Our River Roomates

Bring your binoculars and cameras (in a dry stow of course) to view and photograph a multitude of species. We will be paddling along the steep banks and through the shallow back water eddies of the mighty MO. You will be amazed at the plethora of wildlife frequenting these shores.

For more info on threatened and endangered species on the mighty MO
http://www.usd.edu/mri/files/risk.htm

Pallid Sturgeon

The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirynchus albus) is an endangered species endemic to the Lower Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Massive habitat alterations have resulted in the decline of this, and other native fish species. Recovery of the pallid sturgeon is limited by a lack of information on its behavior, movement and habitat requirements. Pallid sturgeon were surgically implanted with ultrasonic transmitters. A network of automated receivers was used to segment the Missouri River into 40-kilometer stretches to monitor passage of implanted sturgeon, and to document long-range movement.

Least Tern

Officials placed the interior least tern on the federal endangered species list in 1985. Since then the Conservation Department has been studying aspects of tern ecology. Our investigations have focused on determining how well least terns reproduce, what makes one island better than another for nesting and the birds' movements within the region.

Piping Plover

The piping plover's species name is Latin for "pleasantly singing," describing its pleasing call. Plovers are a type of shorebird related to killdeer and avocets. North American plovers are classified as banded or unbanded, depending on whether they have a neck band. Adult piping plovers are sandy-gray on the back and white below. During the breeding season, adults have a dark forehead stripe and a single, sometimes partial, dark neck band, giving the piping plover one of its nicknames, the ring-neck. Other distinguishing characteristics are its short, stout bill, orange legs, and a white rump that is visible during flight. This bird measures 6 to 7 inches long (17-18 cm) and weighs 1 to 2 ounces (43-63 gms). The piping plover is commonly confused with the killdeer, which has two breast bands and is larger and more darkly colored.

Bald Eagle

(Haliaeetus Ieucocephalus) is found only on the North American continent. Adult eagles generally weigh between 9 and 12 pounds and have a wing span of7 feet. Females are slightly larger than males. Immature eagles are mottled brown and white. The distinct whitehead and tail of the mature bird is developed between 4and 6 years of age.

Eagles do not live in isolation! Because they are at the top of the food chain, they become an irreplaceable indicator for measuring the health of our entire ecological system. After being listed as an endangered species in 1978 following a dramatic drop in population that began at the turn of the century, the Bald Eagle's status was upgraded to Threatened August 11, 1995. Although efforts to replenish populations of the Bald Eagle have been successful, it continues to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, the Bald Eagle Protection Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Bald Eagle removed from endangered list
http://www.r6.fws.gov/pressrel/99-36.htm

Mountain Lion

The largest cat species of North America is known by many names; puma, cougar, mountain lion, and the scientific name, Felis concolor , meaning "cat of one color." These large predators are tawny-brown with lighter colored fur on chest and underside, and a long, dark-tipped tail that is about 1/3 the total length of the body. Kittens are spotted and gradually lose these camouflage markings as they mature. Adult lions measure 72 to 90 inches (183-229 cm) from nose to tip of tail. They stand 26 to 31 inches (66-79 cm) at the shoulder, about the same height as a German shepherd dog. Males weigh 140 to 160 pounds (63 to 73 kilograms), with females being smaller, weighing from 90 and 110 pounds (41 to 50 kg).
More Mountain Lion Info
http://www.mountainlion.org/Education/educational.htm

White-Tailed Deer

The white-tailed deer is named for its most distinctive feature, the large white tail or "flag" that is often all you see as the animal bounds away through tall grass. The color of the deer's upper body and sides changes with the season, from a generally reddish-brown in summer to buff in winter. Its belly and the underside of its tail are completely white, and it has a white patch on the throat. The deer sheds its hair twice a year, its heavy winter coat giving way to a lighter one in spring which is replaced again in early fall. A fawn's coat is similar to the adult's but has several hundred white spots which gradually disappear when the deer is three to four months old.

Fawns are born in late spring and summer and by early November a male fawn weighs about 85 pounds and a female about 80 pounds. Yearling bucks average 150 pounds, while does of the same age average about 20 percent less, or about 120 pounds. Some older bucks weigh 200 pounds or more when field dressed (about 250 pounds live weight) and the heaviest Nebraska whitetail on record was 287 pounds field dressed (about 355 pounds live weight).

A buck fawn has bumps on his skull where antlers will grow when he is older. Yearling bucks may have one to six points on each antler, and, based on over 2,000 deer checked in 1990, average a total of almost six points on both antlers. Studies show that 20 percent of the yearling bucks have four points on each antler; 19 percent have three points on each antler; while about six percent have only spikes instead of fully-developed antlers. Antler development is dependant on nutrition, and when nutrition is poor, 50 percent or more of the

Large "typical" bucks can have seven or more points on a side, and the largest Nebraska "non-typical" whitetail, taken by a hunter near Shelton in 1962, had a total of 39 points one inch or more in length. The typical white-tailed buck's antler has a main beam that sweeps forward and each of the points rise from it. Most buck fawns develop "buttons" by the fall of their first year, which are generally not visible above the hairline. These are hardened antlers which are shed. Subsequent antlers are also shed each year. Antler growth begins normally in April to early May. The new antlers are tender and velvet covered, with the velvet shed in early September on almost all bucks. An occasional male, possible one-half of one percent, does not shed the velvet at all.

The time of antler shedding varies among individual deer and somewhat by area. Most bucks drop their racks in January and February, but rarely may carry them into early May. Contrary to some opinions, numbers of points are no indication of age, but are of some value in judging the animal's condition.

Beaver

Beaver are more than intriguing animals with flat tails and lustrous fur. American Indians called the beaver the "sacred center" of the land because they create rich habitats for other mammals, fish, turtles, frogs, birds and ducks. Since beaver prefer to dam streams in shallow valleys, much of the flooded area becomes wetlands. Such wetlands are cradles of life with biodiversity that can rival tropical rain forests. Almost half of endangered and threatened species in North America rely upon wetlands.
Besides being a keystone species, beaver reliably and economically maintain wetlands that can sponge up floodwaters, prevent erosion, raise the water table and act as the "earth's kidneys" to purify water.

A Bit About Beaver
Beavers' ability to change the landscape is second only to humans. But that is just one reason why we find the flat-tailed species fascinating. Adults may weigh over 40 pounds, and beaver mate for life during their third year. Both parents care for the kits (usually one to four) that are born in the spring. The young usually stay with their parents for two years, and yearlings act as babysitters for the new litter. While some beaver behavior is instinctive, they also learn by imitation and from experience. Dr. Donald Griffin, the father of animal cognition, says "When we think of the kinds of animal behavior that suggest conscious thinking, the beaver comes naturally to mind."

Wildlife rehabilitators find beavers to be gentle, reasoning beings who enjoy practical jokes. An Indian word for "beaver-like" also means "affable." Once weaned, their favorite foods include water lily tubers, clover and the leaves and the green bark (cambium) from poplar and other fast-growing trees. Tree cutting is part of nature's cycle and beaver pruning stimulates willows to regrow bushier than ever next spring. After eating, beaver often use the peeled sticks to build a teepee-like lodge (house) on the shore and/or a dam.

By damming streams, beaver raise the water level to surround their lodge with a protective moat, and also create the deep water needed for winter food storage in northern climes. While other wildlife endure wintertime cold and hunger, beaver stay warm in their lodges with an underwater food cache nearby. A beaver colony, can consist of six or more including parents, yearlings and kits, yet they peacefully coexist in a lodge with underwater access to the iced-up pond for four months or more.

Because they breed once a year, require large streamside habitats, and two-year-olds leave home each spring to find their own territories, beaver rarely overpopulate. Small kits have many predators including hawks, owls, bobcat, coyote and dogs. Bear, wolves, dogs and coyote can also take adults.

Like most wildlife, beaver self-regulate by starting to decrease their rate of reproduction when occupancy reaches a certain level. In vast areas without trapping, beaver populations may peak, and then slowly drift down to a sustainable level. Beaver in North America were almost extirpated due to trapping and draining of lands for agriculture by the early 1900s. Estimates of the current population are as low as 2.5% of those present prior to European settlement. Nonetheless, as beaver reclaim some former territory, conflicts with humans do arise.

False Map Turtle

Generally, map turtles occur within the United States. Although map turtles may look like painted turtles, such as the western painted turtle~a common turtle in South Dakota, their shell pattern has a map-like appearance, leading to the name "map" turtle. False map turtles, as the name implies, have indistinct shell patterning unlike true map turtles. The false map turtle's shell patterning appears as a vague net-like outline across the back with faint yellow markings in the background. This patterning gives the false map turtle an outstandingly beautiful outer shell.

The false map turtle has a moderately sized olive to brown carapace (back) with a saw-tooth edge along the center of the back and rear border. False map turtles are also known as "sawback" turtles because their saw-tooth edges resemble the teeth of a saw blade. Dark spots are scattered rather evenly, with one spot per scute (external bony plate), across the back and hind rim of the carapace. False map turtles have yellow plastrons (bellies) with dark lines around the edges and within the seams. As false map turtles age, the well developed designs fade and the edges of the shell dull. Distinct yellow lines cover the head, neck, and limbs, and a characteristic yellow "L" is mirrored across the top of the head. Males and females differ in appearance. Males have longer, thicker tails and longer claws on the front feet than females, but adult females can grow up to twice the size of adult males. The adult female shell ranges from 12 to 27 cm (5 to 11 in.) in length, while the adult male shell ranges from 9 to 15 cm (3 to 6 in.) in length.

False map turtles select large rivers and reservoirs that have many basking sites and some aquatic vegetation. In South Dakota, false map turtles are primarily associated with the Missouri River. With a highly aquatic lifestyle, false map turtles usually do not stray far from the water. The turtle,s diurnal (daytime) activities limit opportunities to view basking false map turtles. This is a rather shy turtle that becomes skittish when it senses danger, escaping potential threats by entering the water. Along the Missouri River, false map turtles bask on partially submerged logs or stones of deeper waters. Other turtles usually avoid these inaccessible basking sites. False map turtles bask for up to two hours during the day.

Wild Turkey

A wild turkey has excellent vision and hearing. There field of view is about 270 degrees.Thisis the main reason they continue to elude some hunters.
A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.
They are able to adapt to a wide variety of habitats. But, most turkeys are found in hardwood forests with grassy openings.
Turkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset.
They fly to the ground at first light and feed until mid-morning. Feeding resumes in mid-afternoon.
Turkeys can cover several miles during the course of the day.
The best time to see turkeys are best on warm clear days or in a light rain.
Gobbling starts before sunrise and can continue through most of the morning.
Strutting is used to attract hens prior to and during the breeding season.
Young gobblers can be distinguished from adults from the longer middle tail feathers of the fan.
When scouting if you come across turkey tracks that have a middle toe longer than 4 inches you canbe sure it was made by an adult Gobbler!
Droppings of a Tom are usually long and J shaped. Those of a hen are shorter. But, droppings fromeither can be soft without any definite shape.