Terri Farley

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Wild Horses Are Not an Invasive Species

New Science, Old Bones and Wild Horses

"It needs to be more widely understood that the horse's status as a native North American species is beyond serious question, " Dr. Ross MacPhee, curator American Museum of Natural History

©Terri Farley

CREATED FOR WILD AT HEART: MUSTANGS AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE FIGHTING TO SAVE THEM

Modern paleontology and sequencing of mitochondrial DNA is reflected in this equine clock which shows just how quickly horses returned to North America after they were wiped out along with other large mammals. Recent discoveries have narrowed the absence window since this graphic was created, causing many scientists to consider the possibility that pockets of North American horses may have survived even longer.

Labels: American Museum of Natural History, DNA, Dr. Ross MacPhee, equine, horses, mustangs, native species, paleontology, science, wild horses

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Thursday, February 06, 2014

WILD AT HEART: I love my job

Dear Readers,
I've been especially slow posting on my blog because I'm researching and writing my non-fiction book WILD AT HEART: Mustangs and the Young People Fighting to Save Them, but I don't want to keep all of the fun to myself.
Let me introduce you to some of the people I've interviewed so far:

Dr. Jessa Madosky is a professor of biology and I know her best from the time we spent together on Shackleford Island off the coast of North Carolina. She's been wonderful

Dr. Jessa Madosky

about staying in touch and answering all of my questions on wild horse herd structure. Her research examined the impact of contraception on wild mares and their families and she continues her work as a conservation biologist.

Ginger Kathrens has wider knowledge on wild horses than anyone I know. She's won two Emmys for her documentaries on wild places and animals and her CLOUD documentaries are the only continuing chronicle of a North American wild animal from birth to maturity. Ginger is not only a citizen-scientist on wild horses, she is their advocate in many ways.


Ginger Kathrens

Dr. Beth Shapiro has a 700,000 horse in her lab -- at least part of one. She is a professor in U.C. Santa Cruz's Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and the lead investigator into the DNA of the ancient Yukon horse.

Dr. Beth Shapiro

Dr. Eric Scott is the curator of paleontology at the San Bernardino County Museum and a lead researcher
at Tule Springs fossil beds in Southern Nevada. Someday soon, he hopes to see the living descendents of the ancient equines he's digging up & the good news is that the Cold Creek herd is just a short drive away.

Dr. Eric Scott

Labels: Beth Shapiro, Cloud, DNA, Eric Scott, Ginger Kathrens, Jessa Madosky, paleontology, Shackleford Island, Yukon horse

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