Vertebrate animals, generally large, with skin covered by hair and large brain cavities. Females have mammary glands for feeding the young, who are usually born quite mature.
Three themes of ongoing research: forecasting polar bear and walrus population response to changing marine ecosystems; measuring wildlife population changes in the Arctic coastal plain, and wildlife communities in the boreal-Arctic transition zone.
Information on National Wildlife Center research on Chronic Wasting Disease, a disease affecting the nervous system of elk, white-tailed deer and mule deer.
Changes in both the ocean and coastal ecosystems may have negative effects on sea otter populations in the coastal Northwest and Alaska. A study underway will examine these factors and the overall health of sea otter populations.
Population size, foaling, deaths, age structure, sex ratio, age-specific survival rates, and more over a 14 year time span. This information will help land and wildlife managers find the best maintenance and conservation strategies.