black Bear Demographics in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks: Their Interrelationship to Other Carnivores, Habitats, and Humans (See also Population Dynamics and Habitat Relationships of Black Bears and Grizzly Bears in the Northern Rockies, NOROCK)

• Future Retreat of Arctic Sea Ice Will Lower Polar Bear Populations and Limit Their Distribution (USGS Newsroom)
  
  
• Grizzly Bears Research at Colorado Plateau Research Stations (SBSC)
  • Grizzly Bears in North America
  • Grizzly Bear Foraging Behavior. Download the File. (86.77 KB, PDF)
  • Coefficients of Productivity for Yellowstone's Grizzly Bear Habitat

• Monitoring Grizzly Bear Populations Using DNA: Greater Glacier Grizzly Bear Project 1998-2002 (NOROCK) (also related to Genetics)
  

• Population Dynamics and Repatriation of Black Bears in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain of Arkansas (LSC)

• Polar Bear Research, Mammals Research Program (ASC) (also related to Mammals: Marine Species, Imperiled Species)
  
  
• Polar Bear Research at the Alaska Science Center (ASC)
  
  
• Polar Bear: New Finding - relationships of polar bears to present and future sea ice environments (ASC) (also realted to Mammals: Marine Species, Imperiled Species)

• Secretary Kempthorne Announces Decision to Protect Polar Bears under Endangered Species Act (DOI)

• Whitebark Pine Communities (NOROCK)

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Bison                                                                                                   

• Bison Grazing Ecology at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado (FORT)
  
  
• Elk and Bison Grazing Ecology in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (FORT)
  
  
• Bison in Yellowstone National Park (NOROCK)
  
  
• North American Bison Populations (NOROCK)
  

Caribou

• Assessing Wildland Fire Impacts on the Winter Habitat Use and Distribution of Caribou within Alaska Interior Boreal Forest Ecosystem (ASC)

• Caribou Research in Alaska (ASC)

Elk

• Ecological Impacts of Roads and Road Use on Wildlife Populations (FORT)
  
  
• Elk and Bison Grazing Ecology in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (FORT) (also under Bison)
  
  
• Implementation of a Monitoring Plan for Vegetation Responses to New Elk Management in Rocky Mountain National Park (FORT) 
  
  
• Natural Resource Preservation Program: Population Survey Methods and Spatial and Temporal Use of Park Winter Range by Elk for Adaptive Management to Enhance Wildlife Viewing (FORT)

Horses                                                                                    

• America's Wild Horses and Burros: Research for Management (FORT)

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Manatee

• Manatee Research, Sirenia Project (FISC) (also related to Imperiled Species, Mammals: Marine Species)

Sheep

• Bighorn Sheep in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (NOROCK)
  
  
• Bighorn Sheep in Dinosaur National Monument (NOROCK)
  
  
• Developing a Non-Invasive Technique for Bighorn Sheep Population Estimation Using Fecal DNA, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (FORT)

Walrus                                                                                   

• Walrus Research (ASC) (also related to Mammals: Marine Species)

Wolves

• Population Dynamics and Ecology of Alaska Large Mammals (ASC) (also related to Imperiled Species)

• Wolf Research (ASC)

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General Mammal Research

• Conservation Genetics in the U.S. Geological Survey. Fact Sheet. Download the File. (922 KB, PDF) (applies to all science centers, although the document is from FRESC) (also related to Birds, Genetics, Imperiled Species, Wildlife Health)

• Mammal Research at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC) (also related to Mammals: Small Species)

• Mammals of Central Ecosystems: Accounts, Descriptions, Software Products, and Other Resources From the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC) (also related to Mammals: Small Species)

• Secret Lives of Wildlife Exposed: Mammals Caught on Video (WERC)  (also related to Mammals: Small Species)

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Wildlife Health/Mammal Diseases                                   

• Wildlife Diseases (NOROCK)

• Chronic Wasting Disease (NWHC) (also related to Wildlife Health)

• Foot and Mouth Disease (NWHC) (also related to Wildlife Health)

• West Nile Virus (NWHC) (also related to Amphibians and Reptiles, Birds, Invertebrates, Mammals: Small Species, Wildlife Health)
  

	Research Highlights   Does a bear shimmy in the woods? American black bear (Ursus americanus). Photo credit: John Mosesso, NBII Digital Image Library It has been estimated that 765 grizzly bears reside in northwest Montana. USGS biologist Katherine Kendall at Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) has been actively photographing and recording grizzly bears and black bears with remote cameras. Using hair snag samples collected from barbed wire hair traps and bear rub trees for genetic analysis. This research is being used to determine the size and distribution of bear populations in northwestern Montana. Remote sensors are being used to understand more about bear use of naturally-occurring bear rubs, bear marking behavior, and effects of putting barbed wire on bear rubs to facilitate hair collection, according to the objectives set out by USGS researcher Katherine Kendall.  Read the  USGS News Release by USGS scientists Kate Kendall and Dave Ozman, New Study Estimates 765 Grizzly Bears Reside in Northwest Montana (Sept. 16, 2008). More on this topic: Grizzly Bear Project Information Sheet (pdf format): A study to estimate the grizzly bear population size in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Black Bear Project Information Sheet (pdf format): A study to estimate the black bear population size in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Project Podcast: podcast is an excerpt from a short film Glacier Park made entitled "Glacier Is" that was presented to the Parks, Peace and Partnerships Symposium in fall 2007 as part of the Waterton- Glacier International Peace Park 75th anniversary celebration. Available in Podcast or MP4 (12.7MB) format on the Glacier National Park Science and Research Podcast Page (National Park Service ) Northern Divide Grizzly Bear Project (NOROCK) Remote photography is used to learn more about grizzly bears in northwest Montana (NOROCK) Status of Grizzly Bears in Northwest Montana (USGS CoreCast) Use of remote camera systems to investigate efficiency of DNA-based sampling methods (NOROCK) Video: Black bear at rub tree 2006 (NOROCK) Video at Bear Rub Trees (NOROCK) Other related links: Bears Caught on Tape ( June 30: New surveillance cameras reveal what bears do in their spare time. NBC’s Michael Okwu reports.) Hidden camera reveals secret life of bears, 6/30/08 NBC The Today Show

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