Fall on the Farallon Islands may bring up exciting ideas about songbirds, seabirds, cetaceans, or pinnipeds, but Southeast Farallon Island’s most abundant species each fall is the non-native house mouse (Mus musculus). In 2010, population estimates recorded house mouse density to be ten times greater than densities reported on the mainland or on other
Month: November 2015
Los Farallones
Los Farallones
The “Beautiful-Nosed Sea Bears”: Catching Up with a Colony in Recovery
A recent post to Los Farallones gave us an update on the changing status of Zalophus (i.e., California Sea Lion) on and around Southeast Farallon Island and greater California. But how about the Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus)? Extirpated from the island in the mid-19th century, how is their population faring today, especially in light
Partial Amelanism or Albinism: Not So Black and White
It’s a common knee-jerk reaction to call any bird with abnormal white feathers an albino. This is understandable given that albinism is a recessive genetic condition that causes afflicted vertebrates to appear entirely white or pink, while animals with patches of white are often called partial albinos. However, by breaking down the three more common
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