As urbanization continues to reshape landscapes, wildlife is adapting to thrive in human-dominated environments. This phenomenon, known as synurbization, highlights the resilience of certain species and their ability to coexist with humans. From foxes in ancient cities to dolphins near coastal power stations, these adaptations reveal the dynamic interplay between nature and urbanization. What Is ...
Picture this: a massive African elephant charges through a village fence, trampling crops that families depend on for survival. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, a coyote trots down a residential street at dawn, eyeing suburban pets with calculated interest. These aren’t isolated incidents or random acts of wildlife wandering into human territory. ...
The city sky has a new storyline: fewer cooing flocks, more wide wings riding thermals between towers. For decades, pigeons have thrived on our crumbs and concrete, leaving messes that corrode stone and spread grime. Pest crews fought back with traps, spikes, and bait stations, yet the problem rarely disappeared – just shifted blocks. Enter ...
You might think the concrete jungle would be hostile territory for wild birds. Yet across America’s busiest metropolises, peregrine falcons have transformed from near-extinct species to urban royalty. These aerial masters have claimed some of the most iconic structures in our cities, turning skyscrapers into their personal hunting grounds and bridges into their nurseries. What ...
Picture this: you’re waiting at a traffic light, watching the familiar red-yellow-green cycle when something catches your eye. There’s a crow, standing patiently beside you at the crosswalk. When the pedestrian signal changes and you step forward, the crow moves too, walking casually across the street with purpose. What might seem like a quirky urban ...
You’ve probably heard stories about coyotes wandering through city streets, rummaging through garbage, or even strolling through downtown areas like they own the place. What you might not know is that these encounters represent something far more fascinating than simple adaptability. Urban environments are influencing coyote evolution, with adaptations occurring over just a few generations. ...
The wilds of Asia are disappearing fast. From sprawling megacities to expanding farmland, human development is swallowing up natural habitats at an unprecedented pace. Yet in this concrete jungle, one predator refuses to back down. You might expect leopards to retreat deeper into remote forests as cities grow. Instead, something remarkable is happening across Asia. ...
On the Front Range, the line between wild and neighborhood is thinning, and elk are the ones rewriting the map. Doorbell cameras catch antlers glinting under porch lights, while lawns whisper the story each morning in cropped tulips and hoofprints. Ecologists see a deeper pattern: shifting climate, altered landscapes, and learned behavior that pulls big ...
On a chilly dawn in Evergreen last month, a cow elk stepped out of the shadows and onto a cul-de-sac like she owned it. Sprinklers hissed, porch lights blinked on, and a calf tested the bounce of a backyard trampoline before melting back into the cottonwoods. Scenes like this are no longer rare cameos. They’re ...
State mammal has a new address: the block walls, alleys, and rooftops of our desert cities. Long a phantom of canyon shadows, the ringtail is increasingly showing up on doorbell videos, in backyard fig trees, and yes – sometimes in attics. That shift poses a puzzle with real stakes: how does a rock-loving carnivore thrive ...
Leander McCabe Maritz, BA (Law) English & Philosophy
