If you could see any big cat in the wild, which one would it be? 🐆🦁🐯 Jaguar, lion, tiger, leopard, mountain lion… or maybe the elusive ocelot? Let us know your favorite in the comments! 👇 #BigCatLove #WildlifeWednesday #OcelotReintroduction #CarnivoreConservation

🎉 We are so proud of our PhD students, James and Chloe, for giving outstanding presentations on their research at the annual Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society meeting! 🐆👏 Keep up the amazing work! #WildlifeResearch #PhDLife #TexasWildlife #ConservationScience #TWSMeeting

The SPEC Lab SPEC Lab is out in full force at #TCTWS Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute 🐆 🐾

📸Even more highlights from our lab at the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society meeting! 🎉👏 Grad students Tyler & Alexandria, undergrad Shayla, & Assistant Research Professor Matt did an incredible job presenting their research. We’re so proud of their hard work & dedication!

Had a great time teaching 5th graders about ocelots @ the East Foundation's Behind the Gates Field Days!🐆🌿We talked about their role in the ecosystem, the challenges they face, and how conservation efforts are helping. They were full of great questions & excitement 4 wildlife!

🐆🌿 Ocelot Conservation Day Recap! 🌿🐆 This weekend at Gladys Porter Zoo, we: 🏃‍♂️Ran a 5K to support ocelot conservation 💀Hosted a booth to teach about TX wild cats 🎤Grad students presented their research Huge thanks to everyone involved!!!🐾💛 #OcelotConservation #CKWRI

Trapping efforts are going strong! This ocelot is 1 of several we've been able to safely capture, collect data from, & release as part of our research. Moments like this highlight the success of everyone on the project's hard work. Watch as this ocelot heads back into the wild!

The SPEC lab was so lucky to have Dr. Beth Gardner visit and give a presentation on her amazing work! We were also lucky to have caught a female ocelot during her visit so she was able to attend a capture with us!🐈

Are you going to #ICCB2025 in Brisbane? Come take the Geospatial Analysis in R all-day workshop on Saturday, June 14. This workshop was developed by me and Amanda Cheeseman in the COVID era, and now has some brand-new updates from SPEC Lab! Join us! 🗺️🤓🦘

Members of the SPEC Lab had an awesome time competing in the Ag Olympics here at TAMUK! Our team, the Feline Avian Alliance, came in 3rd for the obstacle course and secured 6th place overall!🏅🏃‍♀️🤸‍♂️💪

🐆🐆 TWO M.S. POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN MY LAB!! Focus will be bobcat and coyote dynamics in an ocelot pre-reintroduction landscape. Come join the fun. Deadline is June 1 for an August start 🐆🐆 Position posting is here: tinyurl.com/5y3uhbf3

🐆🐆 Aaaaand we have another M.S. position available!! This position represents an opportunity to study ocelot genomics in the context of an active reintroduction effort. Deadline is June 1 for an August start 🐆🐆 Position posting is here: shorturl.at/o4dTA

🐅The SPEC Lab is looking for a Research Technician to join our South Texas Ocelot Research team! Apply here tinyurl.com/3d5rt7we 🐅

🥳Happy Birthday to our fearless leader Lisanne Petracca!! Thank you for all the work you do for us! 🎂🎉🎊

🐺🐺🐺 NEW PAPER! 🐺🐺🐺 Recovering wolves in WA tolerate threats except high harvest, high lethal removals, and lack of immigration With Sarah Converse, Beth Gardner, & Ben Maletzke …lpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ac…

Congratulations to Tori Locke, SPEC Lab MS student, who successfully collared her first bobcat kitten as part of her research into reproduction of bobcats and ocelots. This work will help inform population modeling for both felid species in South Texas. 🐆🤠

We at SPEC Lab successfully made it to #ICCB2025 in Brisbane, Australia 🇦🇺 & taught our Geospatial Analysis in R Workshop. Next up: four oral presentations and three posters! 🤓

Tyler Bostwick is the first graduate student from SPEC Lab to defend her thesis!!! 🧬🐆 She did AWESOME!!! Yay!!! 🎉🍾🎊👯

Oh my, SPEC Lab just had its first graduate student fly the coop. 🥺 Congrats Tyler!

Oh what a night! Our team SPEC Lab successfully collared another bobcat kitten as part of Tori Locke’s ongoing research into bobcat and ocelot reproduction