Images

Many species of birds rely on wetlands such as this baldcypress swamp, one of the ecosystems currently being studied by scientists at the USGS NWRC.

Bear digging for food in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

A bison cow and her calf.

A plains bison in winter at Yellowstone National Park. A bison's hump is useful as a snowplow in winter when the animal swings its head from side to side to brush aside the snow to reach food underneath. The hump is composed of muscles supported by long vertebrae.

Little blue heron siblings.

Elk congregate on the Camp Creek Feed Ground in northwestern Wyoming.

Bighead carp are a large and troublesome invasive species from Asia found in the great rivers of the central United States.

Bighead carp are a large and troublesome invasive species from Asia found in the great rivers of the central United States.

In general, Whimbrels (like the one in this photo) are brown and grey in appearance in contrast to the brown and cinnamon tones of curlews. In addition, these two species can always be distinguished by their vocalizations.

USGS Cooperative Research Unit graduate student Ambre Chaudoin monitors pupfish spawning behavior in Devils Hole, the only habitat for endangered Devils Hole pupfish.

A group of Devils Hole pupfish forage along the edge of the shallow spawning shelf in Devils Hole.

Dart Poison Frogs are commonly found in Central and South America and are from the Dendrobatidae family.

Drought and climate change are causing extensive forest dieback in the U.S. West as well as worldwide. These photos show dead ponderosa pines in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico killed by a combination of drought stress and attacks by bark beetles on weakened trees.

An ultrasound is used to determine the reproductive condition of female pallid sturgeon.

Blood samples from pallid sturgeon are taken to assess hormone levels and reproductive condition. 

An American alligator and a Burmese python locked in a struggle to prevail in Everglades National Park. This python appears to be losing, but snakes in similar situations have apparently escaped unharmed, and in other situations pythons have eaten alligators.

Demonstration wetland at Henderson, Nevada, where vegetated hummocks were built into the wastewater treatment wetland to improve its effectiveness and sustainability, as well as provide quality wildlife habitat.

Acoustic receivers detect and process the acoustic signal from the telemetry tags telling the tracking crew which direction to go to find the fish, and even which fish it is.

A gator relaxes in the shade underneath our station’s dock.

Mara Tongue download data from phenocam located in Idaho. The phenocam takes a picture daily and that data is used to help track phenological changes (the timing and vigor of seasonal biological events). The data from the phenocam is used (with other data) to gain a better understanding of vegetation changes over the entire ecoregion.

Alicia Torregrosa download data from a phenocam located in Idaho. The phenocam takes a picture daily and that data is used to help track phenological changes (the timing and vigor of seasonal biological events). The data from the phenocam is used (with other data) to gain a better understanding of vegetation changes over the entire ecoregion.