Fish & Aquatic Species
Energy & Wildlife
Tools & Technology
Species Management Research Program
The Species Management Research Program provides science that is used by managers, policy makers, and others for decisions that protect, conserve, and enhance healthy fish and wildlife populations across the United States and beyond.
Species We Study
Species We Study
From tiny insects to whales, check out the diversity of plants and animals our scientists study across the world.
Animal Welfare Assurance
Animal Welfare Assurance
The USGS promotes animal welfare and human and animal safety in research, teaching, and training activities.
News
Drivers of Wetland Change: A Paleo Perspective
Drivers of Wetland Change: A Paleo Perspective
USGS Research: Elk Personality Affects Patterns of Conflict and Migration—Implications for Hunting and Disease
USGS Research: Elk Personality Affects Patterns of Conflict and Migration—Implications for Hunting and Disease
A new framework for guiding management decisions for amphibians in an uncertain future
A new framework for guiding management decisions for amphibians in an uncertain future
Publications
Reply to the discussion by Pilfold “Polar bear mass change confirms hyperphagia follows ringed seal whelping” Reply to the discussion by Pilfold “Polar bear mass change confirms hyperphagia follows ringed seal whelping”
The spring is a critical period when polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) are thought to have peak access to seals and acquire the majority of their annual energy requirements during a period of hyperphagia. Pagano et al. (Pagano A.M., Atkinson S.N., and Archer L.C. 2025. Arctic Science.11:1-14. doi:10.1139/as-2024-0051) examined the intra-seasonal changes in body mass of 31 polar...
Amphibian diversity of the western Colorado canyonlands including potential threats from nonnative bullfrogs and disease Amphibian diversity of the western Colorado canyonlands including potential threats from nonnative bullfrogs and disease
Throughout the canyons of the Colorado and Uncompahgre Plateaus, water is a limited resource for wildlife, with patchy distribution and seasonal availability. Tributary creeks within these canyons drain into mainstem rivers, providing habitat and breeding sites for native amphibians. Yet, little is known about the diversity and distribution of amphibians that live in these harsh, dynamic
U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward
This “U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Science Strategy, 2025–35—A Review and Look Forward” (“Pollinator Science Strategy”) describes the science vision of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to support management, conservation, and policy decisions on animal pollinators and their habitats. As the science arm of the Department of the Interior, the USGS has a primary role in providing...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, National Geospatial Technical Operations Center
Science
Tracking Data for Caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti)
Available here are tracking data of Caribou, an ungulate that ranges between the Alaska Peninsula, up through interior Alaska and the Arctic Coastal Plain, and over to the Yukon Territory. These data were collected from animals living in three different herds including the Fortymile herd, Nelchina herd, and Denali herd.
Tracking Data for Pacific Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
Available here are tracking data of Pacific walrus, a marine mammal that ranges between the Alaska Peninsula, up through the Bering and Chukchi seas, and over to Russia. These data were collected from animals marked in the northern Bering and Chuckchi sea to understand seasonal movement patterns, use of coastal haulouts in northwestern Alaska, and determine estimates of abundance in autumn.
Tracking Data for Spectacled Eiders (Somateria fischeri)
Available here are tracking data of Spectacled Eider, a sea duck species that breeds only in Alaska and Russia and spends the winter exclusively in the Bering Sea. The Alaska breeding population is listed as threatened under provisions of the Endangered Species Act. These data were collected to better understand the winter distribution in the Bering Sea and locate birds for winter aerial surveys...