RALEIGH \u2014 Coyotes are the most successful predator in the country. In the past few decades they have emigrated from the west to\u00a0colonize\u00a0all eastern forests, including those in North Carolina.\u00a0How have they accomplished this feat so quickly and easily? Join mammalogist and coyote expert Roland Kays for a presentation on \u201cEastern Coyotes: Part Wolf, Part Dog, Extremely Adaptable,\u201d at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Thursday, December 3, 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
In his presentation, Kays, head of the Museum\u2019s Biodiversity Lab, will explain how hybridizing with wolves and dogs allowed these coyotes to rapidly evolve into a larger predator, helping\u00a0them to\u00a0fill the ecological niche left open after the extirpation of\u00a0wolves in the East. \u201cNow that they have colonized all our wild areas\u00a0coyotes have begun to be seen in\u00a0urban areas,\u201d Kays notes. \u201cMy research looks for answers to many questions, including: How adaptable are they to city life?\u00a0How urban will North Carolina\u2019s coyotes get?\u201d Kays will discuss these topics using new data from his eMammal citizen science camera trap surveys, and drawing from examples of urban coyotes in other states.<\/p>\n
Kays is also a Professor in the Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Program at NC State University, and is fascinated by the adaptations and success of coyotes. His fieldwork showed how they colonized wild forests of the east.\u00a0He worked with museum specimens to discover that eastern coyotes hybridized with wolves and dogs to evolve into a larger type of canid, better adapted to hunt deer. His current research includes citizen science camera trapping with the eMammal project to explore how coyotes are moving into cities, and fieldwork in Panama to track their expansion towards South America.\u00a0Kays is the author of the Princeton Field Guide \u201cMammals of North America\u201d \u2014 which will be available for sale and signing following the presentation \u2014 and has a new book due out in spring of 2016: \u201cCandid Creatures: How Camera Traps Reveal the Mysteries of Nature.\u201d<\/p>\n
This presentation is held in conjunction with \u201cExtreme Mammals,\u201d the Museum\u2019s current special exhibition, which explores the diversity, ancestry and evolution of numerous species, ranging from huge to tiny, from speedy to sloth-like. The exhibition features spectacular fossils, vivid reconstructions and life-like models \u2014 including a 15-foot-high touchable model of the extinct Indricotherium<\/em>, the largest known land mammal. This is the third in a series of scientific talks that delve into what makes a mammal extreme \u2014 the biological characteristics, behavior and ability to adapt for survival. Upcoming presentations include:<\/p>\n Thursday, January 7<\/em> Thursday, February 4<\/em> Thursday, March 3<\/em> Tickets:<\/strong> $10 per lecture. Add an exhibition ticket to your order and receive $5 off admission. Friends of the Museum members receive free admission to the exhibition. Tickets are available online (naturalsciences.org\/extreme<\/a>) or at the Museum Box Office (919.707.9950).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences<\/em><\/strong> (11 W. Jones St. and 121 W. Jones St.) in downtown Raleigh is an active research institution that engages visitors of every age and stage of learning in the wonders of science and the natural world, drawing them into the intriguing fields of study that are critical to the future of North Carolina. Hours: Mon.- Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sun., noon-5 p.m. Visit the Museum online at www.naturalsciences.org<\/a>. Emlyn Koster, PhD, Museum Director; Susan W. Kluttz, Secretary<\/em>, <\/strong>N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; Pat McCrory, Governor.<\/em><\/p>\n The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources<\/em><\/strong> (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan Kluttz, NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development. NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3970,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3960"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturalsciences.org\/calendar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cMammals in an Age of Extreme Environmental Change\u201d<\/strong>
\nDr. Kristofer Helgen, Head of Mammalogy, National Museum of Natural History<\/p>\n
\n\u201cChill Out! Hibernation as a \u2018Cool\u2019 Way to Survive the Winter\u201d<\/strong>
\nSheena Faherty, PhD candidate in the Department of Biology, Duke University<\/p>\n
\n“Africa’s Greatest Killer?\u00a0Understanding Human-Hippopotamus Conflict”
\n<\/strong>Dr.\u00a0Corinne Kendall,\u00a0Assistant Curator of\u00a0Conservation and Research, NC\u00a0Zoo<\/p>\n
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