Mapping Maine’s Salamanders, Frogs, Turtles, and Snakes
Maine’s wildlife biologists rely on community members to share their observations, including you!
Happy Mother’s Day!
It only takes a quick look into the animal kingdom to see that motherhood comes in many forms.
Maine Bird Atlas Final Season
The Maine Bird Atlas is in the home stretch but there is a lot of work to be done in the final season! We’ll get there, block by block, but we need your help. This 5-year statewide project will guide Maine’s future bird conservation efforts, and every submission helps!
Why did the Amphibian Cross the Road?
The short answer is, to get to the vernal pool! Of course, there’s more to it than that, so here’s a bit more about vernal pools and why many amphibians are now on the move.
Tips from the Deputy Commissioner on Fishing with Dead Baitfish
Whether you’re new to winter angling or a seasoned pro, we have some tips for you!
Signs of Spring
In Maine, March is the perfect time to start taking a moment here and there to notice the changing wildlife sights, sounds, and smells around you.
Lessons from a Lynx
Often referred to as the “Gray Ghost of the North,” due to its perceived elusiveness, the Canada lynx is more fittingly described as calm, aloof, and surprisingly tolerant of human presence. Their long legs and thick-furred paws act like snowshoes to hunt in deep snow and their eyes have mirror-like cells allowing an increase of light available for the lynx to see at night. In addition to these adaptations, the lynx has a keen sense of hearing and smell, making them exceptional predators and equipped at living in deep snow environments.
Be Bear Wise
As the days grow longer, wildlife and humans alike emerge from their homes and dens to greet the warm weather. For many humans, we emerge with some extra “fluff”; we’ve exercised less, stayed inside more, eaten all the delicious desserts over the holidays, and gone through a long phase that I like to call “bulking season.” For our furry friends from bats to bears, winters can be more challenging; presenting little food, frigid temperatures, and the need for exceptional adaptations to ensure survival.
Turtle Talk
Maine has eight species of semi-aquatic turtles that inhabit a number of regions and ecosystems across the state. Turtles are a unique group of reptiles, with an anatomical design that ensures protection from a number of predators. A turtle’s shell, or carapace, is made of hard bony plates covered in scutes, which are the same material as our fingernails. Fused to the inside of their shell is their spinal column and the belly side of the turtle shell, the plastron, are the fused ribs and sternum. So, a turtle’s shell is a unique armor that a turtle physically cannot live without.
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