Vulnerable Fauna of the United States - Polar Bear, Northern Cavefish, Spotted Owl, Desert Tortoise, Newcomb's Snail, Lacy Elimia (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 44. Chapters: Polar bear, Northern cavefish, Spotted Owl, Desert tortoise, Newcomb's snail, Lacy elimia, Flat pebblesnail, Painted rocksnail, Leptoxis ampla, Plicate rocksnail, Cylindrical lioplax, Texas Kangaroo Rat, Allocrangonyx, Ozark cavefish, Palaemonetes cummingi, Leopard darter, Big bend slider, Amargosa Toad, Oregon Slender Salamander, Bliss Rapids snail, Marstonia pachyta, Marstonia ogmorhaphe, White Sands pupfish, Slender campeloma. Excerpt: The Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, is a species of true owl. It is a resident species of forests in western North America, where it nests in tree holes, old bird of prey nests, or rock crevices. Nests can be between 13 and 66 yards (12 to 60 meters) high and usually contain two eggs (though some will contain as many as four). It is a strictly nocturnal owl, which feeds on small mammals and birds, which has only been discovered recently. This owl has a length of 43 cm (17 inches), a wingspan of 114 cm (45 inches), and a weight of around 600 g (21 ounces). Its eggs are a little over 2 inches (50 mm) long, and are white and smooth with a slightly grainy texture. The female sits on the eggs and cares for the young, while the male provides food for them. Juvenile Spotted Owls have an average survival rate of 11%, with an average birth rate of .58 owls per pair. The three sub-species of Strix occidentalis are Strix occidentalis caurina (Northern Spotted Owl), Strix occidentalis occidentalis (California Spotted Owl), and Strix occidentalis lucida (often referred to as the Mexican Spotted Owl). The Gila Wilderness is home to the largest population of the Mexican sub-species. The Spotted Owl is similar in appearance to the Barred Owl but has cross-shaped markings on the underparts, whereas the Barred Owl is alternately barred on the breast and streaked on the belly. Barred Owls are larger...