Group 4

ESA Assignment: Dermochelys coriacea (Leatherback Turtle) by Trent Larson Source: https://www.miamidiscounttours.com/product_images/uploaded_images/leath Description and Ecology The leatherback turtle is the largest turtle among the seven other sea turtle species. They are also capable of diving the deepest and traveling the furthest compared to the rest of the sea turtles. The size of these species ranges from four to eight feet, and can weigh between 500-2000 pounds. It’s shell is actually a mosaic of small bones that are layered by a tough, rubbery skin, making it the only sea turtle species without a hard shell. They have high thermal tolerances, and have been observed as north as Alaska and as south as Chile and New Zealand; this may be due to their large body mass along with other features. Nesting occurs between March and July. When females reach the sexually mature age of 16, they can nest five to seven times per nes...

Red Wolf (Canis Rufus) By Dean Harris image:  https://www.treehugger.com/endangered-species/this-year-poachers-killed-10-percent-remaining-red-wolf-population-usa.html Species Description The red wolf is one of the three living Canis species found in North America and one of the most critically endangered species in the world. Smaller than gray wolves, but bigger than coyotes, red wolves are found to be about four feet long and weigh between 50 - 60 pounds. They have brownish-black coats with a rusty tint around their face and legs, which helps to characterize them as red wolves. They travel in packs of five to eight, following a breeding pair who mate for life. The offspring stay around for an average of three years until they leave in search of a mate. They usually eat small mammals such rabbits or raccoons, but sometimes are known to hunt white-tailed deer as well. They protect their territory, which can range up to 20 miles, with their lives against othe...

Erin Ichimura 1.    Ecology and Description      The California tiger salamander is an endangered amphibian native to Santa Barbara and the Sonoma County region. It has a stocky body and a rounded broad snout, and a blackish body with cream or yellow spots. It has a large body for a salamander, adults reaching up to 7-8 inches. Their underbellies are white or pale yellow to a varied pattern of white or pale yellow and black. They have brown eyes and black irises.       They spend most of their lives on land- they spend one-fourth of their lives underground. They live in the empty holes of ground squirrels and other burrowing mammals, due to their poor digging abilities. Every breeding season (wet nights in November) some travel up to a mile to reach the seasonal or vernal pools where they breed. Salamnders don't reach sexual maturity until 4-5 years, and even then they can only reproduce once. Some never reproduce or don't ...

Figure 1. Ocelot (Leopardus Paradalis) Description and Ecology: This short furred southwestern native is not your typical house cat. Sharing many similar characteristics with the bobcat, the ocelot ranges from the very southern region of Texas all the way to northern Argentina. One of the most enticing things about this cat is their coat. Many ocelots contain unique patterns with golden fur over most of its body accompanied by a white or cream belly with a variety of patterns. Similar to their larger cat friends such as the mountain lions and jaguars they have extremely good vision and hearing. Ocelots can actually see as well at night as humans can during the day. This would help to explain how active they are around the night. This energetic cat reamins active for 12-14 hours every day and spends the majority of that time hunting. If you're a dog person you'll find no surprise in knowing that ocelots prefer to be solitary in most of their time. Although they are s...

Hawaiian Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus)- Ainsley Henderson Source: https://goo.gl/images/sRPqtF Physical Illustration and Ecology Source: https://goo.gl/images/MfM1A6 The Hawaiian Hoary Bat weighs anywhere from 0.5-0.8 ounces and is considered to be medium sized. The name “hoary” comes from the description of their fur, being thick and a mix of grey tinged with white and brown tones. The Hoary possesses short ears, thick and rounded, and edged with black. Compared to other North American subspecies (Tomich 1986c), their fur is visibly redder and are 45 percent smaller than the other Hoary bats (Jacobs 1993a). The Hoary bat is one of three recognized hoary bat subspecies; Lasiurus cinereus cinereus occurs throughout North America, and Lasiurus cinereus vilosissimus occurs in South America. The Hawaiian Hoary bat is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and considered to be from North America, along with the conclusion that the Hawaiian is a sub specific stat...