Welcome
Furman Natural History Collection Puma Display
Desert bighorn sheep are listed as state endangered in New Mexico. The New Mexico Department of
Game and Fish (NMDGF) is working to restore this species throughout its historic range. In the Fra Cristobal Mountains
of south-central New Mexico, puma predation has presented significant challenges to the desert bighorn recovery
effort. The Turner Endangered Species fund has been working closely with the NMDGF to responsibly manage
both puma and bighorn. Furman is extremely fortunate to have this unique natural history display. Both the
puma and the bighorn specimens are from the Fra Cristobal Mountains and are representatives of actual
predator prey populations of significant conservation concern. The mounts will serve as an extraordinary educational
resource for students and the public, igniting wonder and piqueing curiosity about the natural world.
The two skeletons were obtained during my sabbatical research on puma (cougar or mountain lion)in southcentral New Mexico.
Graduate student Megan Pitman and I maintain a public access
Cougar Blog
for real-time research results from our ongoing puma research in New Mexico, including photos from remote cameras and maps of collared puma locations.
Spring 2010:
I will be teaching
Foundations of Biology
as well as the
Cougar Field Workshop
I will also be conducting research on puma ecology with the assitance of two Furman HHMI students and a graduate student.
Finally, (not really finally) I will be writing a book on the mammals of the southeast with collaborators Bill Teska and Mike MacCloud
for the University of Georgia Press.
The Media and Critical Thinking
When you read or listen to the news, shouldn't you be carrying the intellectual tools to evaluate it?
