![]() ![]() So, tell the story, because this is really interesting because obviously they weren't extinct. They have the prime real estate.Ġ:04:31.7 KD: Unfortunately. So anyway, developers versus Pacific pocket mouse. But like so many species, it really suffered from the impacts of habitat loss, and after large-scale coastal development began in the 1930s in Southern California, it disappeared in the following decades and was actually thought to be extinct for several decades.Ġ:04:22.1 KD: And then. So, it historically ranged from as far north as Los Angeles in Southern California, down to the Mexican border, and it was known in a number of locations across that coastal range before the 1930s. It's really uniquely adapted to the sandy soils found there. So, it's only found within six kilometers of the coast. But the Pacific pocket mouse is a coastal species, so it's uniquely adapted and found only in the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California. And most Heteromyidae live in deserts and grasslands of Western North America. Heteromyidae are actually more closely related to beavers than they are to house mice and rats. So, they're actually a Heteromyidae rodent, which means they're part of the family Heteromyidae, and that family includes pocket mice and kangaroo rats, and they're actually really distinct from mice and rats, like the house mice that you might see in your barn or, hopefully not in your kitchen, but they're actually. So, tell us more about what exactly is this Pacific pocket mouse and what happened to make it become endangered?Ġ:02:31.1 AW: Yeah, so Pacific pocket mice are actually really interesting and unique and charismatic species, I think a lot more than their name would suggest. It looks like a gerbil, but it's not a gerbil. And for everyone listening, I will post some links in our show notes because Aryn works with the Pacific pocket mouse, which is adorable. I wanted to start to talk a little bit about your foundation-funded study, because I know you've worked with lots of different species. And so, I was often running as a geneticist at that point.Ġ:01:58.2 KD: Sounds great. And the more and more I learned about genetics, the more I realized that it's a huge source of information on how species work, and different ways to understand that species, its life history, its natural history, as well as how best to conserve it. And so, I got into genetics as a tool to understand how species were moving across the landscape. And in that context, the spread of disease, it's really useful to know how organisms are moving about the landscape and how different populations are connected with one another. And I actually started out in my graduate studies studying disease ecology, and so how diseases move around and spread in wildlife. So, I've always been passionate about the natural world and about conservation and how we can sort of conserve the natural world as we have it. Welcome, Aryn.Ġ:00:30.7 KD: Before we get started, I always ask everyone to tell us a little bit about yourself, and then what led you to study wildlife genetics.Ġ:00:38.5 AW: Yeah. Wilder is a senior researcher in conservation genetics at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Kelly Diehl, Morris Animal Foundation, Senior Director of Science and Communication. What happens when a species has only a few animals left? I'm your host, Dr. Wilder discusses some of the challenges that come with saving a species when only a few individuals are left.Ġ:00:05.3 Kelly Diehl: Welcome to Fresh Scoop, Episode 42. Aryn Wilder of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance about her work with the Pacific pocket mouse. ![]()
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