Tag: Bethany Wight

White-tailed Deer of Florida

A fawn at a private deer farm. Photo by Tyler Jones taken on 10-13-15

The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is the most economically important big game mammal in North America and Florida. This 12-page fact sheet written by Raoul K. Boughton, Bethany Wight, Samantha Wisely, Karen Hood, and Martin B. Main and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation provides an overview of the various subspecies of white-tailed deer with populations in Florida and describes their history, biology, and management.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw121

Mammalian Carnivores of Florida

long-tailed weasel

Florida is home to several species of animals in Order Carnivora, a group of mammals with teeth adapted to allow them to eat meat. Many of them, like panthers, you probably know about, and some, like raccoons, you may see regularly. But did you know Florida hosts two separate species of foxes? Two different skunks? Weasels? This 20-page fact sheet written by Raoul Boughton, Bethany Wight, Elizabeth Pienaar, and Martin B. Main and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation provides an overview of the mammalian carnivores of Florida from panthers to mink.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw464

Feral Swine Trapping: Techniques and Designs

Feral hogs resemble domestic hogs, but are usually leaner

Feral swine are an invasive or nuisance species in Florida and most other states because their incessant rooting is ruinous to natural and agricultural habitat. They loosen the soil, destroy native vegetation, and modify the natural chemistry and nutrients of the soil, causing widespread destruction in natural ecosystems, agricultural areas, livestock pastures, and residential areas. They also carry numerous diseases, some of which are transmittable to wild and domestic animals and humans. Trapping and removing swine from your property is an effective way to reduce or control feral swine populations. This 9-page fact sheet written by Bethany Wight and Raoul K. Boughton and published by the UF/IFAS Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department describes the most commonly used trapping techniques and illustrates several trap and gate designs.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw440

Rancher Perceptions of the Coyote in Florida

Figure 1. Coyotes are common throughout Florida. Credit: W. M. Giuliano

Throughout the continental United States and large portions of Canada and Central America, changes people make to the landscape such as the clearing of forested land and the extermination of larger predators like gray and red wolves have made the environment perfect for the adaptive coyote. Coyotes have rapidly taken advantage of these environmental shifts and expanded into new areas, now including all 67 counties in Florida and even Key Largo. Each year more people in Florida catch a glimpse of a coyote crossing a road or running across open fields, or notice coyote scat along a hiking trail–and farmers and ranchers are seeing signs of coyotes on their farms.

As coyotes become a fixture of the Florida landscape, potential grows for conflict with humans. Coyotes are in Florida to stay, and understanding the agricultural community’s perception of their influence on livestock and wildlife is important to developing effective policies for coyote management. This 4-page fact sheet written by Raoul K. Boughton, Bethany Wight, and Martin B. Main and published by the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department provides results of ongoing statewide surveys of ranchers in Florida regarding the influence of coyotes on their operations.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw143