Wild Things: Giant Pandas, an Ancient Ibis and More...
Panda-friendly forests, one bizarre bird and foxes on junk food
- By Arcynta Ali Childs, T.A. Frail, Megan Gambino, Laura Helmuth and Sarah Zielinski
- Smithsonian magazine, March 2011
San Joaquin Kit Fox. (B. Moose Peterson / ARDEA)
San Joaquin kit foxes living in urban areas are taking on a distinctly human diet, according to a new study. Scientists working in Bakersfield, California, chemically analyzed fox fur and found that, compared with foxes in more rural habitats, city animals seem to have a diet richer in corn products, probably from corn syrup. That is, they’re eating a lot of junk food.
Learn more about San Joaquin foxes at the Encyclopedia of Life.
Additional Sources
“Whistling in caterpillars (Amorpha juglandis, Bombycoidea): sound-producing mechanism and function,” Veronica L. Bura et al., Journal of Experimental Biology, December 8, 2010
“Stable isotopes evaluate exploitation of anthropogenic foods by the endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica),” Seth D. Newsome et al., Journal of Mammalogy, December 2010
“The bizarre wing of the Jamaica flightless ibis Xenicibis xympithecus: a unique vertebrate adaptation,” Nicholas R. Longrich and Storrs L. Olson, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, January 5, 2011
“Old-growth forest is what giant pandas really need,” Zejun Zhang et al., Biology Letters, January 12, 2011
“One haploid parent contributes 100% of the gene pool for a widespread species in northwest North America,” E. F. Karlin et al., December 28, 2010
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