1. + NorthAmericanMammals Physical Environment By: Amy Leonard and Kevan Wright

2. +Climate North America embraces every climatic zone, from tropical rainforest and savanna on the lowlands of Central America to areasof permanent ice cap in central Greenland. Subarctic and tundra climates prevail in Northern Canada andNorthern Alaska Desert and semiarid conditions are found in interior regions cutoff by high mountains from rain-bearing westerly winds 3. +Water Many Lakes and Rivers Great Lakes Mississippi River St. Johns River Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean border the continent Swamps/Marshes/Everglades 4. +Temperature 5. +Temperatein SoutheastDryin the MidwestCold & Polar in the North 6. +Threatened Organisms 7. +Jaguar Endangered in Arizona,California, Central and SouthAmerica, Louisiana, Mexico,New Mexico, and Texas Populations have declinedmainly due to hunting for itsbeautiful coat in the 1960s and1970s Today, habitat loss is duemainly to the clearing of forests Some poaching still occurs 8. +Effect on other species Jaguars becoming extinct is effecting other species becausethey are an indicator species.Jaguars need a lot of living space, and if an area of forest hasa healthy population of such animals, then we can be prettysure that the whole forest community is doing well. If Jaguars become extinct, we will lose our indicator as to howwell a forest ecosystem is doing. 9. +What are we doing to help? We are working to protect northern jaguars in the core of theirrange through on-the-ground and through the establishing aNorthern Jaguar Reserve. We are also building local support for conservation, minimizingpredator/livestock conflicts and implementing programs tochange the local communitys perception of the jaguar from aliability to an asset. 10. +American Bison Endangered in Canada Can weigh over 1950 lbs Largest mammal in NorthAmerica Population was over160,000, but was reduced toless than 250 by 1900 due to: Hunting Diseases Populations have recoveredsince the 1920s to a totalpopulation of 9000 due toconservation efforts byCanadian conservationists 11. +Effect on Environment Bison play a keystone role in grassland ecosystem health Grazing by bison increases native plant and wildlife diversity Nutrient cycling benefits plant growth and species distribution Bison wallows create a unique habitat Bison carcasses fertilize soil The loss of Bison would eliminate all these advantages andnegatively effect the environment they were once a part of 12. +Gray Wolf Found in Mexico and the U.S. Largest of the canines 7000 to 9000 wolves in Alaska More than 3500 in the lower 48 states Once was over 2 million Main threats: Hunting and trapping because it wasthought of as a nuisance Habitat loss due to humanencroachment into wolf territories The gray wolf population was almostcompletely wiped out, but the gray wolf isnow legally protected 13. +Gray Wolves Impact Elk Wolves are altering the abundance, distribution, group sizes,movements and vigilance of elk. There are some indicationsthat these interactions may be causing new growth in willowsas elk are kept on the move by wolves and dont stay to browsein any one area very long Without wolves, elk would flourish in one particular area andnot be forced to migrate 14. +Yellowstone National ParkReintroduce Grey Wolves Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho reintroduced greywolves. There will be no land use restrictions for wolves aftersix packs are established. State and tribal wildlife agencies areencouraged to lead wolf management outside national parksand national wildlife refuges. This reintroduction resulted in wolf population recovery in andaround Yellowstone National Park and in central Idaho by 2002. 15. +Cougar Also known as Puma or MountainLion Found in North, Central, and SouthAmerica Over 20 subspecies Can kill prey up to seven times theirbody weight Has made a dramatic recovery withover 30,000 in the US alone The main cause of decline is loss ofhabitat Only 30 to 50 Florida panthers remainin the wild today 16. +Environmental Effects Cougar Predation Key To Ecosystem HealthScienceDaily(Oct. 24, 2006) The general disappearance of cougarsfrom a portion of Zion National Park in the past 70 yearshas allowed deer populations to dramaticallyincrease, leading to severe ecological damage, loss ofcottonwood trees, eroding streambanks, and decliningbiodiversity. 17. +The Cougar Fund The Cougar Fund was founded to help ensure theconservation and protection of cougars throughout their rangein the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere.Scientific research has shown us that healthy cougarpopulations help to conserve healthy landscapes and thebiodiversity that enrich and sustain human life...Conservinghealthy and well-connected cougar populations not only helpsus fulfill our moral obligation to protect nature but also yieldsimmeasurable benefits to humans. 18. +Bighorn Sheep Found in British Columbia,Washington, Oregon, Idaho,California, Nevada, Utah, andNorth Dakota There are an estimated 10,500bighorn sheep left in the wild inCalifornia Primary threats: unregulated or illegal hunting predation by mountain lionsand coyotes disease 19. +Mexican Brown Bear Once found in Mexico andsouthern United States Said to be possibly extinct The main cause of decline is adramatic reduction of habitatdue to human settlement Hunted for sport and in someareas are killed because theyare believed to be dangerous tohumans and a threat tolivestock 20. +Giant Kangaroo Rat Found in California 1/20 species of kangaroo rats Is only found in one area of less than five square miles between the Carrizo Plain and the city of Taft, in west-central California It is legally protected Threatened by habitat loss to agricultural development 21. +Mantled Howler Monkey Endangered from Mexico toSouth America Threatened by habitatdestruction, rainforestfragmentation and naturaldisasters It is legally protected, and about1300 individuals can be foundin protected areas 22. +Steller Sea Lion Endangered in Alaska, California, Canada, North Pacific Ocean, Oregon, and Washington Numbers have declined because of : Accidental capture in fishnets Loss of food source to fishermen, and hunting Some are shot each year by fishermen who consider them competition or pests to the fishing industry This species is now legally protected by the United States, and intentional killing of any Steller sea-lion is prohibited 23. +Interview with Donna Leonard Click to hear interview 24. +Graphs 25. +Citations http://nhb-arcims.si.edu/mammals_arcims/viewer.htm?Title=North%20American%20Mammals http://www.earthsendangered.com/continent.asp?ID=9 http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/imperiled_species/jaguar/ http://www.cougarfund.org/conservation/conservation/