I can’t believe Zoom did me dirty this morning by AUTO-UN-MUTING ME in the all staff meeting while I was talking to my coworker. I ended up accidentally talking over someone else who just wanted to talk about saving Joshua trees 😭

Refuge Week 2024 starts tomorrow and we're kicking things off with Urban Wildlife Conservation Day! This gorgeous sunset photo was taken at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, located just 10 miles northeast of downtown Denver, Colorado. Photo by Patrick Gautier

Spooky fact: When threatened, Horned lizards shoot blood from their eyes as a defense mechanism. Their blood is also toxic from a diet of venomous ants. 🦎🩸💀 #naturalhabitatshorts #naturahabitat #naturalhabitok

If you’re also at #TWS2024 this week and want to meet up, you can find me wearing my woodland cardigan (that I knit myself, btw!)

I feel like I should sit down and play w/ R-nimble after attending Perry de Valine’s talk at #TWS2024 Seems like a really useful tool for complex ecological models!

If you’re looking for more small mammal research after today’s talks, check out my talk tomorrow afternoon (3:30pm in Peale) on the relationships between predator occurrence and urban deer mouse abundance #TWS2024

My favorite part of #TWS2024 (besides meeting other passionate wildlife biologists, obviously) was walking away with more squirrel & coyote swag from Blue Aster Studio - I love seeing artists with booths at conferences!

Spooky fact: Chipmunks’ stripes allow them to blend in to their wooded environment and hide in plain sight. 🐿️🌳📞 check out our merch at Naturalhabitatshorts.store #naturalhabitatshorts #naturalhabitat #naturalhabitok

Fun fact: Flamingos can drink near-boiling water. They can even drink super salty and alkaline water.🦩☕️🔥 GET MERCH AT Naturalhabitatshorts.store #naturalhabitatshorts #naturalhabitat #naturalhabitok

Throwback fact: Porcupines are covered in around thirty-thousand quills. Each quill has barbs at the tips that make them difficult to remove. 🌵🐖💺 #naturalhabitat #naturalhabitatshorts #naturalhabitok

Some of my favorite photos from our 1st season of #cameratrap sampling in #SanDiego

Fun fact: Baby birds often ‘gape,’ opening their mouths wide to signal hunger. Parents feed them by regurgitating food until they’re weaned and learn to eat on their own. 🐥🦜 BLACK FRIDAY MERCH HERE Naturalhabitatshorts.store

PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE #squirrel TREE OF LIFE: Urocitellus idahoensis Snake River Plains ground squirrel

Fun Fact: Thorny devil lizards drink water with their feet. They step in water on the ground and the grooves on their skin channel water to their mouths through capillary action. This allows them to drink passively without lowering their guard.🦎🥤🐾

This postdoc would work closely with me on the Urban Nature Alliance. Let’s be postdoc friends!