FORS 3000 Note: Because wildlife is derived from numerous courses in our program, it is not considered a module for FORS 3000.

Description

The wildlife event consists of three main parts: identification of birds and mammals, aging and sexing of birds and mammals, and identification of food plants. Only common names are required for birds and mammals, while common and scientific names are required for plants. Specimens used for the contest consist of skulls, skins, entire preserved animals, fresh plant material, herbarium sheets, or high quality photographs. Contestants are only allowed to use a 10x hand lens, with no other equipment allowed. Highest score wins. Wildlife has been a Conclave event every year since 1977.

Wildlife Example Photos

Photo Credit: Students age a deer by its jaw bone at the wildlife event at the 58^th Southern Forestry Conclave hosted by Mississippi State University. Thanks to the Mississippi State University Forestry Club for providing this photo.

Photo Credit: Students identify a mammal based on its skull features at the wildlife event at the 58^th Southern Forestry Conclave hosted by Mississippi State University. Thanks to the Mississippi State University Forestry Club for providing this photo.

Photo Credit: Students identify a photograph of a bird at the wildlife event at the 58^th Southern Forestry Conclave hosted by Mississippi State University. Thanks to the Mississippi State University Forestry Club for providing this photo.

Academic Background

Wildlife management and forestry have long been interwoven disciplines. Plants rely on animals for pollination, seed dispersal, control of damaging insects, and other processes. Animals rely on plants as the foundation of the food web, physical habitat structure, protection from the environment and predators, and other functions. In most Universities today wildlife and forestry reside in separate colleges or departments, while in others they are still more closely linked. Much more information on wildlife management is available from The Wildlife Society.

Resources

Wildlife Texts

Hall, E. Raymond. (2001) The Mammals of North America (2^nd ed.). Caldwell, New Jersey: The Blackburn Press. ISBN: 1930665350.

The American Ornithologists' Union Checklist of North and Middle American Birds. http://checklist.aou.org/

Schemnitz, Sanford D. (Ed.). (1980) Wildlife Management Techniques (4th ed.). Bethesda, Maryland: The Wildlife Society. ISBN: 0933564082.

Radford, Albert E., Ahles, Harry E., Bell, C. Ritchie. (1968) Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN: 0807810878.

Aging Deer Jaw Bones

Part 1: Tooth Replacement

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Part 2: Tooth Wear

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Part 3: Quiz

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Key for Aging Deer

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Determining Deer Sex from Pelvic Girdle

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Past Wildlife Species Lists