“Tails” of Hello and Good-bye: Extirpated and Introduced Mammals of Maryland.

  • Thu, November 12, 2020, 7pm - 8pm
  • This event has passed.
It is a medium-size mammal native to North America. It is a member of the mustelid family, commonly referred to as the weasel family. The fisher is closely related to but larger than the American Marten (Martes americana). The fisher is a forest-dwelling creature whose range covers much of the boreal forest in Canada to the northern fringes of the United States. Names derived from aboriginal languages include pekan, pequam, and wejack. It is also sometimes referred to as a fisher cat, though it is not a feline. Fishers are omnivorous and feed on a wide variety of small animals and occasionally fruits and mushrooms. They show a preference for the snowshoe hare and are one of the few predators able to hunt porcupine.

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Lectures & Workshops Special Event

Populations of plants and animals in any given environment are always in flux. Change is the only constant. Maryland used to be home to animals that have gone extinct such as the saber-toothed tiger or have been extirpated meaning a local extinction like the gray wolf or elk. While some animals leave, others arrive either through natural or manmade actions (nutria, black-tailed jackrabbit).

Join Steve Sheffield, professor of biology at Bowie State and curator of mammals for NHSM, to explore Maryland’s mammal record of past, present, and perhaps future in this informative and interactive online presentation.

In addition to his work at Bowie State and NHSM, Steve Sheffield holds Research Associate positions with Carnegie Museum of Natural History and National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Inst).  Originally from upstate New York (Syracuse), Steve earned degrees from SUNY-Oswego (BA – Zoology), Appalachian Environmental Laboratory (Univ of Maryland; MS – Wildlife Ecology), and Oklahoma State University (Ph.D. – Zoology) along with a 2-year postdoc with Oak Ridge National Laboratory/EPA. He has also held faculty positions at Clemson University, George Mason University, and Virginia Tech.

The suggested donation is $5. NHSM understands that the pandemic has adversely impacted many. It shouldn’t impact access to education. Therefore, a free option is also available.
Please note that this is a 2-Step Registration Process. Once registered, a confirmation email will contain a link to register via Zoom. We apologize for the inconvenience, but this is an added layer of security.

Fisher image: wikimedia commons

Location

Online via Zoom