Wildlife info
Found out who lives in ojai
A rich diversity of wildlife call the Ojai Valley home.
Photo Credit: Chris G. Walker
Wildlife biologists study animals in many ways in many settings. To learn about them in their most natural setting, biologists use both technology and track and sign. Technology such as motion-sensing cameras and radio tracking collars help biologists analyze the movements and behaviors of wildlife. This information is used to help manage land for the benefit of wildlife and prevent conflicts between wildlife and people.
WILDLIFE BIOLOGY
TRACK AND SIGN
Biologists also use animal tracks and other signs to assess which animals are using certain areas. Every animal species has a unique foot print. By learning what animals’ tracks look like we can identify areas in which they travel. We can also look for other signs such as scat (poop). Each species’ scat has different characteristics such as size, shape, color, contents and location. Some species also leave behind “scrapes” which are created with the back legs pushing the dirt, grass, leaves or other material creating a pile at the end. This is done to mark territory and they usually will mark it with urine or scat. Some species mark trees by rubbing their bodies up against them, leaving behind hair and often wearing down the tree bark. For example, bears use trees to scratch their backs and deer leave marks on trees when they rub the velvety cover off their antlers in the fall.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to view our tracks comparison chart
HOW DO YOU BECOME A WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST?
If you are interested in becoming a wildlife biologist, start now! No one is too young or old to begin learning about different animals. Be curious, learn how to use a guide book and learn track and sign interpretation. Most importantly, get outside where the animals are! You can learn a lot by going on hikes and taking the time to watch the animals you see. Ask Questions!! What are they doing? What are they eating? Are they in a group? A pair? Are they around all year? Are they dangerous? How old do they live? How fast can they move? How far can they jump? Does it make noise? What do their tracks look like? A curious mind is all it takes.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN ABOUT, OR FROM, ANIMALS?
Much of what we know about animals comes from the scientists who study them. People who become wildlife biologists study everything from what they eat and where they live, to what types of parasites and diseases they get, or even what adaptations they have that might help people. Adaptations are body parts, features, or behaviors that help living things survive and function better in their environment. By learning about animal adaptations and capabilities, humans have made many new discoveries! We call this biomimicry.
BIOMIMICRY EXAMPLES:
• Studying the shape of peregrine falcons helped design the shape of fast flying fighter jets!
• Studying the shape of humpback whale fins led to designing fan blades, windmill blades and motor boat blades that are more efficient!
• The flexibility and wide-range of movements of an elephant trunk have inspired a new robotic arm that can aid the handicapped or assist with heavy lifting in the agriculture business. The elephant trunk is comprised of 40,000 muscles, making it incredibly strong, even though it contains no bones.
• Researchers have discovered that the veined wings of the cicada are the first known example of a natural biomaterial that destroys bacteria on contact. Researchers hope to mimic these properties with a new antibacterial material that can be used in public places.
ANIMALS IN OUR MIDST
Mammals of all sizes can be found almost anywhere in the Ojai Valley. Even our largest mammals can pass through urban development either on their way to somewhere, in search of human water sources, or even food. Typically, small mammals are more frequently closer to human development than large species.
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT ANIMALS LIVE AROUND MY HOUSE?
There are a few ways to learn this. First keep your eyes open! You may see the animal itself, but walking around keep your eyes out for tracks in good substrates like loose soil or in muddy areas after rain.
If that’s not an attractive method, consider buying a game camera. They are triggered by movement and will snap photos of anything passing by. It’s fairly easy, but it does take some thought when placing them to ensure the location is a place animals will cross. It’s a great new hobby to take up and fun to look forward to your next set of photos!
Camera Tips
• Place on game trails, near creek beds or any other path that makes traveling easy
• Place near water sources if possible
• Angle it at 45 degrees from perpendicular to the trail or field of travel to increase your field of view and time the animal is in front of the camera
• Set it to capture multiple pictures in each trigger if possible
• Remove all grass, branches, brush, or leaves that can be blown by the wind and trigger the camera
• Attach it securely to a tree or sturdy post since some animals do get curious and bump it!
• Don’t forget to mark on a GPS or your phone where you put it if it’s in a remote location of your property!
WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT THE WILDLIFE?
BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity is the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, and is essential for a healthy and functional ecosystem. In some way, all wildlife is dependent on the others sharing their habitat. If any one species is removed from its natural habitat, the delicate balance of the ecosystem will be disturbed and many other species will be negatively affected. For this reason, promoting biodiversity is one of the main reasons why we should protect wildlife and protect the land wildlife depends on for survival.
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
An ecosystem service is how scientists describe values created by nature that benefit people. These often defy monetary valuation, but it is worth taking some time to think about how we benefit from healthy natural systems and the creatures that inhabit them. While most of us don’t need to hunt for food, our ancestors relied heavily on wildlife such as deer and steelhead as food sources. Wildlife also regulate populations of common pests—like the snakes that help control gopher populations in your garden. If your dog has ever come home covered in foxtails or burrs, you’ll know that wildlife also play an important role in seed distribution among the native plants that control erosion on our hillsides and help filter pollution from our storm water. Finally, our wildlife has always had cultural value to people. Our local wildlife contributes to our sense of place, enhances our appreciation of nature, and influences our customs. These are the ecosystem services that make our open spaces and wildlife so important.
IT’S THEIR HOME TOO!
Not everyone may be a fan of having wildlife in their back yard, and some may feel threatened by our larger mammals or slithering friends. However, we can and do coexist well! We encourage you to look at our natural areas and wildlife through the lens of stewardship and be proud that our community provides enough wild healthy habitats to support wildlife. Our insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals were all in the Ojai Valley before us and have always been among us. They are the ones who balance our ecosystem so that we have such a stunning place to call home.
Wildlife Encounters
In most cases, a wildlife encounter can be seen as a great reward for getting outdoors. Sighting large or rare animals can be exciting and a great story to tell your friends and family. The best way to enjoy an animal encounter is from a safe distance, as a close encounter can be dangerous. The main species people worry about running into are bears, mountain lions and coyotes. In all cases the best thing to do is to avoid an encounter in the first place by making human noises while hiking, especially in areas with low visibility because of vegetation or bends in the trail. This doesn’t need to be so loud you will disrupt your enjoyment of the outdoors or that of your fellow hikers, but simply humming a song or saying “Hey!” once in a while will usually work.
In the event of an encounter, most animals will immediately flee (they are scared of us too!). If they don’t, they may linger out of curiosity. In this case or in the case of them beginning to approach:
Do not run or make any fast movements. That’s what a prey species would do and can trigger a predatory response.
Make sure small pets and children are picked up or close by.
Make yourself look big while making noise, talk to them, yell at them, but do your best to remain calm and hold your ground.
In many cases throwing objects like rocks at them or near them can help scare them away.
If they stop approaching, you can SLOWLY back away from them, but do not take your eyes off of them.
For the wildlife found in the Ojai area,
Animal attacks on people are extremely rare. If injured, seek medical treatment immediately and report it to animal control as soon as possible.
FUN FACTS
Mountain lions, also known in the US as cougars, pumas, and many other names, hold the Guinness Book of World Record for the most common names.
Hummingbirds are so agile and have such good control that they can fly backwards.
Male deer grow new antlers each year.
Even when a snake has its eyes closed, it can still see through its eyelids.
Bald eagles live for around 20 years in the wild and build very large nests, sometimes weighing as much as a ton.
The bat is the only mammal that can fly.
Mice use their whiskers to sense changes in temperature and to help feel the surface they are walking along.
Not only are black bears exceptional tree climbers, scaling trees to gather berries and other fruits, but also black bears are great swimmers.
Coyote pups are born with their eyes closed and don’t open them for 10 days.
Bobcat kittens begin learning to hunt at 5 months old and they only live with their mother until they are 8 months old, at which time they live alone.
Rodenticides are baited poison used to eliminate pests by causing death. They are used widely on private and commercial properties. While they are affective, they also affect non-target species, meaning not just the mouse raiding your cabinets. Other species are affected by direct consumption themselves, but as for our carnivorous species, they often are affected by consuming rodents that have eaten rodenticides. It can even go as far as a third level where a carnivore eats another carnivore that ate a rodent. The poisons build up inside the body, and if it doesn’t cause death directly, it will very often make the animal sick and susceptible to other disease, illness or even starvation because the body is too weak to hunt sufficiently. This has been studied significantly in the nearby Santa Monica Mountains and is an issue we encourage everyone to be aware of. Please avoid rodenticide use whenever possible. Instead, use nonlethal controls like sealing up areas, relocating or use targeted lethal controls like snap traps.
AVOID RODENTICIDE
DON’T FEED wILDLIFE
Many people find the idea of watching wild animals appealing. You can attract wildlife to your land in a healthy manner by creating natural landscapes that provide natural herbaceous food, water sources and refuge. However, in order for them to remain wild, we must do our part. By putting out non-native or unnatural food for animals, you are unnaturally subsidizing their diet. This might seem fine, but it leads to a spiral of issues including habituation and causing imbalances in the ecosystem.
Habituation is a process of lowering an animal’s natural response, like fleeing when humans are present. Positive encounters for wildlife, like receiving food or not being shooed away, will increase an animal’s likelihood of returning and remaining in a populated area or reducing their natural fear of people. These animals are prone to causing problems in a community. Habituated coyotes will linger in neighborhoods and present a danger to our pets or livestock, and feeding bears can cause them to approach people.
When habituated animals become a problem, they are usually removed from the area and they often cannot be re-released. Most will be euthanized. The old saying goes “a fed bear is a dead bear”. Please don’t feed the wildlife.
Tracks: Cats vs Dogs
Found out who lives in ojai
A rich diversity of wildlife call the Ojai Valley home