Santa Cruz County Animals Digest

Seasonal counts are showing there are, as expected, fewer butterflies overwintering in Pacific Grove than last year, but not the record lows of 2018-20.

A new graphic novel by Santa Cruz’s Reverberations Books, “Tales of the Urban Wild: A Puma’s Journey,” depicts the life cycle of pumas, the challenges they face and what people can do to help.

Birds are affected by the mass use of fireworks on New Year’s Eve up to a distance of 10 km away, reports an international team of researchers.

A coyote recently was found at the $27 million Russian Hill home of AI mogul Sam Altman. This relates to a study, which found that coyote sightings were more frequent in higher-income areas of San Francisco.

Conservationists intend to shoot all of the deer on Santa Catalina Island by helicopter. Some people are opposed, either for not wanting to eliminate the deer or for missing out on future chances to hunt them.

Livestock are responsible for half of all methane emissions in California. The White House is giving $21.4 million to California Dairies and $22.8 million to Dairy Farmers of America to help change this.

A 2021 fire has helped bring wolves back to Southern California for the first time since the 19th century. A rancher is worried about how to keep wolves, which are federally protected, from harming cattle.

The Office of Habitat Conservation’s Restoration Center has awarded $27.8 million to bring Central California Coast coho salmon back to California rivers, funding projects by Trout Unlimited, the San Mateo and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts, and the Nature Conservancy.

Researchers tell LAist that half of California’s population of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, which are endangered, died last winter due to record weather. Causes of death include avalanches, starvation and getting eaten by mountain lions after moving to lower elevations for food.

For the fifth consecutive year, California officials are delaying the Bay Area’s commercial Dungeness crab season to decrease the chances of migrating whales currently off the coast getting ensnarled by the crab-pot fishing lines.

An otter appearing to be 841 with its youngster was floating just off Lighthouse Point, periodically diving while the pup floated. When both were on the surface, the pup bobbed nearby.

Written by Center for Biological Diversity scientist Tiffany Yap and illustrated by artist Meital Smith, “Tales of the Urban Wild: A Puma’s Journey” takes the reader through diverse habitats, across busy freeways and inside science labs to learn about one mountain lion’s survival story.

"What's most unusual about this animal is nearly all of the calfs and young gray whales that are stranded are almost always in our area killed by orca whales and this animal was not," said Robin Dunkin, director of the Long Marine Lab's stranding program.

A sticky and fluffy substance has been seen falling in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties—a natural phenomenon called ballooning, when spiders use their webs to fly through the air.

This year is Bird School Project’s second go at organizing the acclaimed festival (formerly the “Monterey Bay Birding Festival”), which invites bird nerds and newcomers alike to bask in the glory of our winged, bipedal brethren.

There’s an official state bird, mineral, tree, fish, insect, lichen, fabric, sport, dance, soil and even dinosaur.

Daniel Laggner, founder of Santa Cruz-based Wildstag Provisions, is on a mission to protect American wildlife by selling free range game meat.

The SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center responded to the unique hawk, found on the ground in San Benito County.

Many people kayak through Elkhorn Slough, but the El Cat is a very different watercraft: a 37-foot, ADA-compliant catamaran.

In a new study published Aug. 17 in the journal Science, fossil records at La Brea Tar Pits indicate that the disappearance of California’s sabertooth cats, dire wolves and other large mammals nearly 13,000 years ago was linked to rising temperatures and fire activity spurred by people.

A recently published study co-authored by UC Santa Cruz Professor Bruce Lyon about the golden-crowned sparrow, which winters at the UCSC Arboretum and Botanic Garden, shows that the diminutive birds have complex social relationships.

California’s only native sunfish, the Sacramento perch, was once abundant before invasive species decimated it. As the planet heats up and threatens cold-water game fish, the Sacramento perch may be on the cusp of a comeback, thanks to its ability to tolerate warm water.

In two incidents, women were injured by repeated otter bites while swimming.

In California, there are some 50 kinds of mosquitoes. About six carry harmful diseases such as West Nile virus, Zika, dengue and yellow fever viruses.

While the toxic algae bloom that sickened California marine mammals has dissipated, rescue centers prepare for more events as oceanographic conditions continue to present challenges.

The new pack consists of at least five individuals not previously detected in California, including one adult female, who is a direct descendant of California’s first documented wolf in the state in recent history, (OR7), and four offspring (two females, two males).

Luis Yauri Oyola hopes one day to buy a tractor to start a business in Peru; he estimates that he is six years away from that goal, for which he will have spent more than a decade of his life living thousands of miles away from his family. He is on call 24/7 and doesn’t leave the job site except for necessities.

A 5-year-old sea otter born in captivity and released into the wild has been aggressively approaching surfers and wildlife authorities are looking to return the animal to captivity.

Research by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s snake fungal disease project indicates that the pathogen is occurring in more locations and impacting more snakes in California than previously known.

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, likened to the “Serengeti of the Sea,” is world-renowned for its mammal, bird, and habitat diversity.

Workers and volunteers at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter have been stretched thin in recent years, and voiced their concerns to the shelter’s board of directors.

In December, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County spent $17 million to buy Rocks Ranch, a 2,600-acre property near San Juan Bautista that has been eyed by developers. The group is working to build a crossing so that wildlife can traverse Highway 101 without being killed.