Endangered Amargosa Vole Pups Spotted in Mojave Desert

Researchers found amargosa vole pups at the University of California, Davis. These pups were the offspring of voles that were reintroduced to a marsh habitat restoration project.

(Photo : Tatyana Kazakova/Pixabay)
Vole Rodents

Amargosa Voles in the Mojave Desert

The small rodents, known as Amargosa voles, are so highly specialized that they can only survive in a limited range of habitats. The estimated range is primarily along a 10-mile stretch of the Amargosa River in California. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has placed them on its endangered species list since 1984.

As with other species in the Mojave Desert, Amargosa vole habitat was very restricted, and they were rather highly specialized in rare marsh habitat in the middle of a very dry desert, according to Janet Foley, vole lead and professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

After Shoshone, one of the tiny towns where they had previously been found, underwent some development and habitat conversion, the voles there went extinct and were subsequently only found in that one other tiny town.

According to the Bureau of Land Management, by the early 1900s, amargosa voles were thought to be extinct. However, they were rediscovered in the 1970s. According to Foley's research from 2015, if no quick action was taken, the species had an 82 percent chance of going extinct within five years.

Collaboration Project

According to Newsweek, Foley said that they have been working to restore habitats, manage water resources, research diseases and predators, examine population genetics, relocate animals, and keep track of their movements. They also have a captive breeding colony.

A large multiple-agency group was also formed to support the conservation effort. The participants in the project include the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Nature Conservancy, the Amargosa Conservancy, Shoshone Village, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

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Species Brought Back from Near Extinction

Conservation efforts have saved other species from extinction. Canada's Isle Royale wolves have been successfully reintroduced, rebuilding a population that had as few as two individuals. Additionally, the shortnose sturgeon has been successfully protected following significant population declines brought on by dams.

It is crucial to preserve species like the Amargosa vole and other species that are close to going extinct.

The researcher said that in the small corner of the world of these species, they are one of the key foods for many different species of predators and they are an important contributor to the state's biodiversity. They are an animal ambassador. Being so specialized in the desert wetland habitat gives the researchers an important opportunity to study their physiology and ecology to understand how animals can live in harsh conditions.

According to Foley, the little vole has a good future and hopefully will not be threatened with extinction once more. She said that if captivity happened again, it would not be a problem as it turns out that they thrive in captivity. The fact that we can provide habitat for them and have them thrive despite their small but largely stable population is extremely important.